After launching the ‘flagship killer’ OnePlus 2 this year, the company has now launched a slightly more affordable handset, OnePlus X, for Rs 16,999. At first glance, we can say that this is a mini version of OnePlus One. How is the performance of this handset? Let’s find out through the review.
Look and design
OnePlus X is slightly smaller than both the company’s handsets, which makes it easier to use. Along with being smaller in length and width, OnePlus X is also thinner. Due to the metal frame, glass back and curved edges of the glass front, the X handset looks attractive and feels good in the hands.
The handset is available in Onyx and Ceramic colour variants. However, the Ceramic colour variant is priced at Rs 22,999. It is possible that this is a limited edition device and not much information is available about its availability. We got the Onyx variant for review. Its metal frame is grey in colour.
The back panel of OnePlus X is made of glass. The good thing is that the handset looks sturdy. The camera and flash are present on the top left part of the handset.
The frame of OnePlus X is made of metal. A lined pattern is present all over the device. The 3.5mm socket and secondary microphone are placed on the top. There is a notification slider on the left and the speaker grill and USB port are at the bottom of the handset. The power and volume buttons are present on the right side of the handset. The SIM tray is also on the right side of the handset.
Let us tell you that after unpacking the review unit, we had a problem with the power and volume buttons for the first two hours. The power and volume buttons of the review unit we got got removed automatically. However, we fixed it after some time. We cannot say clearly whether this will happen with every handset or it is a production defect.
We liked the notification slider feature. It is a three-position switch that lets you decide how many notifications you get. While this feature may seem very useful to many users, it wasn’t very useful for us.
The OnePlus X has a 5-inch full-HD AMOLED screen which we really liked. It is extremely sharp, detailed and vibrant. It is easy on the eyes and is easy to read even in bright sunlight.
The OnePlus X comes with a protector film provided by the company. This is a commendable effort as most people prefer to use protectors on the screen of their device.
Specifications and software
The OnePlus X is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset and has an integrated Adreno 330 GPU for graphics. Even though the chipset isn’t the most modern, its performance is good. While using an old chipset in a handset released in late 2015 may raise questions, we are satisfied with the performance of the OnePlus X at this price point.
The OnePlus X comes with 16GB of internal storage, dual-SIM connectivity, 3GB of RAM and a 2525mAh battery. Sadly, the device does not support fast charging.
The handset is equipped with the second version of the company’s own Oxygen OS. The option to update the OS is available as soon as the device is connected to the internet. Let us tell you that the latest Oxygen OS is based on Android 5.1.1.
Oxygen OS is very similar to stock Android Lollipop. With this, users get an app permissions screen through which they can define the permissions of each app.
Camera
OnePlus X has a 13-megapixel primary camera with f/2.2 aperture. It also has a single-tone flash. The device has an 8-megapixel front camera with f/2.4 aperture. Users can record 1080 pixel videos in normal mode with both the cameras. Slow-motion videos can also be recorded with the rear camera.
Its camera app is designed like Google Camera, but there are some differences. You can easily set the photo and video resolution.
The camera works fast. It is excellent in terms of color and lighting reproduction. The combination of shadow and sunlight in outdoor shots was excellent. Photos taken in good and low light indoors also came out fine. However, the lack of detail was clearly visible when the sample shots were looked at closely.
Performance
The OnePlus X is a good performer. The powerful chipset is also helped by 3GB of RAM. Our test videos and games ran smoothly on the device. However, the handset did get heated up while playing Angry Birds 2 and Dead Trigger 2. This also affected the battery.
The call quality of the phone was good. The connection to Wi-Fi and mobile network was also consistent. The sound from the handset’s speaker is a bit weak, although the output in headphones is good.
In our video loop test, the OnePlus X’s battery lasted 11 hours and 54 minutes. However, in daily use, we are not that satisfied with the battery performance. The battery will last only for a day. Phone calls and messages do not drain the battery much, but compared to other devices, the battery in this handset drains faster when browsing the web and playing games.
Our verdict
OnePlus has made a lot of headlines in the smartphone world in a very short time. The company has so far introduced products whose specifications are similar to those of flagship devices, but the price is very low. However, questions have been constantly raised on the quality of the handset and the invite system. Despite this, the company has been successful in attracting people’s attention.
Now let’s talk about OnePlus X. It is a good mid-budget device that offers strong performance with an old chipset. It also looks good and gives a premium feel. However, its build quality is questionable and the camera performance lacks detail. The device overheats and its battery is negatively affected. If you manage to get an invite for the handset, you will be buying a decent phone in terms of performance, looks and software.
#OnePlus #Review