OnePlus
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, China[1] |
Area served | Selected Markets |
Key people | Pete Lau (Chief Executive Officer) |
| Products | OnePlus One |
| Website | www |
OnePlus is a smartphone manufacturer in China founded on December 17, 2013. OnePlus is headquartered in Shenzhen.
History
OnePlus was founded in December 2013 by Pete Lau, previously Vice President at OPPO.[2]
OnePlus One
 OnePlus One 64 GB (Sandstone Black) | |
| Manufacturer | OnePlus |
|---|---|
| Slogan | The Flagship Killer, Never Settle |
| Compatible networks | (GSM/GPRS/EDGE): 850, 900, 1,800 and 1,900 MHz; 3G (HSDPA 42 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.8 Mbit/s): 850, 900, 1,700, 1,900 and 2,100 MHz; LTE: 700, 1,700, 1,800, 2,100, 2,300 and 2,600 MHz |
| First released | June 2014 |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Form factor | Slate |
| Dimensions | 152.9 mm (6.02 in) H, 75.9 mm (2.99 in) W, 8.9 mm (0.35 in) D |
| Weight | 162 g (5.7 oz) |
| Operating system | Android 4.4.4 "KitKat", CyanogenMod 11S |
| System-on-chip | Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 |
| CPU | 2.5 GHz quad-core Krait 400 |
| GPU | Adreno 330 |
| Memory | 3 GB LPDDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 16 GB (Silk White), 64 GB (Sandstone Black) |
| Removable storage | No |
| Battery | 3100 mAh Li-Po |
| Display | 5.5 in (140 mm) 1920x1080 px (401 ppi) LTPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Rear camera | 13 megapixels (4128×3096 px), autofocus, dual-LED flash, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR |
| Front camera | 5 megapixels, 1080p@30fps |
| Connectivity | List
|
| Data inputs | |
| Website | Website |
| References | GSMArena |
OnePlus's first product, the OnePlus One, was announced on 23 April 2014 at the prices of $299 and $349 for the 16 GB and 64 GB models respectively.[3] Hence TIME magazine reviewed it as "Phone of Dreams" with the sub-header "It's hard to imagine a better phone for Android geeks. Too bad you can't get one."[4] However in a contest at the end of August 2014, 10,000 invites were given out,[5] and furthermore it was announced that the invitation system itself would end in October. However, at the time of writing, the invite system is still in place. [6]
Software
The OnePlus One runs a custom version of CyanogenMod, named 11S, based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat initially,[7] then upgradable to 4.4.4 KitKat over-the-air.[8]
The Chinese OnePlus One runs Oppo's Color OS, based on Android 4.3. Although many online retailers supply the phone with CyanogenMod already installed, it is relatively simple to flash Color OS to CyanogenMod with OTA support and access to Google Play services including the Google Play Store. The OnePlus One allows users to flash CyanogenMod from the stock recovery.[9]
Reportedly, OnePlus is working on a new custom ROM based on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). The First community builds are expected to be available as soon as December, followed by a production-ready build in February. [10]
Hardware
The phone uses a Snapdragon 801 with 3 GB RAM, a 3100 mAh battery, a 5.5" 1920 x 1080 (Full HD 1080p) JDI display with 401 ppi, a 6-lens 13 MP f/2.0 Sony Exmor IMX214 camera, and StyleSwap replaceable back covers. There are two options for storage, 16 GB and 64 GB. The phone does not feature a microSD card slot.[3][11]
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) system on-chip on the device supports 2G, 3G and 4G networks.[12]
The phone employs an NXP PN547 NFC chip, embedded within the back cover, for close-range data communication with other devices.
The positioning function uses both GPS and GLONASS satellites. This use of a larger number of satellites allows better positioning in city canyons and obtaining a first position fix within a few seconds even under less than ideal conditions.
The phone's body is made of magnesium. The One measures 152.9 × 75.9 × 8.9 millimeters and weighs 162 grams.[13]
Smash the Past campaign
On 25 April 2014, OnePlus began its "Smash the Past" campaign.[14] The promotion asked selected participants to destroy their phones on video in an effort to purchase the OnePlus One for $1 (US). Due to confusion, several videos were published by unselected users misinterpreting the promotion and destroying their phones before the promotion start date.[15]
The Campaign was heavily criticised for environmental waste and safety concerns, due to batteries and phone components posing potential hazards to participants destroying their phones.[16] OnePlus allowed the winners to donate the old phone.[17] There were 140,000 entrants in the contest with 100 winners.
Ladies First Controversy
On 13 August 2014, OnePlus asked its female fans to post a photo of themselves and a OnePlus logo to the OnePlus forums. The fan with the most votes would receive an invite to purchase a OnePlus One.[18] Hours after being announced the campaign was stopped. OnePlus stated that a few 'rogue' employees created the campaign.
Ban In India
On 16 December 2014, The Delhi High Court banned the import and sales of OnePlus One phones in India following a lawsuit by Micromax citing the reason that Micromax has exclusivity for shipping phones with cyanogenmod software in India. [19]
Sales
According to the co-founder Carl Pei, the OnePlus has sold over 500,000 units.[20]
Oppo ownership controversy
Documents filed with Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervisory Authority in China state that OnePlus is a 100% owned subsidiary of Oppo Electronics.[21] In addition, the OnePlus domain name was created by Oppo.[citation needed]
OnePlus has decided to distance itself from OPPO, stating "We understand the confusion as many people are just finding out about OnePlus. But as we’ve said from the beginning, OnePlus is a separately run company that does share investors with OPPO".[22]
External links
References
- ^ Xiang, Tracey. "Chinese Smartphone Startup OnePlus Aims at Developed Markets". TechNode. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (16 December 2013). "From Oppo to OnePlus: a new company wants to build the next great smartphone". The Verge. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ a b "OnePlus One, the "perfect smartphone" is now official - BestMobs News". Bestmobs.com. 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ http://time.com/3006267/oneplus-one-review-phone-of-dreams/
- ^ "10,000 invites contest". IB times. IB times. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/oneplus-axes-invites-opens-pre-order/
- ^ Dent, Steve (7 January 2014). "Cyanogen will partner with OnePlus on its debut phone, the 'OnePlus One'". Engadget. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "CM 11S 30O, OTA Slowly Rolling Out!". Oneplus Forums. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ Ashwin Ganesh (29 June 2014). "OnePlus One - Color OS to CyanogenMod Conversion (/w OTA & Google Play)". C4ETech. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/28/cyanogen-oneplus-one-india-betrayal/
- ^ "Announcements - OnePlus Forums". Forums.oneplus.net. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ "OnePlus One - Specifications, Features And Price". Bestmobs.com. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ "OnePlus Specificiations". OnePlus.net. OnePlus. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "OnePlus Smash Promotion". Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ "OnePlus One 'Smash the Past" contest sees hopefuls smashing their phones prematurely". Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ "OnePlus One "Smash the Past" is a Pretty Bad Contest". Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ "OnePlus revises their 'smash' contest to allow winners to donate perfectly good phones to charity instead". Android Central. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ "OnePlus asks women to participate in degrading contest to get a smartphone". Verge. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
- ^ http://www.androidos.in/2014/12/delhi-hc-bans-import-sales-oneplus-one-smartphone-india/
- ^ OnePlus sold over 500,000 smartphones with an advertising budget of just $300
- ^ F, Alan (26 April 2014). "Is OnePlus a wholly owned subsidiary of Oppo? Chinese document suggests that the answer is yes". Phone Arena. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ by Ian DeMartino (2014-04-28). "OnePlus Responds To OPPO Controversy". Gizchina.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
- ^ Plunkett, John. "How to Get CyanogenMod Updates For Indian OnePlus One Users ?", Toptechtune, India, 29 November 2014.