I really like the idea of the affordable flagship. Non a mid-range device with mediocre specs that a visitor tries to label every bit an "affordable flagship", only a truthful, high-stop device with an bonny price tag. In a smartphone market dominated past Apple, Samsung and other companies with $600-700 flagships, such handsets don't appear very often.

Unless, of course, you're OnePlus, whose breadstuff and butter is the affordable flagship. The company's debut smartphone from terminal year, the OnePlus Ane, was a very commendable first endeavor, packing high-end hardware like a Snapdragon 801 SoC and a 13-megapixel camera into a $300 package. There were a few issues with the One's software, including bugs at release and a dull update to Android 5.0, but information technology was a compromise many were willing to make in favour of a cheap device with solid hardware.

Come 2022 and the OnePlus 1 is ready to be succeeded by the unsurprisingly-named OnePlus 2. This affordable flagship is slightly more expensive than its predecessor, starting at $329 for the 16 GB model, but once more it features top-of-the-line hardware. Internally OnePlus has opted for a Snapdragon 810 SoC with 3 or 4 GB of RAM and a three,300 mAh battery, on the front end is a 5.v-inch 1080p display, and on the rear a thirteen-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 lens, OIS and laser autofocus.

The OnePlus 2 isn't simply a flagship in terms of hardware: the smartphone as well includes a number of features nosotros've seen crop up in competing loftier-terminate devices. At that place'due south a static fingerprint sensor below the brandish, USB Blazon-C for charging and data transfer, 2 SIM card slots, and a unique notification command switch on the side. The smartphone comes with Android 5.1 on-board in the form of OnePlus' OxygenOS.

OnePlus is labelling the OnePlus ii the "2016 flagship killer," and although nosotros won't be able to test this claim for another five months, let's run across how the smartphone fares confronting the 2022 contest.

This is a custom OnePlus 2 back panel! Requite your handset a similar black carbon expect thanks to dbrand.

From the first moment you pick up the OnePlus 2 yous'll observe the handset is pretty large, certainly larger than mid-sized flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Sony Xperia Z5. The squared-off blueprint, particularly on the left and correct sides, doesn't make this phone the nearly ergonomic I've seen (particularly at this size), but I didn't have much trouble gripping it during use. People with small hands might meet more difficulties than I did, still.

OnePlus has upped their game equally far as materials are concerned, with the OnePlus two using a combination of glass, metal, and standstone-finished plastic for its body. Despite the choice of premium materials, the telephone still has a somewhat bland await, failing to actually differentiate itself from other standard rectangular slab designs on the market. Although I'm generally a fan of minimalist designs, and the OnePlus 2 certainly falls into this category, there'due south just something virtually this detail pattern that's rather uninspiring.

The front console is where you'll detect the Gorilla Glass 4 panel protecting the brandish, and out of the box there's as well a screen protector applied that you tin can remove if y'all wish. Above the display is the typical array of sensors, a speaker, a notification LED, and camera; while beneath you'll observe the ii capacitive navigation buttons and the static fingerprint sensor.

I like the growing button for fingerprint sensors in smartphones, as they're the most convenient way to secure your smartphone. Unfortunately the OnePlus ii's fingerprint scanning implementation, while fast and generally accurate, is lacking in a number of ways. Firstly, the scanner can only be used to secure the device at the lockscreen; there's no way to use information technology for app passwords, mobile payments, or actually anything else at this stage. It's unclear whether OnePlus will provide an API in the future allowing developers to use the handset's fingerprint authentication, or whether information technology'll support standard fingerprint features in Android half-dozen.0, but I'1000 not property my breath.

Secondly, OnePlus decided to make the fingerprint sensor double equally a capacitive home push, which is great in theory. In practice, still, the sensor didn't always register my finger presses, which meant that occasionally the push button failed to human activity every bit a habitation button on the first press. This can exist pretty abrasive, and although information technology didn't happen every mean solar day, ideally the sensor would be simply equally responsive to presses every bit the other 2 capacitive buttons.

Speaking of the capacitive buttons, OnePlus decided not to print or etch a symbol on either of the buttons, instead opting for a thin blueish line (when illuminated) on either side of the fingerprint sensor. The reason for this is that you tin can change the functionality of these buttons in the software, switching the positioning of the back and recent apps buttons. For a right-hander using the OnePlus 2 in one manus, the bottom left button is somewhat difficult to accomplish, and so I set the more than often used back push button to be the easier-to-access bottom right push button, even though this layout is not 'right'.

You tin can also set the three navigation buttons to exist on-screen, which reduces the screen real estate available to apps in favour of buttons that are slightly easier to access. If yous're finding it difficult to handle the large OnePlus 2 while pressing the capacitive buttons, switching to on-screen buttons is a expert thought.

The edges of the OnePlus 2 are fabricated from a grey aluminium-magnesium alloy, which gives the phone a premium, high-end feel. The right-mitt side is where the volume rocker and power button are located in a reasonably comfortable location, although you can power on and unlock the device with a single press of the fingerprint sensor (if y'all have fingerprint lock enabled).

The top of the OnePlus ii features a 3.5mm audio jack, and along the bottom is a USB Type-C port for charging and information transfer. This is the first smartphone I've reviewed with the new, reversible USB port on-board, and it's a big improvement on the standard micro-USB ports we've used for years. You no longer have to flip over the cable to ensure it's correctly oriented, and although it won't be compatible with all the micro-USB chargers out there, we're expecting to see more than and more Blazon-C devices in the side by side few years.

On the left-paw border of the OnePlus 2 is an Alert Slider, which allows you to easily switch between Android's three notification profiles (All, Priority, and None) without unlocking the device. The slider is somewhat handy, and I found myself using it on occasion, but I would detect it far more than useful if I could change its functionality to switch betwixt three sound profiles (audio, vibrate, and silent) instead.

The standard dorsum of the OnePlus 2 is made from plastic, finished to look and experience sandstone, although other "StyleSwap" backs are bachelor. While OnePlus' options are pretty decent, the guys at dbrand offer a huge range of cheap-notwithstanding-premium skins for the device, and the black carbon option with carmine camera accents applied to my OnePlus two looks simply awesome. If you want something to make your smartphone stand out from the crowd, check out dbrand, I highly recommend them.

The back encompass is removable, and underneath y'all'll detect merely a removable dual SIM card tray, with no microSD card slot or removable battery. The lack of the latter two features volition disappoint ability users, but I practise appreciate the inclusion of dual-SIM support for those that happen to have 2 cellular plans.