OnePlus X unboxing and first impressions [Video]

Meet the OnePlus X. This may not be called a “flagship killer,” but it’ll easy kill the competition in its price range…

Inside of the box you’ll find the OnePlus X, some documents and guides, a Micro USB cable, and a power adapter. The design of this phone is absolutely beautiful. There’s a metal frame with thin micro cuts for added grip, sandwiched by Glass on both sides. What we’re checking out here is the Onyx version, but there’s also a limited edition Ceramic model that will be available as well, though the difference is minimal.

Check out our unboxing and impressions video below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9B_td96g6Y]

As far as specifications go, the OnePlus X features a 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 packing 441 ppi, a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 2525 mAh battery. OnePlus shocked the hell out of me with the X, not necessarily with the specifications, but with the price. This phone is a mind-blowing $249 unlocked and off-contract. And even after all of that, you have the choice between dual-SIM card support or Micro SD card expansion up to 128GB with the two-in-one tray. It’s pretty epic.

This phone is hot fire. There’s nothing in this range that even comes close to it at this price point. I’d even go as far as saying that it competes with Google’s new Nexus 5X on the bang-for-buck scale. Of course, with a slick glass back, it’ll be a no-brainer to slap a skin on it or a case to add some grip and keep it fingerprint-free. Luckily, there will also be some snap-on cases available from OnePlus which feature the same woods and textures found in the StyleSwap covers that look pretty damn slick as well.

I was pretty happy with the display size, resolution, and even software performance here. Blacks are deep, colors are rich, and of course this is running Oxygen OS, which is based on Lollipop at launch, but from what I hear, a Marshmallow version is already in the works. With Oxygen OS, we have the Shelf feature present, all of the gestures you’re used to with OnePlus devices, a dark mode to take advantage of that AMOLED display, and even a freaking FM radio. Oh and there’s also an Ambient Display feature which will kick in when you receive notifications, take the phone out of your pocket, or wave your hand across the display. Like the OnePlus 2, we also have the Alert Slider present, which will allow you to switch between different notification profiles in Android.

Around the back side you’ll find a 13-megapixel camera with an LED flash and Phase Detection auto-focus. I took it for a brief spin and the camera quality was pretty impressive. I still can’t get over the fact that this is a $249 smartphone. All things considered, I don’t think you’ll find a better device for the money. Images are crisp as hell, focus was pretty speedy, and overall I’m really looking forward to shooting more pictures with the OnePlus X for our full review. Oh an there’s also an 8-megapixel front-facing camera as well if you’re looking to step up your selfie game.

Check out the camera sample gallery below:

Starting November 5th in Europe and India and November 19 in the US, you’ll be able to pick up a OnePlus X for 269 Euros or 249 dollars. You might have guess it by now, but unfortunately the OnePlus X will be sold only to those with an invite, but it’s not all bad news for those without one. After the first month of sales, OnePlus will hold weekly open sales for an hour at a time for anyone who doesn’t want to wait around for an invite. But seriously, this device is definitely worth waiting for.

Stay tuned for our full review and if you’d like to find out more, check out OnePlus’ website.