The OnePlus One Review
by Joshua Ho on November 19, 2014 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Android
- Mobile
- OnePlus
The OnePlus One has been one of the most hyped smartphones of 2014. There's really not much else to be said, as OnePlus' marketing has been quite noticeable amongst Android enthusiasts. The OnePlus One seems to come from nowhere, although there is a noticeable resemblance to the Oppo Find 7A which is produced in the same factory. The OnePlus One is said to be a flagship killer, as its high-end specs come with a mid-range price. The 16GB version starts at 299 USD and the 64GB version starts at 349 USD. With a 5.5" 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 SoC, and plenty of other bits and pieces to go around, the specs are certainly enough to make it into a flagship phone. Of course, the real question is whether it really is. After all, while specs provide the foundation, what makes a phone bad, good, or great has to do with the entire phone, not just the spec sheet. At any rate, I've attached this spec sheet below to give an idea of what to expect from the phone.
| Oppo Find 7a | OnePlus One | |
| SoC | MSM8974ABv3 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 801 |
MSM8974ACv3 2.45 GHz Snapdragon 801 |
| RAM/NAND | 2 GB LPDDR3, 16GB NAND + microSD | 3GB LPDDR3, 16/64GB NAND |
| Display | 5.5” 1080p IPS LCD (JDI) | 5.5” 1080p IPS LCD (JDI) |
| Network | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x25 UE Category 4 LTE) | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x25 UE Category 4 LTE) |
| Dimensions | 152.6 x 75 x 9.2 mm, 170 grams | 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, 162 grams |
| Camera | 13MP (4128 x 3096) Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX214), F/2.0, 5MP FFC w/ F/2.0 aperture | 13MP (4128 x 3096) Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX214), F/2.0, 5MP FFC w/ F/2.0 aperture |
| Battery | 2800 mAh (10.64 Whr) | 3100 mAh (11.78 Whr) |
| OS | Android 4.3 with ColorOS | Android 4.4.4 with CyanogenMod 11S |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, DLNA, NFC | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, DLNA, NFC |
| SIM Size | MicroSIM | MicroSIM |
Needless to say, the OnePlus One is a close cousin of the Find 7a, and its specs are top notch. There's a great foundation, so we'll move on with some initial hardware impressions.
Of course, the first part to look at is industrial and material design, along with any other immediate observations about the phone. From the front, the phone is almost a pure expanse of black glass. There are outlines for the capacitive keys, but these are quite faint most of the time. The contrast of the silver plastic ring only emphasizes this, and the lack of logos helps to make the design stand out by virtue of its minimalism. Picking it up, the feel of the sandstone black finish is incredibly unique and unlike anything I've ever felt. The finish has been described as soft sandpaper, and that's a description I'd agree with. It makes the phone feel much grippier than one might expect. The back cover is also strong, with no real give and no flex. Other than a few logos, the only significant design elements on the back are the camera, dual LED flash, and a hole for the microphone. The front of the phone has surprisingly great attention to detail as well. The silver plastic piece on the front of the phone makes the finger smoothly roll off of the display when swiping around, and the imperceptible feel of the earpiece helps to contribute to the sense that this is a single, well-built phone.
On the sides, the minimalistic theme continues. There's only a power button on the right side, a headphone jack and microphone port on the top, and a volume rocker on the left side. The SIM tray is also on the left side, and on the bottom of the phone we see two speakers, a USB port, and a microphone hole. In general, the feel of the power and volume buttons are great, with no slack and a clean, if subdued click upon activation.
Needless to say, OnePlus has done a fantastic job. However, there are a few issues to talk about. First, the size is definitely too much to handle. If the LG G3 was at the very edge between a phone and phablet, the OnePlus One firmly steps into phablet territory. At some point a line in the sand has to be drawn, and it only makes sense to do so here. The angular corners of the OnePlus One combined with its larger footprint makes for a phone that is almost impossible to comfortably use with one hand. I can't help but feel that this would've been a far more impressive phone if shrunk to a 5" display size, as in my experience it takes two hands to comfortably use this phone. The other issue is much more subtle though. For some reason or another, the glass lens covering the display of the phone feels as if it has noticeably higher friction than other phones I've used. It almost feels as if the oleophobic treatment of the glass is either missing or thinner than most. Of course, overall the phone is great from a basic design perspective. The size seems to be a matter of OnePlus' start-up position and the need to share parts with the Find 7a, although the feel of the glass is unlikely to be an issue for most.
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wyewye - Thursday, November 20, 2014 - link
An article beginning with "There's really not much else to be said" ...Why do you keep this smug asshole on your team, Anand? Are you really looking to drive away viewers?
Regarding the OnePlus One, this config would have been decent in mid 2013. Coming in late 2014, this phone is not only not a flagship killer but average at best.
Harry_Wild - Thursday, November 20, 2014 - link
"Reception, at least for T-Mobile US' band 4/AWS LTE is noticeably worse than most devices that I've tried. "I'm a T-Mobile user; and this above result sure makes me uneasy to even consider it as a purchase! Hopefully, One Plus, can find some way to fix the LTE for T-Mobile so it can be more clear!
Munna2002 - Friday, November 21, 2014 - link
I'm a T Mobile user and haven't had issues with the OPO reception in the NYC metro area. LTE speeds are as fast as those observed with a Samsung S3 and S5.littlebitstrouds - Thursday, November 20, 2014 - link
The reason this phone is so popular isn't that it matches up perfectly with flagships, even though it does it's best job, but rather that for $350 off contract it allows you to finally have a near flagship phone on non-contract services without breaking your bank. I went from an EVO LTE with $99 a month from sprint, to $50 a month with t-mobile non contract. $50 savings a month, and I don't have to use last year's gear while doing it.BabelHuber - Thursday, November 20, 2014 - link
I do not understand why CM is criticized because of its options:I like them and I use them - for me a stock Android phone has too few options. I need to use Xposed/ Gravitybox to get the options back, otherwise I can't stand it.
Also I do not understand what is wrong with CM's Theme Engine: It works well and there are lots of themes I really like.
Of course there are also themes which do not work correctly one way or the other, but that's not the Theme Engine's fault.
So I would see it exactly the other way round: CM adds sensible features to Android. Of course there are also lots of settings in CM which I don't use, like the profiles.
But why should I be embarassed about this? I use what I want and I ignore the rest. That's what options are for.
Also I didn't have difficulties getting used to CM at all.
So I think from the software side Joshua Ho got it wrong.
If I would be malicious I'd say it's no wonder that the Anandtech staff likes iOS so much, because they seem to be too stupid to use a fully-featured OS :-)
srkelley - Thursday, November 20, 2014 - link
It's not that they're dumb, far from it, but that the presentation of the options can leave a lot to be desired. Joshua Ho points out the number, but the number of options alone isn't the real issue. It's too number made available to people that require them to either search outside of the ui to understand or to learn what they do through trial and error.I'm perfectly fine with that, I have a OPO (https://plus.google.com/+ShirondaleKelley/posts). Still, such a thing must be cited. Even power users just want to be users sometimes. Maybe they just want to exert their power through workflows instead of configuration. Maybe they want to be able to recommended a good phone to friends without becoming their personal and default support option. Having such a thing the review reminds you of what the norm is and allows for a much more comprehensive review. It's constructive criticism, not scalding or venomous criticism.
Since we're all power users here, maybe we would still get to phone for our friends but decide to install miui or preconfigure certain items. A review like this certainly helps with the decision of what to recommend and how to handle it.
BabelHuber - Friday, November 21, 2014 - link
In my experience, people like CM's options, even the 'regular' users.My GF uses CM11 on her Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.4 - I had to install it because she hates the Samsung-UI the device came with. With CM, she is satisfied with the device.
I've also shown two friends how to install CM on their older devices (SGS2 and HTC Desire HD). They also like it.
Nobody said that he/she is confused. Nobody wants to have less options.
So I still think that CM is fine and I still do not understand how somebody would prefer less options. It just does not make sense to me.
srkelley - Sunday, November 23, 2014 - link
Yes, and that's good for them.Again, it's not solely the number but in how they're presented. If it had a more cohesive, polished presentation then the number really wouldn't matter. The way that some part of the interface exposes (or doesn't) functionality is the true issue here.
No, that doesn't mean that everyone will have trouble. I just don't believe that you should have search outside of a ui to understand how to complete basic and intermediate level items. That can be the cause with some of the cm11 functions. It's nowhere near all of them, it's something that I see the team fixing over time. It used to be way more daunting in the beginning, the team has been making great improvements while adding more functionality and I love it for that.
slfisher - Monday, November 24, 2014 - link
Do you have a "CM for Dummies" reference to point to on how to configure it? thanks.icekyuu - Monday, November 24, 2014 - link
Try this - http://cornerplay.com/2014/08/05/cyanogenmod-onepl...For the record, I love CM's customization options.
I vastly prefer the Google Camera app though. I suspect what happened is the reviewer got frustrated with the CM Camera app and that boiled over for everything else. When everything else is actually fine.