OnePlus One launched for $299 onwards: Features 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801

If you thought Indian brands had the monopoly on high-end specs for the low price, then you better take a look at OnePlus. The Chinese company has launched the much-anticipated One and the specs-price equation has never been pushed this far.   The OnePlus One will be available at a starting price of $299 (unlocked and without contract) for the 16GB model (which comes to around Rs 18,000), while the 64GB variant will be available at mouthwatering $349 (roughly Rs 21,500). At that price, the One Plus One has undercut even the Nexus 5. And we are not just talking because of the price. Here’s a quick video on the making of the smartphone.

It has a large 5.5-inch LTPS IPS display with 1080x1920 pixel resolution and offers a pixel density of 401ppi. The display comes with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and the same adaptive backlight technology that’s seen in some Sharp displays. In addition, the phone is one of the few to have 3GB of RAM and is powered by the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5GHz with Adreno 330 GPU.  There’s a a 13-megapixel rear IMX214 sensor with a six-lens array and f/2.0 aperture that boasts quick shutter speed of only 0.3-seconds. It also comes with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. There’s no microSD card slot in the phone, so you are stuck with the 16 or 64 GB onboard storage.   Software wise, the One features a customised version of CyanogenMod ROM called CM 11S. It’s based on Android 4.4 KitKat, so you are getting the latest software too. Connectivity are top of the line too which means you get 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC functionality. And there’s a decent sounding 3100mAh non-removable battery too.   The One will be available sometime in Q2, starting with in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and the US. No word on India or China availability yet.