Ambitious smartphone startup OnePlus announced the OnePlus X in October. It’s a device that has been rumored for a while, but none of the discussion centered much around the design, more on the price. It turns out the phone is notable for both those reasons: It’s gorgeous, and it’s very competitively priced.
There are two OnePlus X phones: the OnePlus X Onyx, and the OnePlus X Ceramic. Both are the same under the skin, but have been made using different outer materials, and the latter version is a limited edition. Anyone trying to buy a OnePlus 2 may feel the firm already makes pretty limited phones, but this is the real deal — OnePlus will only make 10,000 of them.
Updated on 01-28-2016 by Julian Chokkattu: Added in news that OnePlus has removed the invite system for the OnePlus X.
How can you get one?
OnePlus has just made the OnePlus X invite-free, and the move has been much quicker this time around than it was for the OnePlus 2. As a celebration to the announcement, the company is offering 20 percent off on certain cases and accessories for the OnePlus X and the OnePlus 2. It hasn’t been too hard to get the OnePlus X though, as the company has been opening up sales every Tuesday since December 15, 2015.
Oddly, OnePlus also sneaked in some bad news into its annoucement — that the OnePlus PowerBank will see a price hike from $15 to $19, citing increased manufacturing costs. The hike will take place on February 4, so you still have some time to grab it at a lower cost.
The OnePlus X Onyx, also available in a champagne color, is available in the U.K., Europe, U.S., and various Asian countries via the company’s online store. It costs £200 in the U.K., 270 euros in Europe, and $250 in the United States. The OnePlus X Ceramic is available through a special invite for European customers, though it is unavailable in the United States.
Buyers in the U.S. need to know about LTE
The OnePlus X will work in the U.S. on 4G LTE GSM networks, but there could be problems with connectivity and speed in some areas, thanks to the phone missing two important LTE bands: 12 and 17. The former is used by T-Mobile, and the latter AT&T. The phone does support bands 2 and 4, both of which are essential for 4G LTE in the U.S., so it will generally work, and many users may never experience a problem.
Sadly, OnePlus has stated it doesn’t intend to add the missing bands using a software update or by introducing a U.S.-specific model at the moment. The OnePlus 2 includes all the necessary bands for use in North America.
Gorgeous looks, 5-inch AMOLED screen, and plenty of power
What makes the OnePlus X Ceramic special? It’s made over a period of 25 days, during which time a ceramic panel is baked, crafted, and polished to give a scratchproof, and beautifully finished body. The OnePlus X Onyx swaps the ceramic panel for glass, and both phones have a frame made from anodized metal, with the same slider control seen on the OnePlus 2 for Android’s notification alerts. The OnePlus X is just 6.9mm thick, and is the thinnest phone the company has made so far. There’s a difference in weight between the two versions, with the Onyx coming in at a very light 138 grams, and the ceramic model at 160 grams.
OnePlus has decided to use an AMOLED screen on the OnePlus X, which measures 5 inches, and has a 1080p resolution. It has an unusual ambient notification mode, and the proximity sensor will automatically light up the screen when you pull the phone out of your pocket or bag. OnePlus promises the size and resolution of the screen will help make the most of of the fixed 2,525mAh battery inside the phone.
A reliable Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM — a combination which proved itself capable of keeping up with the newest hardware inside the Zuk Z1 recently — powers the phone, and there’s 16GB of internal memory to fill up. A MicroSD card will add a further 128GB, but you’ll sacrifice one of the SIM slots in the dual-SIM tray to do it. OnePlus has opted for a 13-megapixel rear camera with a super-quick phase detection autofocus, that it says brings the focus time down to a mere 0.2 seconds. On the front is an 8-megapixel selfie cam with a beauty mode.
Unlike the OnePlus 2, the OnePlus X has a Micro USB charging port and not a USB Type-C, and the device runs on Android 5.1.1-based OxygenOS. Other features include the addition of an FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G LTE connectivity.
Previous updates:
Updated on 12-14-2015 by David Curry: Added in news that OnePlus will offer the X Onyx free without invite for one day a week.
Updated on 12-09-2015 by David Curry: Added in One X Ceramic launch date news.
Updated on 11-05-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in links to buy the OnePlus X, and news of compatibility issues with LTE in the U.S.
Updated on 10-29-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in news of the OnePlus X’s U.S. release.
