OnePlus 2 vs Apple iPhone 6: Battle of the premium smartphone against its cheaper counterpart

The Taiwanese OEM OnePlus has become quite popular worldwide in a matter of just one year. With no full page advertisements, like the American multinational Apple, the company had gathered numerous of fans for their device OnePlus One. The hype was carried over to the OnePlus 2 - a device which the company touts as 'The Flagship Killer of 2016'. So does that mean that you can now ditch the idea of buying an iPhone 6 and go for the newbie?

SEE ALSO: OnePlus 2: Five Best And Worst Features Of The Flagship Killer

Here are the Top 5 Reason to opt for the cheaper iPhone alternative:

Display

The OnePlus 2 in comparison to the iPhone has a higher resolution display. It comes with a Full HD (1920x1080) panel as compared to the Retina (1334x750) display on the iPhone 6. So if you are a geeky guy, who bother a lot about specifications then iPhone 6 is not for you!

RAM

This an area where the OnePlus 2 is leaps and bounds ahead of its Apple counterpart! iPhone 6 features a meagre 1GB of RAM in contrary to the 3GB/4GB present on the OnePlus 2. The 16GB variant of the OnePlus comes with the 3GB of RAM, while the 64GB comes with a 4GB of RAM.

Laser Autofocus And 4K Recording

Despite the fact that the iPhone 6 has an excellent camera at the back, the unit is incapable of shooting 4K video. The 8MP camera might sound pretty inferior on paper when compared to the 13MP unit on the OnePlus 2, but real life images tell a different tale. In terms of still image capture the device is at par with the higher resolution OnePlus 2. The resolution never matters to judge how good or bad a camera is - the pixel size and image sensors does. The pixel size of the iPhone 6 is larger at 1.5 micron per metre, thereby helping in shooting better lowlight images.

SEE ALSO: Moto X Style: 5 Best And 5 Worst Features Of The Motorola Smartphone

Nevertheless the OnePlus 2 on the other hand shoot flawless Quad HD video (4K). So if video is your concern, then OnePlus should be your obvious choice. Plus it features a Laser Autofocus (PDAF technology) which results in better focusing times. The device can now focus onto an object in less than 0.2 secs!

USB Type C port

Unlike the Lighting port on the Apple iPhone, the OnePlus 2 features a reversible USB Type C port. This port is not only reversible, but also helps in higher copy speeds - 5 gigabit/sec!

Larger battery

The iPhone 6 features a small non-removable 1810 mah Li-Poly battery as compared to the humongous 3300 mah on the OnePlus 2. It's true that the device by large requires a bigger battery since it features a high resolution display and an Octa core processor as compared to the dual core on iPhone. Despite that tech analysts at Gizbot believe that it's still not up to the level of the OnePlus.

SEE ALSO: OnePlus 2 first impressions: 10 Things We Love!

There are a few other reasons to - like customisable StyleSwap back covers, Physical alert slider in the OnePlus 2. The company is providing five replaceable back cover including a Wooden and a Kevlar Back cover. They will retail at $27 each.

Verdict

Finally, last but not the least it won't cost you a fortune unlike the iPhone 6. While the iPhone retails at something around Rs 60,000 the OnePlus 2 comes at just Rs 22,999 (16GB)/Rs 24,999 (64GB). But there's one catch though. You would need to end up with an invite to buy the device on amazon.in. Nevertheless we still feel that OnePlus 2 can be good replacement to the iPhone 6, in case you are short on budget.

Stay tuned to GizBot for more updates!

Story first published: Saturday, August 1, 2015, 17:03 [IST]

Source: OnePlus 2 vs Apple iPhone 6: Battle of the premium smartphone against its cheaper counterpart

OnePlus 2: One MILLION people signed-up to buy the 'Flagship Killer' in 72 hours

ONEPLUS

In just 72 hours, OnePlus 2 sold almost a third MORE units than its predecessor

OnePlus this week unveiled the successor to its hugely popular OnePlus One smartphone.

The OnePlus 2 – dubbed Flagship Killer, by the Chinese firm – boasts a new Android operating system, brighter display and vastly improved 4K camera.

It also sports a phablet-sized 5.5inch IPS 1080p display, up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and a larger 3300mAh battery.

And it appears the upgraded handset, which starts from £239, has resonated with fans.

OnePlus has today revealed it has received 1.5 million invitation requests from those eager to buy the firm's new flagship smartphone.

ONEPLUS

OnePlus 2 boasts a number of improvements over its predecessor

ONEPLUS

The Flagship Killer also sports interchangeable rear shells for the first time

That's a staggering 500 million MORE than the OnePlus One ever sold.

It's clearly resonated with consumers as they've been quick to snap up a place in line

OnePlus spokesperson

Like its predecessor, OnePlus is using an invite system to sell its latest handset, which only allows those who have already bought the phone to invite someone else to do so.

Invites can also be obtained through a waiting list, or by entering a number of competitions offered by the company.

A spokesperson for OnePlus told Express.co.uk: "The launch of the OnePlus 2 reaffirms the brand's commitment to the highest level of craftsmanship in the industry today.

"The OnePlus 2 boasts top of the line specs, one of the best cameras on the market, beautiful design and the adoption of state of the art technology. 

Related articles

"It's clearly resonated with consumers as they've been quick to snap up a place in line for a reservation to purchase one for themselves."

Pop-up events in New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, New Delhi, Bangalore and Jakarta will allow OnePlus fans to go hands-on with the device for the first time.

Team members from OnePlus will be on hand to demo the OnePlus 2 to fans in person; those users will have an opportunity to receive invites and other exclusive gifts.

Additional information on the pop-up events is available on oneplus.net.

Source: OnePlus 2: One MILLION people signed-up to buy the 'Flagship Killer' in 72 hours

Samsung Profits Hurt by Smartphone Price Declines

Updated July 29, 2015 9:36 p.m. ET

SEOUL— Samsung Electronics Co. SSNHZ 0.00 % said net profit for the second quarter fell 8% from a year earlier as sales of the company's flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone fell short of expectations.

The decline was the fifth straight year-over-year profit drop, as low-cost rivals from China and India continued to weigh on Samsung's market share and profit margins, particularly for midrange smartphone models.

Samsung's net income for the three months ended June 30 was 5.75 trillion Korean won ($4.9 billion), down from 6.25 trillion won in the year-earlier period, the company said Thursday.

As in previous quarters, most of the pain came in the company's once-highflying mobile unit. The mobile division's operating profit slid 37.6% to 2.76 trillion won in the second quarter from a year earlier.

In April, the company released its flagship Galaxy S6 and its curved-screen variant, the Galaxy S6 Edge. While the new phones were met by praise from analysts and reviewers, Samsung appears to have badly miscalculated how many Galaxy S6 Edge devices consumers wanted, leading to shortages of that device and unsold stock of the flat-screen Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Overall, the division's closely watched operating profit margin came in at 10.6%—down sharply from a margin of 15.5% in the second quarter last year, and roughly unchanged from the first quarter of the year.

Analysts estimate the average selling price for Samsung's smartphones to have dropped by more than 10% to below $300 in the latest quarter compared with a year ago, amid heightened cost competition from low-cost rivals in the region.

Rival Apple Inc., AAPL -0.32 % meanwhile, managed to keep a high price tag on its popular iPhones during the same period, with the average selling price of iPhones rising by more than $100 to $662.

Samsung's smartphones are expected to stay prone to further price cuts as the South Korean electronics giant struggles to differentiate its products from the growing pool of competing smartphone models.

In an attempt to cushion the continued slide in earnings, Samsung has advanced the timing for the launch of its flagship smartphone-tablet hybrid device, likely called the Galaxy Note 5 and focused on business users, by about three weeks to Aug. 13 from its usual launch period.

It is also releasing a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge at the event, according to people familiar with the matter, giving the company another chance to try to parlay the popularity of the curved-screen smartphone into profit.

Samsung's overall profit picture would have been even worse, but for another strong showing from the company's components business, which includes memory chips, application processors and display panels.

Semiconductors, in particular, saw operating profit surge in the second quarter by 83% from a year earlier to 3.4 trillion won.

A chunk of those profits came from memory chips, where Samsung has long dominated as the world's No. 1 manufacturer by sales. The unit got another leg up from its non-memory chip business, thanks to sales of its application processors—the brains of smartphones—to outside customers, and which it used to power its own line of new premium smartphones.

Analysts estimate that the non-memory chip business logged its first quarterly profit in more than a year, though Samsung doesn't break out details for the business unit.

Semiconductors have solidified their place as the main profit driver for the Suwon, South Korea-based company, accounting for 49% of overall profit in the second quarter, ahead of the mobile division's 40% contribution.

Overall, revenue for the technology giant in the second quarter fell 7.3% from a year earlier to 48.54 trillion won.

The company's cash position remained mostly the same, with about 61.8 trillion won of cash and short-term assets on its books.

Write to Min-Jeong Lee at min-jeong.lee@wsj.com

Source: Samsung Profits Hurt by Smartphone Price Declines

Moto fires BROADSIDE into the flagship phone's waterline with X Play and Style

Hands On The traditional flagship Android smartphone concept, as offered for instance by Samsung, may be feeling a little wobblier today after Motorola shelled it fore and aft with its new, actual-value X handsets.

Apple is currently hoovering up 92 per cent of the profits to be made in the smartphone business, by some counts, and what's left goes to Chinese manufacturers buoyed by strong domestic demand.

Red ink pours out of Japan and Taiwan; Sony, HTC, and Samsung, are all seeing their big marketing budgets and lavish margin model under pressure. Lenovo's proposition with the Motos is simple: get what decent components you can in for half of the flagship price.

Two new top-range X models from the Lenovo-owned phone company offer stock Android, no frills, and a £200-£300 saving over flagship rivals from Samsung, Sony and HTC. The budget Moto G, so far the only Android phone worth buying in the sub-£200 category, was also refreshed, with waterproofing, a much better camera, and Moto Maker build-to-order customisation.

The two new Moto X models, the Moto X Style (£359 SIM free) and in particular the Moto X Play (£279) are aggressively priced: Motorola has stopped trying to match Samsung feature for feature. Instead it's focussing on everyday basics such as battery life (two days in the Play thanks to a 3,630mAh battery), rapid charging, and greatly improved 21MP main cameras. (The G receives the camera from the Nexus 6).

With the G getting bigger over successive iterations, the devices now bear a stronger family resemblance.

After the specs, some impressions:

from £359 SIM free: Moto X Style

5.7" Quad HD (1440 X 2560) display

21MP and 5MP cameras

3,000 mAh battery ("30 hours mixed use")

3G RAM

16/32/64GB of storage plus MicroSD up to 128GB

Snapdragon 808 6-core

(available September)

from £279 SIM free: Moto X Play

5.5" Full HD (1080 x 1920) display

21MP and 5MP cameras

3,3630 mAh battery ("48 hours mixed use")

2GB RAM

16/32GB of storage plus MicroSD up to 128GB

Snapdragon 615 8-core

(available August)

from £159 SIM free: Moto G (Third Generation)

13MP and 5MP cameras

2,470 mAh battery ("24 hours mixed use")

8/16GB of storage plus MicroSD up to 32GB

Snapdragon 510 4-core

IPX7 water resistance

Sponsored: Flash Array Deployment: Download the Dummies Guide

Source: Moto fires BROADSIDE into the flagship phone's waterline with X Play and Style

OnePlus 2 hopes to be a new flagship killer to rival iPhone, Galaxy

Eli Blumenthal, Special for USA TODAY 6:14 a.m. CDT July 28, 2015

The new OnePlus 2 smartphone(Photo: OnePlus)

NEW YORK— On the heels of last year's sleeper hit, Chinese start-up OnePlus has announced a new phone that promises iPhone-type specs at half the price.

Late Monday the company unveiled the the OnePlus 2, its successor to last year's OnePlus One. As with last year's device, the OnePlus 2 looks to adhere to the same core idea as its predecessor by offering impressive Android smartphone specs at a low cost.

Priced at $389 without a contract for the 64GB version, this year's model includes a new aluminum and magnesium frame with customizable backs, an improved 5.5-inch full HD display that the company claims will be better in direct sunlight, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 4GB of RAM for zippy performance as well as a larger 3300mAh battery.

Similar to the One, the device will support AT&T and T-Mobile's LTE networks in the U.S. and will be sold "unlocked" to allow users to freely switch between the networks or easily use the phone outside the U.S.. As with other unlocked phones, it will not work with Verizon or Sprint.

The display puts the OnePlus in the phablet category and in direct competition with phones like Apple's iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung's Galaxy Note line, which boast similarly sized screens (though Samsung's is at a higher resolution). Both of those phones, however, are several hundred dollars more expensive than the OnePlus 2, with a 64GB unlocked iPhone 6 Plus running $849. Full retail price for an unlocked Galaxy Note 4 with 32GB of storage is approximately $525 on Amazon.

The new OnePlus device also boasts an upgraded 13-megapixel rear camera with a sharper sensor and laser-enhanced focus for better low-light shots. A 5-megpaixel camera remains on the front for selfies and video chat.

While the above specs are to be expected in the growing trend of high-quality, low-cost phones from China, the OnePlus 2 will additionally feature a fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device as well as be among the first phones to offer a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, replacing the microUSB port found on the OnePlus One and most Android devices. USB Type-C is the next generation of the USB standard and is best known for its versatility in allowing the USB plug to be reversible.

Another notable difference in the OnePlus 2 is that it runs on OxygenOS, the company's own customized version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, as opposed to software created by popular Android startup Cyanogen. While similar in design to Google's own Android interface, OnePlus' software includes a few custom tweaks including new Camera and Audio Tuner apps as well support for gestures.

The swappable back covers for the OnePlus 2 include Bamboo, Black Apricot, Rosewood as well as Kevlar (Photo: OnePlus)

The $389 64GB version will be available to those in the US on August 11, while a cheaper 16GB version with 3GB of RAM will be available later on for $329 without a contract. As with the intial orders for the One, OnePlus will be bringing back the invite system for those who wish to order the phone.

The company says that those who purchased the One will be given a priority in invites to buy the OnePlus 2, but it will also be offering invites at nine "pop up experience centers" located around the world on July 31 as well as on its social media pages beginning on August 1. Those who purchase a OnePlus 2 will also be able to share three invites with friends.

While the invite system may disappoint fans, in an interview with USA TODAY earlier this year, OnePlus founder Carl Pei justified the system as way to better manage inventory. Said Pei, "we don't want users to wait a long time after a pre-order and we don't want users to rush to the website and find it sold out."

OnePlus surprised many in the tech world last year with its OnePlus One smartphone, which started at $299 unlocked for a 16GB version. After selling over 1 million One phones since April of last year, the company hopes to sell between 3-5 million phones this year. While that's tiny compared to Apple's yearly iphone sales, the volume was seen as impressive for a startup, and the company quickly grew popular amongst the tech and social-media savvy.

It embraced those fans again on Monday, launching the OnePlus 2 using a virtual reality Android app as opposed to the traditional press conference or webcast.

The strategy seems to be working. The #OnePlus2 was trending worldwide on Twitter late Monday night.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

What the richest Americans all have in commonGoogle self-driving car hit hard in yet another rear-end crashHack of connected car on St. Louis highway raises alarmBusch Stadium soon to have working Wi-FiNew battery could charge your phone in one minute

Read or Share this story: http://www.ksdk.com/story/life/2015/07/28/oneplus-2-hopes-to-be-a-new-flagship-killer-to-rival-iphone-galaxy/30771479/

Source: OnePlus 2 hopes to be a new flagship killer to rival iPhone, Galaxy

Xiaomi Mi 4 anniversary price cut now permanent

New Delhi: While OnePlus is busy gearing up for the launch of its OnePlus 2, Xiaomi was busy slashing rates on its products during its anniversary celebrations. The celebrations are still on, but Mi fans who were looking forward to buying a flagship smartphone from the company are in for some good news.

The Xiaomi Mi 4 64 GB had received a price cut last week as a part of its anniversary celebrations. But Xiaomi seemed so happy with the success of this smartphone, that it announced that price cut is now permanent.

Yes, Mi fans and buyers looking out for a great flagship smartphone, can now look at the Mi 4 64 GB as a great choice at Rs 17,999. The price drop is by Rs 2000, but it will go a long way for sales, since OnePlus also plans on keeping its OnePlus One on the shelves even after the 2 gets launched.

Indeed, this will put buyers in a tizzy about which smartphone to go in for, as both come with impressive hardware and the software chops to match.

On one side of the ring we have the Xiaomi Mi 4 that comes with a metal and glass construction, that stands out in a crowded mid-range market. It offers a smooth software experience with little or no hardware hiccups along with a MIUI V6 that makes it easier to use for those buying an Android smartphone for the first time.

That leaves the OnePlus One to those who know Android and are willing to work with some bugs, but also need a big screen and want to run the latest custom ROMs. Clearly, the OnePlus caters more to tweakers, but again it also makes for a great alternative to those coming from the Nexus camp, thanks to the vanilla experience that the ROM offers.

Coming to the pricing, Xiaomi Mi 4 is a clear winner, with its all new price tag. The OnePlus One still retails for Rs 18,998, but that is for the 16 GB version. The 64 GB Sandstone Black version is still priced a lot higher at Rs 21,998.

So which one will you buy? Sound off in the comments below.

SOURCE: www.techtree.com

Source: Xiaomi Mi 4 anniversary price cut now permanent

Rumor: Meizu MX5 Pro Might Launch This September

Meizu has released two really compelling devices lately, the Meizu M2 Note and Meizu MX5. The M2 Note is Meizu's mid-ranger which happens to be really affordable, and yet its specifications are more than solid. The Meizu MX5, on the other hand, is the company's current flagship handset. This smartphone is made out of metal, and its specifications are definitely nothing to scoff at. We've already reviewed both of these devices, and both devices are really strong competitors, the M2 Note in the mid-range category, and the MX5 in the premium, high-end space.

That being said, you might recall there was some talk about the Meizu MX5 Pro a while back. Our source at the company has confirmed that the device exists, and that it will arrive in the fourth quarter of this year. Well, a new report surfaced in China which only confirms that fact, and it seems like the MX5 Pro will be a true beast of a smartphone, at least in the spec department. According to the report, the MX5 Pro will launch in September, and it will feature a 6-inch QHD display along with 4GB of RAM and a 4,000mAh battery. MediaTek's Helio X20 64-bit deca-core SoC is said to sport this smartphone, and you can expect this phone to be made out of metal as well. The 20.7-megapixel OIS camera (Sony's IMX230 sensor) will almost certainly going to be available on the back of this device, just like it is on the MX5. The physical home button will be available here as well, and it will double as a fingerprint scanner, much like it does on the MX5. You can also expect the MX5 Pro to pack in Hi-Fi acoustics, and to sport a really competitive price tag.

The Meizu MX5 Pro will be a direct successor to the MX4 Pro which was announced at the end of last year. This will essentially be phablet variant of the MX5 which will reportedly offer a more powerful hardware as well. We still don't know how much will it cost in the end, but you can expect it to be somewhat more expensive than the regular MX5.

Source: Rumor: Meizu MX5 Pro Might Launch This September