Category: OnePlus

OnePlus Reveals the Arrival Date of its Affordable 10,000mAh Powerbank

Last year in December, OnePlus stepped into the portable charger segment and introduced the world its first-ever Power bank. Today, the company will launch the robust device with battery capacity of 10,000mAh. The official Google+ page of OnePlus reads, “Starting March 17. Are you ready to charge?”

The product can be launched today and is expected to be priced a little lesser than $15 (approximately Rs. 900). With a mammoth capacity of 10,000mAh, the upcoming OnePlus power bank can charge the 3100mAh battery of One device three times on a single charge. The powerful bank is ready for retail.

The overall look of the One Power bank is premium. The company has opted for smooth and rounded edges that give the compact charger a smooth finish. The battery weighs 220 grams and holds 16.2 mm thickness. The unit comes in two colours, Sandstone Black and Silver White. The company claims that the device takes 5.5 hours to charge completely.

OnePlus has launched many gadgets till date and the reason the company enjoys a vast user base is the affordable pricing. At $15, the One power bank can give tough competition to Xiaomi’s 10,400mAh power bank. A minor 400mAh difference will not attract the OnePlus fan base to Xiaomi as the One mobile battery has two USB ports instead of one. One can charge two devices at a time. Also, Xiaomi’s Mi Power Bank has been out of stock for quite some time on Flipkart. It’s the perfect time for OnePlus to jump in the game.

According to PhoneArena, OnePlus Power Bank will ship in the US on March 17. There is no word about its availability in India so far.

March 17, 2015
Is OnePlus 2 Arriving Next Month?

Rumours of the OnePlus One successor have been in the news for quite some time. One retailer even had such a phone listed on a website, even though the design and the look of the phone were not unveiled. The same Chinese retailer, Geek Buying, has recently claimed the handset could be launched on 17th of April this year. Though, much like before, there are no such confirmations from the company as of yet.

As specified by geekbuying.com, the phone will sport a 5.5-inch 1080p display with Snapdragon 805 soC, much like the previous model. There is also a mention of a 16MP primary camera and a 5MP front camera, and is based on Android 4.4 with a 3GB RAM support.

In January this year, Carl Pei announced that it may take OnePlus close to six months to launch the OnePlus Two.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Carl Pei” author_title=”Co-founder of OnePlus”]

The OnePlus One has been selling pretty well across the world. In addition to the launch countries, it was launched in India late last year, and despite of initial hiccups involving Cyanogen and Micromax, OnePlus One has managed to do pretty well. Just a couple of days back, it was launched in 16 more countries in Europe.

[/quote]

Since OnePlus One was launched in April last year, this story may have some truth in it. However, we’d rather wait for an official confirmation from the company before jumping to conclusions. Another reason we would doubt the leak are the images accompanying the story show the Cyanogen logo at the back of the device. The company has made it clear that they are now developing their own OS aka OxygenOS. Although we have to admit, it would be exciting to see what OnePlus might have in store for us with the Two.

Till we see the next iteration, go ahead and watch our review of the OnePlus One.

March 14, 2015
OnePlus to Start Shipping to 16 European Countries

OnePlus recently announced they’ll be venturing into a new product category, and now surprisingly the company has announced that it’ll be debuting in more European markets for its One smartphone. No specific launch date or prices have been announced, though they have mentioned countries where the smartphone will be launched which includes 16 European countries.

OnePlus will be holding event an in Warsaw on March 9, followed by Prague on March 10 and finally Budapest on March 12. Meanwhile, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announced at MWC 2015 that the company is all set to venture into a new product category next month.

He also said that it’ll neither be a smartwatch or a tablet, while word is that the next OnePlus smartphone is likely to get a metal frame, replacing the polycarbonate body its 2014 One smartphone that was simply avante grade.

In addition, those of you interested to get the OnePlus One without those pain staking invites can buy the device every Tuesday on the company’s official website.

March 5, 2015
Lollipop Update Delayed Until March for OnePlus One Devices

At the launch of OnePlus One in India, the Chinese producer confirmed that it will release the latest Android update for the One devices within three months. It’s been exactly three months since (on 23rd February) and the Indian One users are still deprived of the highly acclaimed update.

The Co-Founder of OnePlus Carl Pei took to Twitter and apologised for the company’s failure in delivering the latest Android OS on time. He announced that it will be delayed further for a few more weeks and will arrive sometime in March. The delay period is for both the operating systems – OxygenOS and CyanogenMod 12S.

@rajarshi_10 We released an L alpha a while ago, but a more stable build (OxygenOS & CM12S) will need to wait until March. Sorry for delay!

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) February 23, 2015

The company is said to be working on an upgrade called CM12S, which will be based on Lollipop. Meanwhile, OnePlus’ own operating system OxygenOS is in progress, and it will also run on Android Lollipop. For now, an Alpha built of OxygenOS is out. Since we already know, Indian OnePlus One devices will not receive any more updates from Cyanogen, and, as a result, current OnePlus One devices run on Google’s Android v4.4 OS.

Users can advance to the CyanogenMod 12S by simply updating the handset, but if someone wishes to install OxygenOS on their devices, they have to wipe out their phones completely. For now, the users have to wait patiently until March for either of the upgrades.

February 24, 2015
Pricing of the Silk White OnePlus One 16 GB Revealed for India

OnePlus announced the arrival of the 16 GB variant of the One in India a couple of days back. The Chinese electronics producer had cautiously unveiled just the device and not its pricing. OnePlus today launched the new 16GB One device in India with a price tag of Rs. 18,999. The phone will go on sale tomorrow on Amazon India.

As mentioned earlier, willing buyers will require an invite to make a purchase. To earn an invite, the e-commerce website Amazon India started a contest where users have to answer some necessary questions. The randomly picked lucky winners will be awarded with an invite to buy a OnePlus One (16 or 64 GB). The new economical version of OnePlus One comes in one colour option only – Silk White.

Throwing light on its specs – the OnePlus One comes with a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display. It is fitted with a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM. The phone runs on Cyanogen OS 11 as of now, but it will soon be upgraded to Oxygen OS, when it is launched. The smartphone comes with a 13 MP rear and 5 MP front snapper and houses a 3,100mAh battery.

Watch our full review of the OnePlus One here:

February 23, 2015
OnePlus Finally Brings the 16GB Variant of the One to India

OnePlus has announced that the 16GB Silk White variant of the OnePlus One will be go up on sale in India by next week. Though, the exact date or day of the release and the price is still unknown, the company has opened up a contest for first invites for the smartphone which would require the buyers to fill in a form and answer a question. The winners of the contest will receive their invites on February 23^rd, which may indicate the approximate date of arrival of the device.

16GB Silk White is coming soon to @amazonIN! Enter our contest to win invites: http://t.co/0R97pAlmb5 pic.twitter.com/pjI4xtv4Tc

— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 19, 2015

The OnePlus One 16GB variant will be put up against the Xiaomi Mi4 16GB, which was launched in India for Rs 19,999.

OnePlus One features a 5.5 inch Full HD (1080×1920 pixels) IPS LCD Display and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Processor with 3GB of RAM. For graphics it has Adreno 330 GPU.

It comes with a 13 megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor and f/2.0 aperture rear camera with LED flash. It also comes with a 5 Megapixel front camera. It comes in 16 GB and 64GB variants, but doesn’t have the option of expanding storage via microSD. It packs a 3,000 mAh battery. The 16 GB variant will be exclusive to Amazon and will be sold via India Specific invites only.

February 19, 2015
Flagship-Killer OnePlus One to Go Invite-Free for a Day in India

All OnePlus One fans, hold your breath. The flagship killer is going on open sale tomorrow on Amazon India. The handset will be available without an invite on 10th February and the sale will kick off at 10am IST.

The company confirmed the same via Twitter saying –

We all have a reason to celebrate. You will too. Visit @amazonIN on February 10: http://t.co/9cFkResGhp pic.twitter.com/HLswzZIUjE

— OnePlus (@oneplus) February 7, 2015

The open sale is to celebrate the 10 brilliantly successful weeks of OnePlus in India. The same can be confirmed through the Amazon India website that reads – No invite needed. Shop the One. There is no announcement about the number of units going up for sale, however, the company has hinted limited stock with the statement ’till stock lasts’.

Amazon India egged the willing customers to hurry with the statement, “The sale would be for limited quantity which is expected to run out quickly given the high demand for the phone.” The flagship One will be available for Rs. 21,999 for the 64 GB model.

OnePlus embarked on similar sales in other countries, but Indians haven’t had the opportunity to buy it without an invite. It’s the first time the One smartphones are going on open sale in our country.

February 9, 2015
OnePlus to Unveil Lollipop-Based Oxygen OS on 12th February

After a long wait and facing the occasional ban in India, OnePlus is all ready to head strong into the future with its own operating system(OS). The Chinese company just posted a healthy annual report today and will be unveiling its home made OS on February 12th.

This new operating system will be based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. The company today uploaded a video that shows a OnePlus One device running on Android Lollipop. The description of the video states “OxygenOS is almost here.” From the brief look of the video, it appears that keeping with its traditions, OnePlus hasn’t done any major tweaks to the visual appeal of the operating system. It has kept it close to the stock Android experience.

A few photos have also appeared on the internet which are claimed to be from the upcoming Oxygen OS. Though we don’t vouch for the authenticity of the images, the categorized view of icons sure look appealing. Check out the images below.

In the meanwhile, Cyanogen informed us that the Cyanogen OS 12S is in the final stage of testing and will be provided as an update for global OnePlus devices running Cyanogen 11S.

February 3, 2015
OnePlus Releases its Splendid Annual Report Card for 2014

OnePlus along with its compatriot Xiaomi were the undoubted winners of the smartphone race in 2014. These two budding Chinese companies have created an immense fan base through their innovative devices. OnePlus has released its annual report for the year 2014, and as expected, it would be a cause for celebrations at the OnePlus offices.

According to the numbers, the company sold the maximum number of devices in East Asia followed by Europe and North America (39%, 32%, 22% respectively). The company arrived in India by the end of the year, but still managed to sell 7% of its stocks in the country. The company has also claimed to have garnered a revenue worth $300 Million.

The USP of the OnePlus devices was the Cyanogen OS that powered them. But after facing an unfavorable situation in India, the company proactively pushed for creating its own operating system based on Android 5.0 Lollipop known as Oxygen OS. OnePlus promises that this new OS too will be customizable, and free from bloat and unnecessary features.

The next big release from the company will be the OnePlus Two and India will be one of the first countries to get access to the new device. There will be a lot of expectations from the OnePlus Two and the Oxygen OS as they would have to fill the shoes amazing OnePlus One. The OnePlus Two will be in the top five of our most anticipated list of devices for 2015.

February 3, 2015
Lollipop-Based CyanogenMod Update to Roll Out to Global OnePlus One Devices Soon

Despite all the discrepancies between Cyanogen and OnePlus, CyanogenMod 12S is in its final stages of testing and ready to roll out for OnePlus Global devices. This implies that most of the phones shipped with CyanogenMod 11 S are still going to get updates in the future. Though an exact date has not been announced yet, since multiple parties are involved.

Lollipop build for @oneplus one has entered QA/QE stage for release! Testing & cert to begin alongside 3rd party partners to meet GMS reqs.

— Cyanogen Inc. (@CyanogenInc) February 1, 2015

This is quite contrary to OnePlus’ recent announcement that they will be developing their own exclusive software called Oxygen OS. With Cyanogen no longer the partner of choice for OnePlus, there will still be support for all phones that shipped with CyanogenMod 11S.

As most of us are already aware, OnePlus and Cyanogen had a tiff of sorts after Micromax bagged an exclusive deal for CyanogenMod in India. OnePlus One devices purchased outside of India, will get to keep their OS, while devices manufactured specifically for the Indian market will at some point get an update to OxygenOS. Now that is a bit of a bummer for OnePlus One owners in India.

February 2, 2015
OnePlus Names its New Custom ROM OxygenOS

After the much hyped ban of OnePlus in India due to Cyanogen turning its back on the company, the cult-favourite Chinese smartphone maker started working on its own Android release for its phones.

Back in mid-December, OnePlus announced that it would hold a contest to determine the name of the custom Android ROM that it’s working on. Now, in a recent blog post, the company announced the name of the its custom Android ROM, the ‘OxygenOS.’ Announcing the new name, Brandon H (Forum Administrator for OnePlus) said in the official forum post:

We realized that, like everything we do, our true goal is to make the product that we ourselves would want to use—to make great technology more accessible for everyone. With our ROM, that means software that is open, customizable, and free of bloat and unnecessary features.

The company says that it likes this name because the element oxygen “is the epitome of simplicity, yet it’s also extraordinarily powerful,” going on to say that oxygen is everywhere, is part of everything that we do, and is an important building block to other “amazing things”.

The new Oxygen OS will be based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, and OnePlus had already released the alpha version of Oxygen OS few weeks back which was basically just the stock AOSP version of Android 5.0 with no other customizations. There is not too much detail available on the OxygenOS as of now, but OnePlus says that more details will be shared on February 12, so it won’t be long before we learn more.

Lately, the smartphone market has seen number of companies developing both smartphones and their customized operating system. Xiaomi was one of the first company which was commercially successful in doing this. Cyanogen has risen to prominence with its high profile tie ups with Micromax and OnePlus with its bloat free software.

January 30, 2015
Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One : Who Will Lead The Indian Race?

Xiaomi, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer, has launched its much awaited Mi4 handset in India. By tripling its sales last year, Xiaomi has shown its might and recently has launched two new devices MI Note and Note Pro. While there is some time for these handset to come to the Indian shores, Xiaomi’s Mi4 will go on sale on February 10 via company’s exclusive e-commerce partner Flipkart. Meanwhile, another blockbuster Chinese manufacturer, OnePlus has been embraced by Indian consumers with phenomenal response.

Both these Chinese manufacturers are fighting a battle for supremacy in the Indian market. While both smartphone continue to remain scarce in the Indian market, Xiaomi have still managed storm ahead via flash sales from Flipkart.

Lets have a quick comparison with both these devices to see which one marched ahead

Design

The look and the feel of the Mi4 is very similar to iPhone 5S. On the other hand, OnePlus sports a rugged feel with its sandstone back cover. The OnePlus One is bulkier than the Mi 4, although but both feature the same thickness of 8.9mm. The Mi 4 is lighter than the One weighing at 149 grams, compared to the One’s 162 grams.

Both the handsets pack in full HD display, but the clarity on the screen will differ slightly because of the different screen size. The OnePlus One features a 5.5-inch display, while the Mi 4 features a 5-inch display. This difference in size affects the pixel density. The One’s display has a pixel density of 401ppi, while the Mi 4 has a pixel density of 441ppi.

Hardware

Both handsets, being flagships, ensure top notch performance when we talk about the hardwares. Both Mi4 and OnePlus One sport a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz along with 3GB of RAM. Neither of the flagships support external SDcard for expanding the memory. One feature that stands out in OnePlus One is 64GB of internal memory while Mi4 comes with only 16 GB. Only time will tell whether the Mi4 will be able to compete with the OnePlus One on the hardware end.

Camera and Battery

The One and the Mi 4 both feature 13-megapixel rear cameras with auto-focus, and LED flash. Sefie lovers won’t be disappointed either. OnePlus One packs in a 5-megapixel front-facing camera while the Mi 4 leads the race with an 8-megapixel selfie snapper upfront.

Both the handsets pack impressive battery. The One has a 3,100mAh battery, while the Mi 4 has a 3,080mAh unit.

Software

While both the handsets run on Android KitKat, their custom skins and features make a lot of difference. The Mi 4 runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat wrapped under the company’s MIUI. The OnePlus One, on the other hand, runs on CyanogenMod 11S OS based on Android KitKat. Though CyanogenMod known to be highly cutomizable and very user-friendly; however Xiaomi has launched the MIUI6 and it will be interesting to observe the battle of the Os’s

Availability

Xiaomi’s social media campaigns are funded by their massive reserves of cash due to their position as China’s top smartphone seller and their most recent round of funding. While OnePlus uses a combination of viral marketing, coupled with special events and CyanogenMod to try and thrust themselves into the spotlight. Both the companies have employed the flash sale model to sell their products. Xiaomi has partnered with Flipkart while OnePlus with Amazon. Amazon has been criticized for a price glitch in the Yu Yureka flash sale earlier this month. Both phones however, continue to be in demand without enough supply from either Chinese manufacturer.

Battle of the Patents

Both these Chinese Superpowers seem to be involved in legal turmoil regarding patent infringement. While Xiaomi was sued last month by Erricson for patent infringement in relation to LTE; OnePlus was sued by Micromax for patent infringement regarding use of the CyanogenMod. However both companies seemed to be unhindered by these legal issues and continue to push on stronger than ever.

Conclusion

While neither company is very old, they have managed to attract quite a bit of attention, even if they are far from household names globally. In India, both of these chinese companies have done quite some trade, despite being surrounded with controversies regarding patent infringement. The Mi 4, however, lags behind the One in important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.

January 28, 2015

Battle of the Fittest : Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One vs Mi3 vs Honor 6

Xiaomi’s much awaited Mi4 handset has been launched in India. The popular smartphone was unveiled in July last year, and has been widely appreciated for its high end features and specification in the budget segment. The Xiaomi Mi4 will go up against likes of OnePlus One and Huawei Honor 6. Lets see how the Mi4 matches with its opponents in our Spec Battle.

Specs	Xiaomi Mi4	Xiaomi Mi3	OnePlus One	Huawei Honor 6
Display	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.5 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 2.3 GHz, Snapdragon 800	Quad-core 2.5 GHz , Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 1.7 GHz + quad-core 1.3 GHz, Kirin 920
RAM	3GB	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Storage	16GB, non expandable	16/64 GB, non expandable	64 GB, non expandable	16/32GB, non expandable
Camera	13MP Rear and 8MP Front	13MP Rear and 2MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front
Battery	3080 mAh	3050 mAh	3100 mAh	3100 mAh
OS	Android 4.4.3 KitKat With MiUi 6	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	CyanogenMod 11S	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Price	Rs. 19,999	Rs. 13,999	Rs. 21,999	Rs 17,999

Xiaomi has enjoyed lot of success lately with its pocket friendly devices, Mi4 seems to be directly competing with OnePlus One in terms of Specs. With the company’s improved and smoother MiUi 6, the device’s look and feel is expected to be phenomenal too. The Mi 4, however, lags behind the One in important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.How will the device do in the Indian market? Stay tuned for the follow up news, unboxing and full review of Xiaomi Mi4 on iGyaan.in.

January 28, 2015

OnePlus is Planning a Design-Driven Smartphone (Other Than OnePlus Two)

Seems like the recent allegations regarding Cyanogen haven’t deterred the Chinese manufacturing firm, OnePlus. Few days back, the Director of OnePlus Global, Carl Pei, revealed that they will soon be launching OnePlus Two and India will be one of the first countries to see the phone. Now, Carl has come up with yet another statement that confirms that the company will be releasing another phone, other than the Two, this year.

While in conversation with PC World, Pei revealed that another phone by the company will cater to the audience for whom design is more prior than the specifications.

I think it’s going to be a phone catering to a different type of audience. Perhaps for those who appreciate design over specs.

The news has come as a surprise and the device is still under wraps (and probably still under works). No statement has come about the specifications, price and availability of the yet untitled gadget, but through the statement, it can be estimated that the handset is in early stages. We will soon update you as soon as we dig out information about the same.

Meanwhile, rumours are still hot about the upcoming flagship OnePlus Two. It is said that the device will sport a 5.5-inch display powered by Snapdragon 805 processor. The internal storage capacity of the handset will be 32 GB and it will house a battery of 3,300mAh. On the camera front, it may have a 16MP shooter along with 5 MP snapper on the front.

Seems like OnePlus has done its research well. In a country like India, a stylish smartphone (even with low specs) will definitely work well. Let’s see where this move takes the company.

January 9, 2015
OnePlus Works Out a New Variant for the Cynogen
The Chinese electronics manufacturer OnePlus was granted some time by the Delhi High Court to think of some alternative to Cyanogen embedded on its devices and the firm has made the best use of this liberty. OnePlus has announced the development of an alpha version of its non-Cyanogen ROM called ‘Android Lollipop Alpha’. It is said to be in the early stages and an official roll out is yet awaited.

The Android Lollipop Alpha is a result of the allegations put by the homegrown smartphone maker Micromax on OnePlus, which was in an exclusive agreement with Cynogen. According to the statement by Micromax, OnePlus devices cannot run on CyanogenMod as the exclusive rights to use the same are with Micromax. The flagship phone was banned by the Delhi High Court and even its promotion and import was restricted in India. Later, the court lifted the ban temporarily and granted the Shenzhen-based electronics giant a few weeks time to come up with an alternative to Cyanogen.

The company said that the new ROM has nothing extra to offer and comes with the stock features of AOSP Lollipop. It also added that users will come across a lot of bugs as the ROM is in early stages.

As per the statement on the OnePlus forum –

This is the first step in what will become our own custom ROM. It’s so early, in fact, that this build contains no extras beyond the stock features of AOSP Lollipop. It’s the base that we will continue to build upon, improve, and customize as we stabilize core functionalities on the latest firmware updates.

As we look towards the official ROM release in the near future, we will keep to our promise and deliver an experience that is customizable, yet bloat-free with stock-Android-like simplicity by default; we wouldn’t ask you to settle for anything less.

Willing users can download the new ROM here, but the company will not cover any damages caused by the Android Lollipop Alpha.

A few bugs known to be occurring in the new ROM are:
1. Data roaming turns on by default
2. The ROM is likely to cause bricking. It’s advisable to take the backup of your data.
3. Unstable camera and video.
4. Capacitive keys do not turn off when you enable software keys.
5. Periodical clock crash.
6. Startup time will be a bit slow on first boot.
7. Unstable Wi-Fi.
8. Build not eligible for OTA updates.
With the deadline on this Chinese smartphone company from the Delhi High Court, it seems that OnePlus has done all it could to work on a variant of the Cynogen. However, this new ROM seems to have a few bugs and it will be interesting to observe whether this will hinder the sales of OnePlus in India.
January 2, 2015

Category: OnePlus

Design

Hardware

Camera and Battery

Software

Availability

Battle of the Patents

Conclusion

Specs

Xiaomi Mi4

Xiaomi Mi3

OnePlus One

Huawei Honor 6