One Plus One Review

[Scorvian]

Hello all,

I was one of the lucky ones to get an invite during the Storm of Invites promo back in late June, so I thought I'd do a review/show pics of this phone.

For those who are not familiar with this phone, I have included the specs below.

Snapdragon 801 processor
3GB of DDR3 ram
16GB or 64GB storage
5.5" screen
5MP front camera
13MP rear camera that can do 120FPS video @ 720p resolution.
The rear camera can also record in 4k resolution.

Overall the specs of this phone are amazing, just slightly better than the Nexus 5 in terms of hardware.

For more information on this phone visit their website (http://oneplus.net/one)


The invite was for the 64GB Black Sandstone version which is priced at $349 USD. With shipping, taxes, and conversion rate, the phone ended up costing around $450 CAD

First, some pictures!

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0793.jpg

As you can see, it comes in a pretty nice package, the box on the left is the phone + accessories, and the other is a charger.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0807.jpg

The box slides out, and you open the flap to reveal the phone in all it's glory.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0808.jpg

Shots of it still being in the box.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0810.jpg

Lifting the upper insert (where the phone sits) reviews two accessories, the usb cable, and the sim card popping tool thing...

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0814.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0819.jpg

Some close ups of the accessories.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0821.jpg

The red sleeve for the tool is made of silicon, so you can get access to the tool with ease.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0825.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0831.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0836.jpg

Some shots of the phone.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0838.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0841.jpg

The tool is used to push out the micro sim tray, similar to how it's done on a iphone.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0844.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0853.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0854.jpg

Some comparison shots between the One Plus One and my old Galaxy Nexus.
The OPO is definitely larger, but the thickness of the phone is roughly the same compared to the GNexus. The GNexus looks thicker at the bottom due to the phone being slightly curved.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0863.jpg
Picture of the screen when it's on

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0872.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0874.jpg
Some shots of the usb charger

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/Scorvian/One%20Plus%20One/_MG_0877.jpg
And finally a picture of it in my hand.

Overall, I like the phone, it meets my needs and it's very very fast. The battery life is decent, and as long as you're not playing games for very long periods of time, the phone will last you well into the night.

The back of the phone is very nice, the texture makes it feel like I'm rubbing sandstone (I guess that's why they called it sandstone black).

Call quality is pretty good, and I've had no problems with making and receiving calls.

As for the camera, it's nice. Being able to record at 120FPS or 4K resolution is neat (always reminds me of that Sony Z2 commercial). The focus speed on the camera is a bit on the slow side, and as long as you're not trying to snipe a photo very fast, then you should be alright.

I haven't had the chance to try the front facing camera, as I don't care enough to take selfie, but maybe later I'll give it a try and see how it is.

The only caveats I have with the phone are:
1) Non removable battery
Can't upgrade to a larger battery if you wanted, or if you wanted a spare you can't swap it out.

2) Swapped back and menu buttons
The first thing that I realized when I started to use the phone was the hardware buttons for the back and menu buttons were reversed, this was a bit discomforting at first, since I'm use to the back button being on the left instead of the right, but I got use to it after using it for a while. You could if you wanted to, is switch to software keys which will disable the hardware keys, but then you lose a bit of screen real estate.

3) Yellow tint at the bottom
This has been a huge problem for the One Plus One, many (including me) have the yellow tint problem with their screens.
The yellow tinting at the bottom is due to the glue not fully curing yet, I guess they were in a hurry to get these units out that they didn't fully QC this.
There is another yellow tint problem as well but that apparently is due to software where Cyanogen selected a warm color scheme for the display.

I haven't gotten any invites back after buying the phone (they're apparently pretty backlogged on orders right now based on forums post on their website), but if I get any extras I'll give them out to people that want one.

That's it for me, if you have any questions or want more details/pics just let me know.

[slick2404]

Solid pics, looks fantastic....so jelly.

dibs on an invite if you get one please!

[jacky4566]

Do want!:drool:
Curious about battery life too. Let us know once you've used it more.
Looking to move from an I5 which hardly lasts the work day.

[elite]

With the yellow tint problem, have you contacted one plus? If you did, will they be replacing the phone? It'd be nice to see what kind of service level they provide; especially with the lack of phones currently.

[bulaian]

I'd like an invite too if you get any :D

[Scorvian]

They are willing to replace the units, but I'd have to pay for shipping and stuff, plus I'd have to wait till they can send me a unit, they are swamped with getting more phones out to people.

The only time you really notice the yellow tint at the bottom is when you're looking at a white screen.

[shakalaka]

I wouldn't mind an invite if you get one.

Also, they aren't making a dual sim version of this phone are they?

[Xamim]

Nice shots, thanks for the review. I'll get in line on an invite as well.

[megavolt]

I was super excited about this phone when it was announced. Much less so when I found out how they were releasing it.

That being said, if you have a spare invite. :P

One+ begging comes to beyond! :D

[EK69]

Go through a few charge cycles before you pass experience with battery life since it usually seems to improve I found. How many mah is it anyways?

[r0g3r]

Thanks for the review.

Plz share an invite if you get any. Thanks!

[avishal26]

I would like an invite too if you ever get more :)

[ddmmak]

Awesome review. Please share an invite when you get them.
Thanks

[dirtsniffer]

Signs up to make a review about a phone you need to be refered to.

Seems like a marketing scheme to me

[Xamim]

New users are around the 259-260k mark, he's at 256. He's been on here for about a year now.

Also, don't think One+ is getting their marketing team to post reviews on fairly localized car forums.

[n1zm0]

Lucky bastard, thnx for the pics OP.

edit: invite thread here (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/383541/anyone-have-one-plus-one-phone-invites/), but I doubt any of us would get a chain going :/

[Mibz]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
Signs up to make a review about a phone you need to be refered to.

Seems like a marketing scheme to me Yeah, the whole thing screams of it.


Originally posted by Xamim
Also, don't think One+ is getting their marketing team to post reviews on fairly localized car forums. You think it's less likely than somebody signing up on Beyond specifically to review this phone?

[Scorvian]

Originally posted by Mibz
Yeah, the whole thing screams of it.

You think it's less likely than somebody signing up on Beyond specifically to review this phone?

Hey, you're free to believe in whatever you want.

I just saw a couple of threads requesting for invites for the phone, so I thought I'd do a mini review.

[hurrdurr]

Is the memory expandable?

[Scorvian]

Originally posted by hurrdurr
Is the memory expandable?

No expansion slot

I'd understand wanting one for the 16GB version, but at 64GB I don't see needing it.

[K3RMiTdot]

FYI, I should be recieving mine in the mail, I will be throwing it up for sale if anyone wants it. I realized Im quite happy with my S5.

[r0g3r]

PM'd

[avishal26]

^dibs!

[abc1]

Are you going to try and put the bottom part of the phone under uv to fix the yellow band problem? I'm thinking of giving it a shot this week and go from there. The yellow band isn't too bad, only noticeable if I point it out to people. Also I have found the battery life to be pretty good (thanks to the 3100mAh battery). I mostly have been using it for gaming and it last quite the while. Real world use like texting, calling, internet browsing and such last more then a day.

[elite]

Got one Friday. Shipping came overnight for me. Ordered 23rd, shipped on 24th and was here on the 25. Battery for me has been great. It is a little big coming from the s3 but I'm getting used to it. I have the yellow band issue which apparently will be a software fix with the next ota but it hasn't really bothered me much. If you try the UV fix let us know if it works. Cameras nice and has recording to 4k HD but haven't tried it yet.

Also, quick tip if your music randomly starts playing or the torch turns on while it is in your pocket, there are gestures that when the screen is off can be used to turn on the music, camera, or torch. I just turned them off as the music started playing randomly quite a few times today while in my pocket.

[avishal26]

^ got any invites? :bigpimp:

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Scorvian


Hey, you're free to believe in whatever you want.

I just saw a couple of threads requesting for invites for the phone, so I thought I'd do a mini review.

Doesn't admit it, doesn't deny it, doesn't post again :rofl:

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by elite
Got one Friday. Shipping came overnight for me. Ordered 23rd, shipped on 24th and was here on the 25. Battery for me has been great. It is a little big coming from the s3 but I'm getting used to it. I have the yellow band issue which apparently will be a software fix with the next ota but it hasn't really bothered me much. If you try the UV fix let us know if it works. Cameras nice and has recording to 4k HD but haven't tried it yet.

Also, quick tip if your music randomly starts playing or the torch turns on while it is in your pocket, there are gestures that when the screen is off can be used to turn on the music, camera, or torch. I just turned them off as the music started playing randomly quite a few times today while in my pocket.

None of us have one so your tips are useless :poosie: jk, lets start a beyond invite chain (pls lol)

[elite]

Originally posted by n1zm0


None of us have one so your tips are useless :poosie: jk, lets start a beyond invite chain (pls lol)

no invites yet. If i do get one I will hand them out here.

[Scorvian]

Just got my invites from buying the phone, I got 3 invites to give out.

These invites are for the 64GB black sandstone versions.

PM me to get it

[zeroX420]

I absolutely love the double tap feature to wake up the phone. :)

[Scorvian]

One of my friends decided not to buy the phone, so I have 1 invite left.

If anyone wants it, just send a PM.

[SKR]

Is this a phone that a person can use for work? All I need out of a phone is for it to work with Outlook without a bunch of fucking around, be able to use as a wifi hotspot so I can use my computer when I'm working in the field, and for the battery to not die immediately. I don't need apps or games. And I want it to work out of the box. I don't want to have to download a bunch of shit just to get it to where I can use it.

[Scorvian]

And I am out of invites, if I get more I'll posy again


Originally posted by SKR
Is this a phone that a person can use for work? All I need out of a phone is for it to work with Outlook without a bunch of fucking around, be able to use as a wifi hotspot so I can use my computer when I'm working in the field, and for the battery to not die immediately. I don't need apps or games. And I want it to work out of the box. I don't want to have to download a bunch of shit just to get it to where I can use it.

I would say so.

All the functionality that out want are built-in for android, plus the battery life on the phone is very good. I haven't had a situation where my phone would be dead before the end o the day.

[Xtrema]

The question is, how soon can Cyanogen/One Plus commit to releases of new builds on this device? Especially Android L?

[elite]

Originally posted by Xtrema
The question is, how soon can Cyanogen/One Plus commit to releases of new builds on this device? Especially Android L?

I have had the phone for a week and have had an update. I am pretty sure cyanogen would be committed to keeping the phone updated. Even my s3 is still getting updates for the custom cyanogen rom.

[SKR]

Originally posted by Scorvian
And I am out of invites, if I get more I'll posy again



I would say so.

All the functionality that out want are built-in for android, plus the battery life on the phone is very good. I haven't had a situation where my phone would be dead before the end o the day.

I had an Android phone. As far as my work email was concerned, it stunk. They told me to download an app called K19. The only K19 I know of is the Widowmaker, and I said fuck that.

Also I don't want constant updates. This talk of how often will they release updates sounds like death to me. I'm just an old man that wants a telephone that can text and send email.

[abc1]

I went dropped by a nail salon today and asked if I can borrow the UV light machine that they used on drying nails. At first they were hesitant, but they end up letting me used the machine. I had just the bottom part of the phone under the light for about 15 minutes. The result is almost completely gone yellow banding. I was planning to go back for another 10 minutes but my case and screen protector came in, and it's not noticeable anymore unless I point it out.

Also I don't have any invites at the moment to give out.

[avishal26]

Thanks to Scorvian I ordered my phone the other day. (yesterday). My order status just went from pending shipment to processing. Not sure when I get my invites (if I do) but I will share for sure with the exception of one that is reserved for a friend.

[ToshiroX]

Invite please, I'll share mine when I get the phone.

[Scorvian]

Originally posted by abc1
I went dropped by a nail salon today and asked if I can borrow the UV light machine that they used on drying nails. At first they were hesitant, but they end up letting me used the machine. I had just the bottom part of the phone under the light for about 15 minutes. The result is almost completely gone yellow banding. I was planning to go back for another 10 minutes but my case and screen protector came in, and it's not noticeable anymore unless I point it out.

Also I don't have any invites at the moment to give out.

That's good to know.

After using the phone for over a month, the yellow band at the bottom isn't as noticeable compared to when I first got it.

Supposely the yellow band is due to the glue/resin that is being used to fuse the gorilla glass to the screen not fully curing yet.

[yipb]

if you get invites, i would like one please :D

[Kinjou]

Originally posted by Xtrema
The question is, how soon can Cyanogen/One Plus commit to releases of new builds on this device? Especially Android L?

One+ has confirmed it will release android L within 3months of the final code release from google for that OS.