Camera
The camera on the One is surprisingly good. Usually with a budget phone, that skimp somewhere, and the camera is what usually is the first thing to take a hit. But OnePlus (and Cyanogen) actually deliver a quality experience. The hardware of the same is solid. It features a 13MP camera capable of shooting 4K video and 120FPS slow motion. The shutter is quick, the focus is accurate, which is paramount when your phone is your primary camera. There are TONS of settings, from different filters to shooting moods. The 5MP front-facing camera is great too. Cyanogen and OnePlus have thrown everything but the kitchen sink into this camera.
Software
Software is an interesting category for the OnePlus One. The One is running Cyanogen Mod out of the box, without having to root and ROM the phone like you normally would have to do in order to Cyanogen on your phone. For all intents and purposes, this is a pretty stock build of Android when you get it. It looks and runs a lot like stock Android, minus the a few software tweaks. The icons are different and the lockscreen is unique to the One, but other than that, this is stock Android at it’s finest. What makes the One special though is you have to freedom to really made the device your own.
One of the best features that comes on the One is the Theme Showcase. You have the option to change just about every aesthetic of the phone. You don’t like the icons, change them. You don’t like the boot animation, change it. You don’t like the system colors, change them. You don’t like the sounds effects you have, you can change those too. And, you’re not tied to one theme at a time. You want the sound effects from one, the icons from another and the boot animation from another, you can have them all together. When it comes to customization, there’s no better phone on the market. There are a few other system tweaks that benefit the One as well, such as the audio EQ that gives you more control for music playback. There are also gestures you can do with the screen off that can turn your screen on or access the camera or torch (flashlight).
The OnePlus One: affordable, beautiful, & powerful.
TG 2 Cents
The One is one of the best phones out on the market today. It can go toe to toe with any of the flagships currently out, or will be coming out, this year. But none of that is what makes the OnePlus One special. What really makes the phone special is the price. For $300 you can purchase this phone. There’s no other phone that has the specs that this phone has at its price-point.
With all that said, there is one REALLY big problem with the One. As good as the phone is, and as cheap as the phone is, you will be hard pressed to actually get your hands on one. OnePlus is running an invite system where customers have to take a number in order invited to purchase a One. The phone was released back in may and they still haven’t caught up with the demand of this phone. I was lucky enough to be given an active invite, my phone wasn’t made until after I placed my order. They really need to do something about how they are getting their devices into the hands of their customers.
