Here’s a phone which was announced back in April this year, and yet, hasn’t managed to reach the hands of more than a handful few. What started out as a dream project by some ex-Oppo executives, OnePlus One has been living out of hype, but can it match the hype? Well, we finally got to check out the OnePlus One in person, after pestering the company’s PR for an invite for several months. So, here’s our unboxing and brief overview of the device. In case, watching video isn’t your thing, scroll below to read our first impressions.
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For the first time, we are seeing a phone manufacturer who ships the wall charger in a separate box. Yes, the OnePlus One doesn’t come with a wall charger inside the box. Rather, they ship it in a separate box depending upon your region. I assume this will allow OnePlus to maintain a single SKU for the phone, while they can ship the corresponding charger in a different box.
Although I had previously seen some unboxings of OnePlus One on YouTube, I was still pleasantly surprised to see the packaging. Honestly, this is by far the best I’ve seen, ever since Apple’s iPhone 4 boxing. An ultra-minimalistic squarish box in white and red is a treat to your eyes. This clearly matches with the company’s tagline “Never Settle”. I’d have said it’s a no compromise packaging, albeit for the lack of earphones inside the box. But we do appreciate the tangle-free data cable which comes in the box.
The OnePlus One comes in two versions – 16GB and 64GB. The 16GB variant comes in white, while the 64GB comes in Black, Sandstone Black that is. Honestly, I didn’t like it on first look, but that sandpaper like finish is unique and provides a great grip for you to hold. The phone isn’t the lightest or slimmest we have seen, but definitely feels good to hold in hand. Considering it’s a 5.5-inch device, we’d have preferred LG G3 like form factor, but we aren’t complaining much as it gives the flexibility to choose an on-screen or capacitive touch buttons.
The global version of OnePlus One runs CyanogenMod 11s (based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat) out of the box, while the Chinese one runs on OPPO’s Color OS. If you’re new to CyanogenMod, you wouldn’t be too bothered with CyanogenMod’s default interface. It is very close to stock Android, but adds its own set of tweaks and features, unlike Xiaomi’s MIUI which can be overwhelming for starters being an Android fork.
We shall be coming out with our detailed review, so if you have any question, let us know and we will ensure you get the answer in that review.