First came the OnePlus One, then the OnePlus 2, and finally, the recently launched OnePlus X. Believe it or not, but Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has travelled a long way from being a small time player in the Indian smartphone segment to competing with all the biggest brands out there, and that too in an interval of just two years!
Both its previous launches are more than capable of competing with current releases in the same class. The OnePlus One was a charm with its 5.5-inch full HD resolution screen, accompanied by specifications equivalent to that of a Samsung S5, and all that at half the expense.
Later the company dropped another bomb by launching the OnePlus 2, also known as the 2015 ‘Flagship killer’. The OnePlus 2 effortlessly matched the erudition of its precursor in terms of design and performance, and the phone rightfully shines bright among its class.
Additionally, the company has always managed to keep customers totally engaged by consistently producing quality handsets pooled with their nifty ‘invite’ policy. However, will OnePlus be able to maintain the same level of hype with its new mini—the OnePlus X? Let’s find out.
Design:
On the design front, the phone is just spellbinding! The shiny black Onyx Glass variant is an apt example of sophisticated artistry. As OnePlus said, the front and rear sides of the device have been crafted out of two perfectly outlined Corning Gorilla glass slabs that are adjoined to a metal frame running all along the sides.
The front and rear sides of the OnePlus are crafted with two thick slabs of glass
Each piece of glass is polished cyclically to achieve an ultra-glossy, mirror-like finish. Both the pieces of glass have contoured edges making it appear more graceful at the ends. Combine all that, and you surely have a device to flaunt overtly. However, it faces one insignificant bottleneck, which is common among all full glass-bodied phones—too many fingerprints and smudges build up rapidly on the glass.
Although the device lacks a bit of ingenuity, unlike the OnePlus One and 2, it still manages to score very high on looks. Another minor downside is the extremely slippery tendency of the device in static state, and can be susceptible to drops if kept on a slanting surface. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to drop the OnePus X while using it, thanks to the same glass body.
Additionally, the volume rocker and power key on the right side are adeptly crafted, and the alert slider on the left features a new texture-heavy pattern. At just 138 grams and a thickness of 6.9mm, the OnePlus x is not only thinner but also lighter than its predecessors.
Moreover, the screen to body ratio on this device is exceptional, making it suitable for easier usage. Once out-of-the-box, the most striking feature, and undoubtedly the handset’s prime USP has to be its splendid design.
Display:
This time around, OnePlus have gone a step higher by providing AMOLED screen instead of LTPS panels used in the previous models. Featuring a 5-inch Full HD capacitive screen, the only improvement is the pixel density, which is now at 441ppi.
The AMOLED HD display is a new addition to the OnePlus X
The display quality on this handset is extremely good and almost manages to strike the perfect contrast offering well-saturated colours. Being an AMOLED, viewing experience from different angles is also good. But one noticeable problem in the display aspect is the visibly dim screen, which tends to saturate a bit when screen brightness is increased to maximum.
All in all, the OnePlus X manages to deliver a sharp, detailed viewing experience; and you will surely enjoy using it.
Performance:
At its core, the OnePlus X is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor coupled with Adreno 330 GPU, and 3GB RAM. In the presence of better chipsets in the market, we feel that OnePlus could have given the 808 or 810 chipset for the device. However, this does not take anything away from the handset, as its one hell of a performer.
Performance has dipped a bit in comparison to previous OnePlus devices
Performance adeptness is similar to that of devices such as the OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4, and the Sony Xperia Z2. However, all the devices listed have a higher clock speed than the OnePlus X. We have tested this device to the core; from strenuous multi-tasking to endless gaming, and the handset performed moderately well in all departments.
The usual stammer is noticeable sometimes, but its overall performance outshines this insignificant issue. Another not-so-minor setback is the smartphone’s tendency to heat up immensely while multi-tasking and playing games at a stretch. But there is no reason to panic, as the device cools down really fast after getting you all tensed.
Overall, the specifications are good enough to run most current apps, but the future seems a bit shaky for the OnePlus X.
Camera:
The camera set-up on the OnePlus X is a downer in comparison to similar priced phones available in the market. Even its predecessors had a much better camera set-up.
At the rear-end, a 13MP camera is accompanied by a single LED flash, which takes sharp images during most parts of the day, however, images clicked in low-light conditions produce prominent amounts of noise, as there is no optical image stabilisation. The 8MP front-shooter serves the purpose of standard video calling, and takes decent selfies.
Another major snag is the phase detection auto-focus technology, which the company boasts of clicking images ‘blazingly fast’. However, an image clicked in medium or low light conditions using the OnePlus X opts for prolonged shutter speeds, resulting in out-of-focus and blurry images.
Although the device can capture videos at full HD resolutions, they appear to be jerky at times, which essentially disarrays the frame rate. Coming back to the image quality, colour balance seems to be a tad gloomy, and lacks the required liveliness. Even the images clicked on HDR just make the image brighter instead of bringing out the true vividness of a picture.
The camera app interface is pretty much similar to the OnePlus 2 and you can select between different modes by swiping the screen—time lapse, slow-motion videos, normal, and panorama.
Apart from that, the only other feature worth mentioning is HDR. All in all, the camera might be a bit too tricky to handle for an everyday user, but considering its price, we can’t blame OnePlus too much. Below are a few images clicked by the OnePlus X in different kinds of shades. (Click on images to view in full resolution)
One of the images was clicked using flash (on the left) and one without (on the right)
Both the images were clicked in broad daylight
OnePlus fails to capture all the colours in the absence of sufficient light
Images clciked in low-light conditions have dark edges and a lot of noise
Software:
The OnePlus X also runs on the company’s native Oxygen OS, which is based on Android Lollipop 5.1. The user-interface of the phone is quite friendly, accompanied by an app-shelf for easily accessing recently used programmes.
The device also allows you to customise your widgets and apps according to your preference. Apart from offering on-screen navigational keys, the smartphone also provides gestures such as double tap, and pattern drawing to access a range of applications.
Although the company has not announced Marshmallow update for the device, there are certain features that make the OnePlus X unique. You can toggle between normal and dark mode, the latter being more delicate on the eyes, and less battery consuming.
Additionally, you can also make a lot of interface-oriented customisations in the dark mode like changing accent colours and notification alert colours. On the software front, OnePlus has kept things simple for users, and has also managed to add a tinge of its own flavour by introducing the dark mode and myraid colour customisations.
The OnePlus X runs on the OxygenOS, which is closely based on Android Lollipop 5.1
In addition to all the customisations and gestures, OnePlus X features a special 'dark mode'
The camera interface is simple and allows users to click images pretty fast
Hardware and Storage: Most of the hardware is identical to the OnePlus 2; with the only difference being the absence of the fingerprint scanner. The handset does not support NFC, which is a bit disappointing. However, OnePlus has retained the alert slider that comes in very handy if you prioritise your alerts carefully.
The Alert slider on the OnePlus X helps users toggle between three modes
At the bottom of the device are two sound boxes--one on each side of the charging port. However, if observed closely, it can be determined that only one of the audio outputs work and the other is just present to compliment the looks. The sound is a little high on treble and fails to strike the desired balance, which is extremely important for enjoying quality music.
The audio quality on the OnePlus X could have been much better
There is a dual SIM tray on the right, out of which, the secondary slot can also be used as a microSD slot, expandable up to 128GB. Users will have to choose if they want dual SIM capabilities or more storage space. The inclusion of external storage slot is surely one of the biggest advantages of the OnePlus X. The handset also has an internal storage capacity of 16GB.
In terms of the battery, the device sports a 2525 mAh unit, which performs much better than expected. We ran myriad power-hungry apps and games for lengthy periods without any interruptions. A moderate user might even succeed using the phone for one whole day without charging. It is still disappointing that OnePlus have not incorporated the fast charging technology, which is a common feature amongst all smartphones avaialble in the market today.
In addition, running power-hungry apps and games might deplete the phone’s battery in less than three hours. Stand-by time on the OnePlus X is also very good, which can be credited to the AMOLED display accompanied by the dark mode.
Price and Verdict:
The OnePlus X Onyx glass variant costs Rs 16,990 and is available on Amazon; however, you still need an invite to buy it. Another limited ceramic variant of the phone priced at Rs 22,990 will also be available starting November 24 and around 10,000 units will be rolled out.
Coming back to the verdict, we feel that the OnePlus X is a very good phone in its price bracket, but fails to meet the high expectations everyone has from the company. One might also say that the performance specifications of the phone will be dated pretty soon.
The OnePlus X is a good buy if you are looking for a pocket-friendly phone with stunning looks, however, some of the aspects such as the camera, chipset and speakers fail to hit the sweet spot. In our opinion, the OnePlus is not future-proof, but is not a pushover if compared to similar smartphones in the market.
