OnePlus X release date, news and features

OnePlus X release date, news and features

Everything you need to know about the OnePlus X

We've heard word of a smaller, daintier OnePlus device for months - in fact, ever since the first OnePlus One came out all that time ago.

Well, we've finally got it, and it's going to be something you won't have seen from OnePlus up until now: a phone that's all about design over spec. It's smaller, cheaper and more angular than the previous models from the firm, with a smaller battery and much older processor.

There's a weird mix of spec on this phone actually, ranging from new technology to enable cool new features to components that definitely belong on older or cheaper phones. So what's it all about?
Release date

There are two release dates to talk about here, as the OnePlus X is coming in two design flavors. If you're thinking of going for glass (onyx glass, if we're being specific) then you'll be able to get your hands on that on November 5 for Europe and India (or November 19 if you're in the US).

However, if you're thinking you want to be one of the 10,000 in the world to grab a ceramic device, then you'll have to wait until November 24 - sadly, it doesn't seem like you'll be able to pick this up in North America or Australia.

As you can see, there's going to be some exclusivity here. There will only be 10,000 invites issued for the ceramic version of the OnePlus X because, well, that's all that are being made.

If you want the glass, there's still the same old invite process - so it's a case of finding a chum who's already bought one, social media, or just sticking your name on the reservations list.
Price

Once again, OnePlus has come out with a cracking price for its new phone. The OnePlus X price has been set at £199 / $249 / around AU$350, which is pretty great even when you consider it's only coming with 16GB of onboard storage.



The ceramic model is a little more expensive though (well, more than a little) such is its exclusivity: £269 / around $365 / around AU$515.
Design

The design is the key thing here for the new OnePlus X, with most of the literature surrounding it talking about the way it's been created - rolling glass, smooth and polished glass, sleek lines - and it shows.

The smaller dimensions make this a smartphone, rather than a phablet - the OnePlus X is certainly more pocketable.

Both models are 140 x 69 x 6.9 mm, but the glass version is 138g where the ceramic option is a meaty 160g - thanks to some kiln / super thin mold magic, but the upshot is the frames are the same but the premium version comes with more mass.

The screen is a smaller five inches in size to make it more palm friendly, and the glass or ceramic models are framed around a metal chassis.



It looks a bit like a fusion of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6, in truth.
Specs

You want some specs? Yeah? Have we got some lovely specs for you!

Let's get the most mental one out of the way: this phone is running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, which is as old as the hills (well, 2013 to be exact).

Its four cores have been clocked up to 2.6GHz, but that's possibly going to have an effect on battery - which is only 2525mAh, compared to the 3300mAh of the OnePlus 2.

There is 3GB of RAM shoved in there to make it whizz along a little bit faster, but it's not going to be able to do a lot to help that older CPU.



The Wi-Fi levels have been slightly compromised as a result - you won't be having fun on 802.11ac here as its only b/g/n supported.

However, it seems like most LTE bands are baked in there, and with Bluetooth 4.0 on board that's enough to allow for smart connections.
Features

The main feature a lot of OnePlus users will care about is the addition of the microSD slot, giving you the chance to expand up to 128GB of storage on top of the 16GB offered internally.

Should the X be upgraded to Android Marshmallow there's every chance you'll be able to integrate this into the internal storage, but for now that's your lot.

OxygenOS, OnePlus' proprietary overlay on top of Android Lollipop (5.1), comes with a bunch of novel features though. For instance, combined with the OLED display used on the new X, a 'duochrome' (read: black and white) mode will display your notifications to save battery life.

There's also an FM radio for some odd reason - not weird that it's there, but strange that OnePlus is making such a big deal about it. Perhaps it's a big hitter in some of the other countries the brand is strong in.

Other features like Dark Mode (for easier night viewing) will be familiar to OnePlus users, as the overlay is largely the same as used on the previous phablet models.



There's a rocker switch on the side of the phone with three levels allowing you to choose between all noises, priority only and off - something that we saw in the OnePlus 2 already.

And Swiftkey is once again on board to let you tap in a little easier. Nice.
Camera

The camera on the OnePlus X is a 13MP affair, with an f/2.2 aperture and Isocell technology (presumably from Samsung). It's also got a rather fast 0.2second autofocus on board, with phase detection autofocus.

That's not quite as good as the camera in the OnePlus 2, despite being the same resolution. The low light capabilities aren't quite as decent, although the autofocus is really rather impressive.



On the front things have been boosted though, with an 8MP sensor - although with an f/2.4 aperture it's not going to be that great in low light.
Battery

The battery life of the OnePlus X is something that might worry a few, as not only is it smaller than the OnePlus 2 (2525mAh compared to 3300mAh) but it's also using a much older chipset which might not be as efficient.

There's an odd lack of battery life being specified by OnePlus, which is always a slightly worrying sign. Then again, this is a brand that knows how to optimise it devices to make sure they function as well as possible - and a battery of this size in a mid-range phone isn't the worst we've ever seen.

Let's see if things like duochrome notifications and OnePlus engineering expertise work together to improve the power management.
Should I buy the OnePlus X?

Well, should you? The tricky thing here is it seems that the ceramic version of the OnePlus X looks to be the more premium and desirable model, and with that only being limited to 10,000 people it's not going to be easy to get hold of one.

If you're wondering whether this phone is for you, you'll have to ask yourself whether the lower price is enough to offset the slightly less impressive spec sheet. That's a very low price, but there are a few issues with the specs that might put you off.

But in reality, this is a phone for those that get what OnePlus is about: a small, inexperienced brand that's trying to challenge the way we think about our smartphones.

The design is the big thing that will get you - a sleeker device that fits more nicely in the hand rather than a powerhouse that's pushing at the best spec list at every avenue.