OnePlus 2 Coming August 11, Starting At $329

After what seems like months of drawn out little detail announcements, OnePlus has finally revealed the full list of specifications and features of its upcoming flagship killer, the OnePlus 2. The company believes that the OnePlus 2 will rival even next year's flagship phones.

The OnePlus 2 comes equipped with components expected to be found in only the most expensive of handsets. The smartphone comes equipped with Qualcomm's top tier processor, an eight-core 64-bit Snapdragon 810, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage space. Keeping the phone powered is a 3,300 mAh battery pack. OnePlus has also included dual 4G SIM card support and a finger print scanner to unlock the device.

The data connection and charge port is handled by a brand new USB Type-C connector. USB Type-C connectors have been designed to be reversible, but OnePlus has gone a step further. The company has designed a patented reversible USB Type-A connector for the other end of the power cord. In addition, adapters are available to convert OnePlus One chargers and accessories.

One of the most requested features for the OnePlus 2 was a better camera. OnePlus has included a 13MP camera with a 1.3-micron sensor. The company said this will help take clearer images, even in low light situations.

OnePlus has also included a novel feature for handling notifications: There is a slider bar located on the side of the phone that can adjust the ringer with a simple slide. It has three positions, allowing you to turn the ringer on, switch to vibrate, or switch to silent.

The previous version of OnePlus smartphone had the ability to swap out the faceplate of the phone for a different color or design. StyleSwap covers are making a return, but the company has improved the feature, making the covers easier to swap. A demonstration showed that it can be done in a matter of a few seconds.

The OnePlus 2 will be launching in the U.S., Canada, Europe, India and China on August 11, and South East Asia will receive the new smartphone in Q4 of this year. The company will be setting up store demonstrations in nine of the most popular cities for OnePlus users, with two of those locations popping up in the U.S. -- one in New York City, and the other one in San Francisco.

OnePlus teased the price throughout the launch. The lights went out just as it looked like they were about to say it. Shortly after the launch video ended, a YouTube video was posted on the front page of Oneplus.net that revealed the real price. It's probably lower than you expected: the 16 GB OnePlus 2 will be $329, and the 64 GB version will land at $389 (in the U.S.). That's significantly less than we were expecting after the company teased a price "under $450."

Invites have already started to go out to the earliest OnePlus supporters. Those who signed up for the forums very early get first crack at the new phone.

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 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

  • uglyduckling81
    I don't understand why there are restrictions to which country they ship to. How does it make a difference if they ship to somewhere in the US or to Australia.
    I would buy one but no Australia rules me out. BS.
    Also I would like to know the cost of components in the phone. I'm guessing they are making almost nothing on these phones to get market share.
    Reply
  • Supporter
    I would love to test out the new phone but still haven't figured out how to get an invite. Since I am not a forum junkie I'm left out.
    Reply
  • cknobman
    I would love to test out the new phone but still haven't figured out how to get an invite. Since I am not a forum junkie I'm left out.

    Like their facebook page, join their forum, subscribe to their newsletter.

    Those are the only ways to get invites and they are sent out randomly.

    Do all of those and hope you get lucky.
    Reply
  • Supporter
    I would love to test out the new phone but still haven't figured out how to get an invite. Since I am not a forum junkie I'm left out.

    Like their facebook page, join their forum, subscribe to their newsletter.

    Those are the only ways to get invites and they are sent out randomly.

    Do all of those and hope you get lucky.

    I just want the phone not a headache and spam
    Reply