China-based smartphone maker OnePlus introduced a new Android phone to its product suite Thursday at an event in London, according to TechCrunch. With that in mind, say “hello” to the new OnePlus X from OnePlus. No other manufacturer offers a high-end handset for under £250 ($380) off contract, and OnePlus is aiming to fill this niche. The OnePlus X targets a different segment altogether. That’s on the Onyx version, anyway.
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The X sports an elegant design with glass panels on the front and back and a metal trim.
Vikas Agarwal, General Manager – India, OnePlus, added, “We love a rich smartphone experience driven by value, choice and individuality”. “Simply gorgeous, and exquisitely striking. The OnePlus X is as elegant as it is powerful”. OnePlus relied on this very same method for selling its original OnePlus phone and the OnePlus 2, which released a few months ago. Powering it is the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC processor. The handset will be available in two internal storage versions of 16 GB and 32 GB.
The second SIM slot doubles as a microSD card slot, so you will have to choose between using two SIM cards and having more available storage, in case you want to take advantage of this dual-SIM capability. The OnePlus X comes with a 13-megapixel camera on the rear, while the front-facing camera features a high-resolution 8-megapixel sensor. It has an f/2.2 aperture and, unlike the OnePlus 2, doesn’t feature optical image stabilisation (OIS).
Looking at the specs, the OnePlus X looks pretty similar to the OnePlus One, though the screen size is a little smaller now. OnePlus founder Carl Pei told us that the inspiration for the backplate came from the convex meniscus of an overflowing glass of water.
The OnePlus X will launch on an invite-only system, just like its OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 siblings did. There is only one model, priced at $249 in the United States.
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The OnePlus X Onyx retails at £199, while the OnePlus X Ceramic costs £269. The OnePlus X is, however, launching with the company’s infamous invite system, and will be available (with said invite) in Europe starting November 5, with a USA version to follow on November 19. It runs OxygenOS Android 5.1-based custom ROM, with almost-stock UI and software customizations such as Dark Mode, customizable launch gestures, Shelf assistant, or ambient display. Although, keep in mind, OnePlus still does not seem to care about NFC.
