OnePlus 2 AMA Reveals New Devices Coming This Year

By Lucian Armasu
published

In an AMA (Ask Me Anything) today on Reddit, OnePlus took the time to answer a few questions from its customers and fans about the recently launched OnePlus 2 device.

OnePlus 2 will not get NFC

Many have wondered why the OnePlus had to make the cut on such an inexpensive component and whether there will be a future batch of OnePlus 2 devices that will get it. The company said definitively that there will be no NFC in any version of OnePlus 2.

VoLTE support

The Voice over LTE support is still coming to the U.S. version of the OnePlus 2, but apparently it's rather difficult to implement it, so there will be some time before it's ready (no ETA was given for the final implementation).

Shipping times

Some have complained that in the past, shipping OnePlus devices took more than three weeks, considering they were being sent from China. Asked whether this situation will improve, OnePlus said that it can already ship the OnePlus 2 within a week from Europe and North America.

OnePlus One support

The older OnePlus One device will continue to be sold and receive support from the company at least throughout the year, and it will even be upgraded from Cyanogen OS 12 to Oxygen 2.0, OnePlus' own operating system.

OnePlus 2 accessories

When asked about the accessories for the OnePlus 2, the company said that they will be "similar to the OnePlus One, but better."

Why no microSD?

The OnePlus 2 comes without support for microSD, and the reason for that seems to be that the company doesn't think most users need more than the 64 GB of onboard storage it provides as an option.

New devices this year

OnePlus said in the AMA that it will launch new devices this year, but it won't be a OnePlus 3 or a OnePlus 2S. However, the company did say it has started the process of building the next-generation OnePlus 3, as that usually takes about a year.

Why the OnePlus 2 is dual-SIM

The company believes that dual-SIM is an important feature for traveling, especially in certain countries where users could hold a SIM with a better data plan, and one with a better voice plan.

Invite system

OnePlus has chosen to continue to use the invite system because it helps it control the stock, which is a major issue for the company.

Why no CDMA support?

CDMA is a complicated issue because it's supported only by a small number of carriers in the U.S., and it can make life too hard for a small startup such as OnePlus, which would then have to depend on those few big carriers. OnePlus doesn't want to put itself in that position.

Camera improvements

When asked whether the OnePlus 2 will get a "manual mode" such as the one in the Galaxy S6, the company didn't reply directly but said there will be many new options in future camera updates.

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Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • razor512
    Crappy device. Their talks about skipping NFC because they do not feel that it sill be useful until next year, as well as skipping the micro SD, and non user replaceable battery, all points to them doing some major planned obsolescence. They want to make a device that the user will grow sick of within a year.

    This is the main reason for nonuser replaceable batteries. The average user will not risk taking their device apart to replace the battery, and thus after a few hundred charge cycles, where in the course of which, the battery capacity will slowly drop and you will subconsciously change your usage habits while simultaneously growing to hate the device, thus making you more willing to buy a newer device.

    Those are the design decisions that will make me avoid purchasing a device on principle alone.
    Reply
  • Supporter
    they just choked their own chicken dead.
    Reply
  • fil333
    Crappy device. Their talks about skipping NFC because they do not feel that it sill be useful until next year, as well as skipping the micro SD, and non user replaceable battery, all points to them doing some major planned obsolescence. They want to make a device that the user will grow sick of within a year.

    This is the main reason for nonuser replaceable batteries. The average user will not risk taking their device apart to replace the battery, and thus after a few hundred charge cycles, where in the course of which, the battery capacity will slowly drop and you will subconsciously change your usage habits while simultaneously growing to hate the device, thus making you more willing to buy a newer device.

    Those are the design decisions that will make me avoid purchasing a device on principle alone.

    Absolutely agree with you there. Instead of making improvements with their second phone, they're just stripping out features like RAW camera support and NFC in the hopes nobody will care. In reality, your phone needs to give all its got to compete with the boatload of smartphones there are today.

    True, it has a lower price phone than many other phones but there is no logical reason to not have a removable battery or NFC considering it's predecessor had both. The battery may have required a couple screws to get to, but you could easily remove it...
    Reply
  • aldaia
    Crappy device. Their talks about skipping NFC because they do not feel that it sill be useful until next year, as well as skipping the micro SD, and non user replaceable battery, all points to them doing some major planned obsolescence. They want to make a device that the user will grow sick of within a year.

    This is the main reason for nonuser replaceable batteries. The average user will not risk taking their device apart to replace the battery, and thus after a few hundred charge cycles, where in the course of which, the battery capacity will slowly drop and you will subconsciously change your usage habits while simultaneously growing to hate the device, thus making you more willing to buy a newer device.

    Those are the design decisions that will make me avoid purchasing a device on principle alone.

    I have the One Plus One (no SD slot and no replaceable battery), and I will certainly not buy the One plus 2, but not for the reasons you mention. After a year with the One plus One I can tell you that I happier than ever, and I see no need yet for a new phone. It's still on par with most flagship devices, only that it cost me 1/2 to 1/3 of the price.

    My battery is still lasting 2 days with normal use (phone, chatting, surfing and moderate gaming). If I do intensive gaming It still lasts until I get home at night.

    Regarding SD, my previous phone had an SD slot but not much internal storage, that was a source of troubles. Yes I could "partially" install apps on SD, but was a nuisance. with 64 Gb of internal storage I've never run out of space. After one year of use I still have more that half of my storage space. I understand that If you are used to other phones where the price difference between the 16Gb and the 64Gb model sets you back €100 (or even €200 in the case of Iphone 6 plus) you may think that a SD card is a must. However, when the price difference between the 2 models is practically the same as the cost of a 32Gb SD card, then its a no brainier.

    TL;DR I'll skip the One Plus 2 because the One Plus One was (and still is) so good that I don't need a new phone.
    Reply
  • alidan
    Crappy device. Their talks about skipping NFC because they do not feel that it sill be useful until next year, as well as skipping the micro SD, and non user replaceable battery, all points to them doing some major planned obsolescence. They want to make a device that the user will grow sick of within a year.

    This is the main reason for nonuser replaceable batteries. The average user will not risk taking their device apart to replace the battery, and thus after a few hundred charge cycles, where in the course of which, the battery capacity will slowly drop and you will subconsciously change your usage habits while simultaneously growing to hate the device, thus making you more willing to buy a newer device.

    Those are the design decisions that will make me avoid purchasing a device on principle alone.

    Absolutely agree with you there. Instead of making improvements with their second phone, they're just stripping out features like RAW camera support and NFC in the hopes nobody will care. In reality, your phone needs to give all its got to compete with the boatload of smartphones there are today.

    True, it has a lower price phone than many other phones but there is no logical reason to not have a removable battery or NFC considering it's predecessor had both. The battery may have required a couple screws to get to, but you could easily remove it...

    you are talking about a phone that costs 330-380$ that competes with phones that are 800+$

    nfc isnt important right now, and i cant blame them for striping it to reduce cost

    if the battery is good, it will last longer than the phone is useful, remember phones arent phones anymore.

    also, raw camera on a cellphone... that is the purpose of that with the camera that crappy?
    Reply