OnePlus has finally announced the launch of its new smartphone, OnePlus One, and the tech world has been surprised by the low price tag on the model, making it an immediate competitor against Apple, Samsung and HTC for supremacy of the smartphone market. The much-anticipated wait for the new phone, however, will still be on hold, as the company has not disclosed the release date for the general public.
With latest reports, Google was planning to undercut the market, this low of a retail price has left many wondering if OnePlus has something to its advantage in launching. For now, the excitement and commentary on the new phone will begin. It is a matter of time if the market will follow suit.
The OnePlus One features a 5.5 inch screen with full HD capability, around three gigabites of RAM and for a phone with 16GB of storage it will run you $299, but boosting the storage memory to 64GB will only be an increase of $50.
It employs Qualcomm for its speedy 2.5Ghz processor.
"By paying attention to the smallest details, taking a holistic approach to product design, and working with the best partners such as Cyanogen Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, we have been able to create the greatest day to day user experience in a smartphone without compromise," said Pete Lau, OnePlus CEO, in making the announcement.
The new OnePlus One smartphone operates on the open source CyanogenMod software, based largely on Google's Android, but does have a unique custom layer that updates the previous interface into something different.
The phone "was designed to be beautiful, timeless and comfortable in the hand," the company says. "Embracing this design language, the One features subtle curves, sleek lines and a slightly raised, jet-black display."
The new phone will be available in two different colors, black or white. It will initially go on sale across the United States, Europe, Hong Kong and Taiwan before moving into other markets.
The goal of the new phone is to deliver a sleek, new look thinner model to the market, after reports that users had been clamoring for more unique devices in their daily lives in order to become more user-friendly and attentive to wireless devices. The OnePlus One is aimed at hitting the market hard, and experts largely believe that the low price on the phone should help it immediately compete with the companies traditionally at the top of the sector.
