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OnePlus Two Surprises Keep Trickling Out (Hint: July 27 Availability, VR)
OnePlus has a new flagship smartphone on the horizon, and details have been coming out little by little recently. We already know that the new phone will feature a Snapdragon 810, and it will be one of the first smartphones available to feature USB Type-C. Just yesterday, images of the charge cable were released on the OnePlus forum that suggest the Type-A end could be reversible. OnePlus didn't confirm this, but did tease that there's something special about the cable.
Today, the company announced that the new smartphone will be revealed in full on July 27. In true OnePlus form, the company aims to do things differently. The reveal of the OnePlus Two will take place completely in virtual reality.
In the announcement today on the company's forum, OnePlus explained that it didn't want to do the typical keynote-in-an-auditorium product launch. The ever-quirky OnePlus will be broadcasting the launch in a VR setting for everyone to watch using Google Cardboard. OnePlus said that the VR view will let you stand next to the team as they reveal the phone.
To go along with the broadcast, OnePlus has also announced that it has developed a version of Cardboard of its own that is suited for the OnePlus One. The OnePlus Cardboard meets Google's Cardboard 2.0 specifications, in addition to improvements that the company said it added.
The material used to build OnePlus Cardboard is supposed to be stronger than Google's version, with higher quality Velcro. OnePlus said that the optics it used offer the same visual experience yet is 20 percent smaller than Google's product. OnePlus has also coated the cardboard with a film that it said repels dirt and oils. OnePlus Cardboard has been specifically created for OnePlus phones, but it will work with most smartphones up to 6 inches.
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.
