A new entrant looking to shake-up an already saturated Android market announced its new smartphone today – the OnePlus One. We reported on the phone recently when the company teased some if its key specifications versus the Xperia Z2, but today saw its formal launch so we now know its full specs, design and pricing.
The key thing that the OnePlus One has going for it versus current Android flagships from Sony, HTC and Samsung is its price. The actual hardware is pretty much on par with the best Android handsets on the market, but it will cost less than half these handsets on launch.
It is quite a tall handset with a length of 152.9mm versus 146.8mm for the Xperia Z2, but the OnePlus One does house a 5.5-inch display versus the 5.2-inch display in the Xperia Z2. It also has a similar weight of 162g (Xperia Z2: 163g) and sealed battery capacity of 3100mAh (Xperia Z2: 3200mAh).
The phone runs CyanogenMod 11S (based on Android 4.4) and CyanogenMod has promised two years of software support. The phone is due to launch next month through a vague invite system, no doubt to handle the demand there is likely to be for such a phone at this price point.
The question we have for you today is would you happily buy the OnePlus One over the Xperia Z2? Does the price point make it a no-brainer, or are you willing to pay a premium for the Xperia Z2’s design and glass/aluminium construction? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Specifications compared: Sony Xperia Z2 versus OnePlus One
| Phone | Xperia Z2 | OnePlus One |
|---|---|---|
| Display size (inches) | 5.2-inch IPS with Live Colour LED | 5.5-inch IPS with Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen Resolution | 1080 x 1920 | 1080 x 1920 |
| PPI | 424 | 401 |
| Construction | Glass with metal frame | Plastic |
| Water Resistant | Yes (IP55/IP58) | No |
| Infrared (IR Remote) | No | No |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8974-AB | Qualcomm MSM8974-AC |
| Processor | 2.3GHz Quad-core | 2.5GHz Quad-core |
| GPU | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| RAM | 3GB | 3GB |
| Android version | 4.4.2 | CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4 |
| Storage | 16GB (12GB usable) | 16GB / 64GB options |
| Expandable storage | Yes | No |
| SIM | micro SIM | micro SIM |
| LTE | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (D6503 model] | Bands 1, 3, 4, 7, 17, 38, 40 |
| Size (mm) | 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 | 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight (g) | 163 | 162 |
| Colours | Black, Purple, White | Silk White, Sandstone Black |
| Cost (Euros) | EUR 599 | EUR 269 (16GB), EUR 299 (64GB) |
| Rear Camera sensor | 20.7MP Exmor RS | 13 Megapixel - Sony Exmor IMX 214 |
| LED Flash | Yes | Yes (Dual-LED) |
| HDR | Yes (photo/video) | TBC |
| Video Recording | 4K | 4K |
| Front camera sensor | 2.2 MP | 5.0 MP |
| Dedicated camera button | Yes | No |
| Other camera features | 4K video, Timeshift video, Movie Creator | Slow Motion: 720p video at 120fps |
| Battery capacity (min) | 3200 | 3100 |
| Sealed Battery | Yes | Yes |
| Other features | Stereo speakers; Noise cancelling; Lifelog; USB 2.0 | Stereo speakers (both on bottom); Tri-microphone; USB 2.0 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Ambient light, Barometer, Game rotation vector, Geomagnetic rotation vector, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Step counter, Step detector, Significant motion detector, Proximity | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity and Ambient Light |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 b/g/n/ac | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.0 (aptX) | Bluetooth 4.1 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| PlayStation Certified | Yes | No |
OnePlus One Press Pictures
