OnePlus One hands-on reveal fluidity, ergonomics, covers, and compare it to the Galaxy Note 3

BY Rita El Khoury

Published 23 Apr 2014

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OnePlus’ impressive One was just announced this morning and we’re starting to see hands-on videos and photos demonstrating the phone’s various features, its interface, build quality and more. Below is a selection of videos and photos that show or teach us something new about this impressive new phone.

First of all is OnePlus’ official video for the One. Starting with a focus on design, the video moves on to show how the One’s elements are fitted together, including the 6-lens Sony sensor, the Snapdragon 801 processor and the battery.

Next up is Android Authority’s hands-on video with the phone. Joshua explains the One’s design and ergonomics first, sharing his enthusiasm for the glass front, button placement and weight distribution. He was however less impressed by the stereo speakers that OnePlus is using as a selling point for the phone; he found them to be “somewhat lacking in volume and sound fidelity” after a short test. We are then treated to a very quick run down of the phone’s OS and UI, including CyanogenMod’s new Camera app, the lockscreen and various other CM settings. Joshua also shows us the option to use on-screen navigation buttons instead of capacitive keys, and to directly launch various apps by simply drawing specific gestures on the screen even when it’s off.

Engadget got to spend some time with the OnePlus One as well, and their report includes a few hands-on photos and impressions along with some background into OnePlus’ story and future. Most notable is the company’s CEO — Peter Lau — mentioning that he’d be willing to work with other ROM makers beside CyanogenMod, like MIUI, and his commitment to always providing the smoothest software experience possible. Sneaking with the various photos are shots of the One’s replaceable battery covers. However, only the wooden versions are pictured.

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Replaceable battery covers for the OnePlus One

Finally is a series of videos and picture comparisons by Android Authority pitting the OnePlus One against the Oppo Find 7a, Galaxy S5 and Note 3. Of these three, the OnePlus One shares the most similarities with the Oppo Find 7a — it lacks the skyline notification bar and the microSD support of the Find 7a, but adds the stereo speakers.

The comparison with the Galaxy S5 is less significant because of the two devices’ completely different markets and philosophies. But the moment you put the One against the Note 3, you realize how close OnePlus is to reaching flagship status while costing half as much — if not less. The differences aren’t that significant when you look at the bigger picture, with the two phones carrying a similar size, camera resolution, RAM, and so on. The Note 3 obviously has the advantage of the S Pen and a larger display in almost the same footprint, but the OnePlus One has a better front-facing camera and slightly faster processor.

What do you think of the OnePlus One? Are you impressed by its spec sheet and features along with that incredible price tag? Or do you think there are some major deal-breakers with the phone?