Remember back in 2015 when OnePlus launched a “mid-range” device? The OnePlus X broke the mold by offering up an Android smartphone with a compact-yet-premium form factor, lesser specs, and a price of just $249. Now, in 2020, that device might make a comeback of sorts, but with a new name.
Starting today, the OnePlus X will begin to receive an over the air update to OxygenOS 3.1.3 which brings with it Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Although the company released a community build that brought the updated firmware to the OnePlus X about a month ago, this is this first stable build to roll-out to customers…
OnePlus’ lower-end and budget-er OnePlus X has drawn the short stick when it comes to software updates, but now the company has finally released — after almost a year being stuck on Lollipop — the phone’s first build of OxygenOS based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow…
OnePlus announced in a community forum post this morning that it will sell all of its current phones at ‘new prices’. That means the OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X will all be cheaper than they have been, almost certainly because a new phone is about to be launched by the ambitious Chinese startup.
OnePlus is slowly but surely turning in to a proper smartphone business. Having only recently made its devices available without the necessity of an invite, this morning it announced a new installment plan. Customers can now pay for products from its online store using PayPal Credit.
In an interview with CNET, OnePlus founder Carl Pei revealed that the OnePlus 3 will launch at the end of next quarter. While he was light on actual specifications and features, he did elaborate that the device would have a “captivating” design, like the original OnePlus One.
OnePlus has announced via its official forums that the OnePlus X is now available to buy completely invite-free. You no longer need to wait until a Tuesday to buy the device without an invitation, just head to OnePlus.net and add the phone to your basket.
We’re extremely excited to be making the OnePlus X invite-free more quickly this time around. With every device we release, we grow more mature and more adept at handling the demands and expectations of our community. We largely owe our success to your unrelenting support, so we hope that this development will make the process of purchasing your very own OnePlus X as smooth and effortless as it can possibly be.
This marks the quickest time it’s taken any of OnePlus’ devices to go from launch to invite-free. The manufacturer’s original phone, the OnePlus One, wasn’t available to buy without an invite until around one year after it was launched. The OnePlus 2 took four months to achieve the same status, and the OnePlus X took around three months.
The OnePlus X was one of the best affordable phones launched last year. In fact, I kinda wish the company’s flagship phone was just a bigger version of the X with a better camera. At just $249 unlocked, it’s hard to think of a phone as complete and premium-looking for the same price.
With future phone releases, OnePlus would eventually like to reduce the time between launch and completely open sales even further. Perhaps at some point even offering the device for sale right off the bat. As it gets its inventory management under tighter control, that becomes a more likely possibility with every new phone launch.
Following the official launch of OxygenOS 2.1.4 for the original OnePlus One, the manufacturer is now pushing out a new software update for its latest phone. OnePlus announced via its official forum that OnePlus X owners should start to see the OxygenOS 2.2.0 update hit their phones from today.
It’s an incremental OTA update, meaning not everyone will get it on the first day, but you will get it over the air, and won’t have to install manually using any flash tools.
The update includes the following:
While having the manual camera controls is a nice new addition, it sadly isn’t a virtual button that magically improves the camera sensor. So the camera won’t suddenly become incredible, it’ll just be easier to adjust brightness/exposure levels and focus, hopefully making it more bearable.
If you don’t see the update land on your phone immediately, be patient, it should arrive over the coming days/weeks.
It’s New Year’s Eve, so it’s time to crack open the champagne. Champagne version of the OnePlus X that is. They’re now available in limited quantities in Europe and Hong Kong, and will be coming to the US soon. This is our unboxing…
Forgetting OnePlus’ annoying invite system, the OnePlus X is actually a pretty solid option when it comes to budget smartphones. Our own Dom Esposito went as far as to say that it’s the “best budget phone available.” Now, as expected, OnePlus says that you can buy both Ceramic and Champagne variants via open sale in Europe and Hong Kong for a limited time…
OnePlus has announced that it will be bringing its alternative white/champagne gold version of the OnePlus X to western markets from next week. Anyone with an invite can purchase the champagne gold edition direct from the company’s online store from December 22nd. Up until now, this option has only been available in China.
Specification-wise, the phone is exactly the same as the Onyx (black) model. Like the black model, it will also come with the option to have a glass back, or the more limited (and more expensive) ceramic back. You won’t need a special invite to get this new color, and if you have an existing, valid invite when the gold models become available, you can use it for either black/grey or white/gold versions of the company’s budget smartphone.
The OnePlus X is one of this year’s most brilliant budget smartphones. It received virtually unanimous praise from reviewers, and made its way on to our list of 2015’s best affordable Android phones. If you’re looking for a great handset with premium build, brilliant display and responsive performance, you can do a lot worse than spend $250 on the OnePlus X (now in a more classy white and gold). Personally, I’d love for it to be bigger, but it’s undoubtedly one of the best small smartphones out there.
We’re fast approaching the end of the year, and before we hit CES-season and look forward to some of the new devices hitting the market in 2016, it’s time to look back at some of the devices that won our hearts and impressed us during this year. First up, we’re starting with some of this year’s best budget phones…
If you thought Amazon’s 2-hour delivery was impressive, the company has teamed up with OnePlus and OlaCabs in India to make 2 hours seem like an age to wait. OlaCabs, similar to Uber, lets you order transport via a simple smartphone app and has joined forces with OnePlus to offer 15-minute OnePlus X deliveries in 7 Indian cities.
Android smartphone maker OnePlus is no stranger to unusual marketing tactics. Whether it’s because it’ll only sell phones to those with an invitation, asks customers to trade in their iPhone or Samsung phones for one of its devices, or by leaving out features many Android fans love, it seems to promote discussion with whatever it does. Its latest move is equally interesting, to say the least…
Today is officially Black Friday, which means several companies will be selling various products at better-than-full prices. OnePlus’ version of a Black Friday weekend sale has begun and — instead of getting discounted smartphones — the company has made its phones available for open sale from today through until the 30th. That’s four full days of invite-free purchasing.
Both of the latest phones — the OnePlus X and OnePlus 2 — are available to buy all weekend and you won’t need an invite to purchase.
While the phones haven’t been discounted, the company has taken a percentage off the retail price of most of its accessories. Multiple OnePlus One accessories are available for 90% off, while accessories for the newer devices are 10% off. If you’ve been desperate to get your hands on the company’s new smartphones, now is the best opportunity to do so. To take advantage, head on over to OnePlus.net.
As for devices with actual discounts, we compiled a list of phones that we’d personally recommend buying, all of which have seen healthy price-cuts this week. What’s more, we’ve also rounded up some of the best gift ideas for you to consider, while our friends at 9to5Toys have an extensive list of all notable Black Friday deals running.
Feature Request is a new regular 9to5Google series where authors offer their opinion on how to improve popular hardware or software products.
It’s almost impossible not to have an opinion on OnePlus. They make fantastic hardware at competitive prices, and none of us can decide whether the marketing choices they make help or hinder them. A prime example being the invite-only system which either creates so much desire that customers have to take the plunge and buy as soon as they get an invite, or it leaves people so frustrated they never want to talk about OnePlus again. Whichever one it is is beside the point, the OnePlus X is quite possibly the best small, affordable phone on the market this year. But its size is precisely what keeps it from being in my pocket everyday…
The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and whether you’re looking for gift ideas for yourself, your friends or your family, we have you covered here at 9to5Google. This list contains some of my favorite smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks and some awesome accessories that I’ve used and loved. Ranging from $25 to $630, these are some of this year’s great gadgets…
We’re all eager to discover when our smartphones of choice will finally receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update – and for OnePlus smartphone owners, it’ll mean waiting until the beginning of next year.
OnePlus announced on its forums this morning that it will be rolling out Marshmallow-based builds of Cyanogen OS for the OnePlus One and Oxygen OS for the OnePlus 2 at some point in Q1 2016.
With the OnePlus 2, the manufacturer will be switching its proprietary fingerprint sensor firmware out in favor of the standard Marshmallow ones when it rolls the Android 6.0-based software in early 2016.
The OnePlus 2 will also be updated in Q1, and the update will include the new standard Marshmallow API for the fingerprint sensor. We’ve heard requests for us creating an API for the current fingerprint implementation in OxygenOS, but have decided against this since we’re switching over to the standard Android M implementation soon.
Although the company has built a version of Oxygen OS for the OnePlus One, the company is rightly focussing on rolling out the officially-supported Cyanogen OS update first. As for the latest phone, the OnePlus X, there are plans to push Marshmallow ‘as soon as possible’, we don’t have any specific timeframe from the manufacturer.
This is the OnePlus X and in some ways, it’s the best budget smartphone you can buy, but allow me to elaborate. This is basically a OnePlus One packed inside of a smaller and more premium body, for less money. With that, you’re getting mostly the same specifications and performance, which makes it a big win in my book. But before we get into everything you need to know, let’s get the truly negative things I have to say out of the way…
OnePlus doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in the Android community anymore, but that’s apparently not doing anything to slow the company down. Just yesterday the company made the OnePlus X official, and now they’re releasing a completely unrelated app (or maybe somewhat related, considering the photos form an “X” after they’re taken?). Reflexion is a neat take on an app that captures one image that shows both yourself and a glimpse of the world around you…
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At an event in London this morning, OnePlus finally took the wraps off its latest smartphone. It’s not a the company’s flagship device, but at its price-range it certainly seems competitive. Even before the event this morning, the company lauded the phone as a precision work of art, and it’s easy to see why. It has a metal frame with diamond-cut chamfered edges, sandwiched between glass on the front and back. It has slightly rounded edges to make it feel great in the hand, and it weighs just 4.86oz, making it the slimmest and lightest OnePlus smartphone released so far…
Meet the OnePlus X. This may not be called a “flagship killer,” but it’ll easy kill the competition in its price range…
OnePlus’ next handset has been the subject of many a post in recent days and weeks. Dubbed the OnePlus X, one of the only things we’ve been unclear on is the price. We’ve known all along that it won’t be a OnePlus 2 replacement, but rather, a more budget-friendly phone. A poster leaked by MyDrivers suggests the price will be 1699 Chinese Yuan, roughly $267 USD at time of writing…
We’ve seen plenty of rumors and leaks for the upcoming OnePlus X. The controversial Chinese Android OEM is expected to announce the new phone at an event in London next week. It seems this phone will be a direct replacement for the OnePlus One, offering some of the same specs as the original ‘flagship killer’, but in an updated form factor. A new photo leaked over on Chinese social media site, Weibo (found by GizmoChina), shows both black and white versions of the device side-by-side.
Up until now, only the black version of the phone had been shown in any leaks. With a white one likely to be on the way, it heavily supports the theory that this will, indeed, replace the OnePlus One at the bottom of the company’s product line. The image also suggests the back of the device will be all-glass, similar to the iPhone 4/4S, with a metal frame all around the device, with antenna bands.
Other specs we’re expecting include a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM and 16GB storage, as leaked previously by Chinese retailer, Oppomart. The OnePlus X will purportedly also feature a 5-inch 1080p display, measure 6.9mm thick and cost just $249 when it launches at the end of this month. Like many new non-Nexus phones, it’s likely the phone will be released with Android Lollipop (with the OxygenOS on top), rather than a Marsmallow-based operating system.
