The upcoming OnePlus Two will be, like its predecessor, as powerful as the most impressive flagships from other manufacturers.
The latest rumor about the OnePlus Two comes from GizChina, which cites sources close to the company who say that the new handset will sport the same 5.5-inch display on the OnePlus One. However, the OnePlus Two is all set to go quad HD this time, although the company's executives once scoffed at the idea of a screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, saying that a phone with a full HD display is more than enough for most users' viewing and gaming needs.
Despite the resolution boost, the news could be disappointing for a number of OnePlus fans who have been clamoring for a smaller handset, although some reports have cropped up about a smaller, five-inch OnePlus One, presumably called OnePlus One Mini, also in the making.
Speaking to Android Headlines at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), OnePlus co-founder and director of global Carl Pei said the company's designers agonized over the display size of the OnePlus Two and changed it several times.
"The final product will surprise people," Pei said.
If the rumors about screen size are true, the OnePlus Two will reportedly still have a slimmer, thinner profile than the OnePlus One due to an edge-to-edge display and ultra-thin bezels. It is expected to be the company's most advanced smartphone, equipped with a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 810 chipset from Qualcomm, 4GB of RAM, and a powerful 3,300mAh battery and running on OnePlus' version of Android Lollipop.
No word yet has been made on the price of the OnePlus Two, although speculations abound that the new handset will be pegged at 2,699 yuan, or approximately $435, which is slightly more expensive than the price of the OnePlus One upon release. Pei said OnePlus is planning to launch the OnePlus Two sometime during the second and third quarter, but the timeline could easily change, as "there's a lot more expectations on us this time, a lot more pressure."
Unfortunately, OnePlus seems to be intent on keeping the old invitation-only system for the OnePlus Two for now, which makes it harder for customers to purchase the handset because they would have to look for a friend who would like to give them an invitation. Pei said the main purpose of the invite system is to keep risks down because keeping a large inventory costs a lot of money.
"When you have a slim margin, you can't afford to have a lot of inventory," he said. "Compared to other companies, we're still really weak, and small. Our financial strength isn't as strong as other companies. We still have to be a bit conservative in the beginning."
Still, he said that as products get older, they will eventually become available in open sales. Last month, OnePlus decided to sell its OnePlus One smartphones to customers without an invitation. Pei chalked this up to a huge inventory for the company's anniversary sale and accepting pre-orders.
