A few days ago, Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun revealed an interesting fact about the Mi 6 flagship phone. He stated that there are still more than 2 million active users of the phone. Now, Pete Lau, the CEO of OnePlus, has also revealed that there are still active users of the OnePlus One, its first smartphone.

The co-founder had revealed the detail in a response to a post made by a Weibo user who made a video talking about his experience with the OnePlus 5. According to the individual, even though he has been using the OnePlus 5 for four years, he says the experience is still smooth.

Pete Lau had commented on the user’s post and revealed that even the OnePlus One, the brand’s first smartphone, released in June 2014, still has 300 active users.

While that figure is just a fraction, there is a high chance there are a lot more OnePlus One phones still in use out there, though they are most likely running a custom ROM, which means they can no longer be recognized by OnePlus as active devices.

Both the OnePlus One and OnePlus 5 have stopped receiving software support as they have reached the end of life. However, with custom ROMs and proper maintenance, there are still users of both devices.

Do you own a OnePlus One or OnePlus 5 phone? Let us know in the comment box below. Also, share with us the longest duration you have used a phone for and what device it is.

RELATED:

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OnePlus One was the Chinese smartphone maker’s first-ever handset. It launched in 2014 with Android KitKat. The device got official support up to Marshmallow. Since it is popular in the custom ROM community, the phone has received multiple ROMs with every new Android release thereafter. Now, even after six years from its launch, the handset is getting Android 10 support, thanks to LineageOS 17.1.

LineageOS 17.1 builds based on Android 10 began to release for supported devices from April 2020. Since then, new devices have been added support for the ROM. OnePlus One is the latest phone to get support for the release.

Anyway, it is worth noting that builds for OnePlus’ fist smartphone are yet to go live. But we expect it to happen anytime soon. Also, if you are wondering to install it on your old phone, do note that initial builds may have bugs. That’s because LineageOS 17.1 will be the first-ever Android 10 custom ROM for the OnePlus One.

On the other hand, if you still happen to have an OnePlus One, it would be probably laying somewhere around in a drawer collecting dust. Hence, it won’t be a problem installing a buggy custom ROM on a handset, which has been sitting idle without any use.

UP NEXT: The mid-range OnePlus Nord was inevitable and Here’s Why!

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OnePlus is all set to announce its 14th smartphone (taking into account OnePlus X, OnePlus 6T Mclaren, & OnePlus 7 Pro 5G as well) in India today and internationally on October 10. In today’s Throwback Tech Thursday, we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit the first-ever smartphone from OnePlus, the OnePlus One. The company, which started off as the maker of affordable ‘Flagship Killers’ continues to release incredibly value-for-money smartphones. But this year it took a leap and made its mark on the premium segment as well. The most recent OnePlus 7 Pro is the best example of this strategy featuring the top of the line Snapdragon 855 processor and a beautiful 90Hz display that’s unusual in its price segment.

But where did it all start?

It all started with the OnePlus One, the company’s first-ever smartphone developed with the idea of bringing high-quality products in a simplistic design. The phone was meant to take on the major flagships of 2014, including the Galaxy S5 which was twice as expensive as the ‘One’. Undoubtedly, the first OnePlus One offered more value than any other device ever seen in the flagship market.

So what did the OnePlus One offer?

The phone came with the Snapdragon 801 processor, the same one powering all the flagships in the market in its time. It had 3GB of RAM, 16GB / 64GB ROM variants and a 5.5-inch 1080p display from JDI. It had a pretty decent camera as well: a 13MP IMX214 Sony sensor at the back and a 5MP sensor up front taking care of the selfies. While the camera was never the strong point of the OnePlus One, it was still decent enough for your daily needs. Overall, in terms of hardware, it had specs never seen on a $299 smartphone!

But what made it even more special were its accessories. Despite featuring a minimalistic design, the OnePlus One came with a unique textured back that stood out. In fact, hardcore OnePlus fans would still remember how popular the sandstone finish turned out to be. But apart from the textures, OnePlus also offered unique back covers for the One, like a Special Kevlar, Denim, and even Bamboo wood covers. The company provided several ways to customize the phone’s overall look, garnering positive reception from its fans all across the world!

Another feature that set the OnePlus One apart was its software. Unlike companies like Samsung and LG, OnePlus decided to use a bloatware-free CyanogenMod OS for its international customers. If you remember, CyanogenMod was a big deal back then and getting it shipped right out of the box gave it a significant advantage among its competitors. Also, since CyanogenMod was quite light and snappy, the OnePlus One turned out to be one of the fastest phones in its time. Further, the open nature of the company along with its support for developers gave rise to many custom ROMs for the device. For smartphone enthusiasts, it was nothing short of the perfect smartphone at its price and a viable alternative to Google’s own Nexus 5.

But Not Without Issues

But being a first-generation device, the OnePlus One wasn’t without faults. The biggest one was its availability. The company’s invite system could be said as controversial, which forced thousands of users across the globe scrambling for an invite to purchase the device. If you remember, OnePlus invites were a huge deal for nearly a year of its release. By April 2015, the company managed to stabilize its production, and the OnePlus One was made available to purchase invite-free.

Editor’s Pick: OnePlus 6, 6T, 5 and 5T Android 10 rollout schedule for China officially confirmed

Another issue with the OnePlus One was its support. Being a new startup, the company faced some criticism for its after-sales support. Even the phone’s camera wasn’t as good as some of the top tier flagships of its time. Although marketed as a ‘Flagship Killer’, users had to sacrifice on the camera quality to some extent.

The OS was also an issue. Just shortly after it launched in India, OnePlus was notified that Cyanogen had entered into an exclusive agreement with Micromax to sell phones running Cyanogen OS. The agreement prevented OnePlus or any other manufacturers from being able to release phones running the OS and also from issuing updates to the OnePlus One. That singular act was what led OnePlus to develop its own Android-based custom OS which it named OxygenOS (HydrogenOS for China). You can say it was a blessing in disguise.

But overall, the OnePlus One managed to shake things up in the market. Despite starting off on a small scale, today, OnePlus has succeeded in capturing a significant chunk of the premium smartphone market in regions such as India. Back in 2014, you could have easily dismissed OnePlus as a small-time smartphone startup with a sketchy future.
But today, it’s a smartphone company to be reckoned with!
OnePlus smartphones may no longer be ‘Flagship Killers’. But with phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro, they are now the trendsetters and lead the industry with consumer-oriented features.

As OnePlus prepares to launch its brand new OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro, let’s recall where these guys started and how far they have come.

Do you remember the OnePlus One? Does anyone still have the phone?

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OnePlus burst into the smartphone industry about five years ago with the launch of the OnePlus One. Considering the smartphone product cycle, we really don’t expect the OnePlus One to still b in the hands of too many persons presently. Apparently, some folks still cherish the sleek treasure. Unfortunately, one of such OnePlus One owners in India had an ignoble experience when his mobile phone went up in flames.

According to the story, the dude had switched off the smartphone and kept it close by when he went to bed. Around 3:15 am in the morning, he was jolted out of his sleep by “suffocating and nauseating” fumes. The victim also claimed the phone was not plugged to charge when the incident happened. Thankfully, he was able to douse the flame with water before it could escalate or even result in an explosion.

EDITOR’S PICK: Throwback Tech Thursday: We Revisit Samsung’s Crazy 10X Optical Zoom Smartphone

This incident isn’t enough to question the build quality of OnePlus’ phones, in our opinion, but it is a serious incident. OnePlus India recognises this as well and so, have released a statement indicating that an investigation is ongoing. “We take such incidents seriously. Our team has already reached out to the user and is investigating this further,” a statement released by OnePlus read.

Someone I know just got saved from fatality. @OnePlus_IN @oneplus how do you explain your phone exploding out of the blue???! Kids use your phone as it’s attractively priced. Where is the responsibility to fix this? pic.twitter.com/CRgmF6RTBB

— Chaiti Narula (@Chaiti) July 3, 2019

Although the incident is relatively isolated, it is the third time a OnePlus One model was reported to have gone up in flames. However, this is in no way similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle that was clearly a battery defect. Isolated cases of smartphones from different OEMs going up in flames or exploding. From Xiaomi to Samsung, to even the almighty Apple iPhones. There are several reasons why a phone could go up in flames and some of them are user related. In this case, only a thorough investigation can unravel the facts. However, four a 5-year-old phone, we doubt if there are too many persons that are eager to find out what happened.

UP NEXT: Worldwide app spending reaches almost $40 billion in the first half of 2019

(source)

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Various well-companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are known for collecting user data in order to deliver improved user experience. These companies do not collect user data without the consent of the user. In the recent past, OnePlus has been accused for manipulating benchmarks, incorrectly mounting displays, incompetency in providing adequate device support and now the company has been reportedly found guilty of collecting user data without their knowledge.

Christopher Moore, a software engineer has mentioned on his tech blog how OnePlus is collecting information from its users without their permission. Moore began monitoring the internet traffic from his OnePlus 2 using a free security tool called OWASP ZAP during the SANS Holiday Hack Challenge 2016. This tool can automatically find security problems in web applications.

Moore has found that various user information such as IMEI number, service provider names, MAC addresses, serial numbers, IMSI prefixes and things of that nature were collected by his device by open.oneplus.net, a site hosted on Amazon AWS. On investigating further, Moore found that his OnePlus 2 was also sending some other information on locks and unlocks, reboot, screen timestamps, and charging.

Read More: EXCLUSIVE: This Is The OnePlus 5T With A Tall 6-inch 18:9 Display

This can possibly help the Chinese manufacturer to release more stable builds of its OxygenOS. However, it is unethical to fetch user information without permission. Moore has also found that OnePlus Device Manager and OnePlus Device Manager Provider are the two items that are unfairly collecting user data.

OnePlus has released the following statement on the issue:

We securely transmit analytics in two different streams over HTTPS to an Amazon server. The first stream is usage analytics, which we collect in order for us to more precisely fine tune our software according to user behavior. This transmission of usage activity can be turned off by navigating to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Advanced’ -> ‘Join user experience program’. The second stream is device information, which we collect to provide better after-sales support.

The above statement suggests that OnePlus does not consider it as a major problem as it is only collecting information for user support. Also, the statement does not address privacy concerns. It appears that the Chinese manufacturer is breaking consumers trust in a bid to provide them with improved after-sales support.

Since OnePlus Device Manager and OnePlus Device Manager Provider are system services, they can be manually disabled every time after restarting the OnePlus device. However, Jakub Czekański has provided a suggestion on how to disable them permanently. Here is the command that can be used to permanently prevent OnePlus devices from collecting user data: pm uninstall -k –user 0 net.oneplus.odm. Users can visit the source link to see detailed information shared by Moore

OnePlus is not the only company that has been caught collecting user information. Other Chinese OEMs like OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi have also been accused in the previous year for sending sensitive user information to Chinese servers at regular intervals. Today, the security of user data is becoming important than ever. Hence, companies should be very transparent on letting it consumers know what information they are collecting from the user and the purpose behind doing so. Also, they should provide an option to opt out of such sort of data collection.

(source|via)

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OnePlus has released Android 7.1.1 Nougat customized with OxygenOS 4.1.0 skin for OnePlus 3 and 3T users earlier in this month. The update is expected to soon arrive to OnePlus 2 users as it has been spotted with Android 7.1.1 Nougat on Geekbench benchmarking platform.

Since OnePlus 2 with Nougat update has appeared on Geekbench, it seems that the Chinese manufacturer is testing the new software update on the flagship phone from 2015. At present, the most recent update for OnePlus 2 brings Marshmallow flavored OyxgenOS 3.5.8 that also includes Android Security Patch for this month.

OnePlus is expected to be more careful in launching a stable Nougat update for OnePlus 2. The reason behind it is that the Chinese firm’s first iteration of Android 7.0 with OxygenOS 4.0.1 update that arrived at the end of December 2016 for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T was riddled with bugs.

Related: Jingdong Mall and OnePlus Sign 3-Year Sales Exclusivity Deal

In mid-January, OnePlus had released OxygenOS 4.0.2 update to fix issues like fluctuating Wi-Fi connectivity problems and Google Play Store download bug. The OxygenOS 4.0.3 that arrived in February brought improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity, camera app and more.

On a side note, a recent report revealed that OnePlus 3, and 3T running on OxygenOS 4.0.3 were susceptible to major hack attack through a malicious charger. However, the newer OxygenOS 4.0.4 plugged the issue. OnePlus 3 and 3T users have also received the Google Assistant update in this month.

It took nearly 3 months to release a stable version of Nougat to OnePlus 3 and 3T users. It seems the arrival of Nougat update for OnePlus 2 got delayed as the company seems to have prioritized on releasing stable Nougat update for its 2016 flagship phones. The Android 7.1.1 Nougat update with the latest OxygenOS may possibly arrive to OnePlus 2 users in April or May. OnePlus 2 users will also get Google Assistant update.

The older OnePlus X and OnePlus One do not quality for Nougat update as their Snapdragon 801 processors do not support the graphics driver of Android 7.0 Nougat.

(source)

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Earlier this week we reported on some sellers who already have cases for the new pixel phones available for purchase. Someone purchased the case for the Pixel XL and compared it to his OnePlus One which was also wearing a case.

According to the cardboard inside the case, the phone will have a 5.5” screen which is the same size as that of the OnePlus One, but the OnePlus One does appear bigger than the case for the Pixel. This means it’s either the case is a fake or the dimensions are just wrong.

READ MORE: OnePlus 3 Gets Unofficial CyanogenMod 14 ROM Based on Nougat

While rumours say the Pixel XL will have a 5.7” screen, other sources point at a screen size of 5.5”. The leaked renders of the front panel of the Pixel XL even says the screen is 5.46”.

October 4 is still 2 weeks from now, so we might have to keep guessing what the exact screen size of the Pixel XL will be.

Source: AndroidHeadlines

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Users can finally take a look at the HydrogenOS, which is the Chinese ROM from the company, today at an official press event in Beijing. The company will be unveiling the new OS for the first time to the public and fans have a lot of expectation from the new home grown Android based ROM.

The HydrogenOS will be customized version of the Android operating system, offering a minimalistic design and a flat UI like we saw in the Android Lollipop versions. The emergence of HydrogenOS resulted from the company’s decision to move away from a third party software provider, the CyanogenMod to its own home grown ROM.

We have already got a first glance at the few design aspects of the new ROM and you can check out the images down below. Meanwhile, the company has announced that it will be unveiling something big this June, which will be revolutionary. Our best guess is the new OnePlus Two flagship, as its more than a year since the first generation model was unveiled by the company. The flagship is expected to debut with the company’s international ROM OxygenOS.

Here are the leaked pictures of the OS down below.

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A few days back, Oneplus CEO had announced that the company will release the hydrogenOS in Beijing, China on May 28. However, it looks like the new OS won’t be the only thing we will be seeing at the event, as some leaked pictures show off a new Oneplus product.

From the images, we can see a metal like body with the trademark Oneplus logo on top. There are several pictures with slightly different angles, however, all of them just reveal the top.

This could be a new product from the company, and some users are saying that the product could be a new router from the company. However, we can’t really say whether the thing in the picture is a new product. It could also be just a box from the company. So, don’t get too excited, at least for the moment.

If this indeed is a new product, we are sure to see some more details in the coming days. And finally, it could be unveiled on May 28 which is just a couple of weeks away. So its best that we wait for some concrete information before making any conclusions.

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When OnePlus One first hit the markets, the device came with the much loved Cyanogen OS. However, in the later months, the strong partnership between the two companies started to weaken. Cyanogen tied up with the Indian manufacturer Yureka exclusively, which meant OnePlus Ones shipped in India was not be officially supported by Cyanogen. This put OnePlus in a tricky position which eventually led to the birth of the Oxygen OS.

Now, it looks like Cyanogen has decided to terminate its partnership with OnePlus. Speaking at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, OnePlus CEO Kirt McMaster and founder Steve Kondik said a few things about the company’s plans for the future and it didn’t involve OnePlus.

Steve said that both the companies had different visions for their software which eventually led to clashes when each one tried to go on with their own visions.

That’s probably the last you will see from that partnership.” … “Two new companies are trying to do crazy stuff, a lot of people collide.”

But CEO Kirt is of the opinion that OnePlus’s success have been mostly led by its Cyanogen OS. He said that the company built its brand with the backing on his company.

Without Cyanogen, OnePlus would have sold like one device in international markets,” … “Essentially they built their brand on the back of Cyanogen.” – Kirt McMaster

Cyanogen has other big plans as the company aims to partner up with a brand that can expand much quicker than OnePlus into international territories. The company has not revealed any specific names, but it is said that the likely partner could be another Chinese company.

Meanwhile, OnePlus Ones will still be supported by Cyanogen but OnePlus will soon release its new OxygenOS to its users.

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OnePlus surprised everyone back in February when it announced its brand OxygenOS. However, up till now, we haven’t seen much of the ROM except for a few leaked images. But the company has assured that it will release the OS soon. In fact, we expect the new ROM to debut alongside the company’s flagship for the year, the OnePlus Two.

The company earlier said that it will offer the options of OxygenOS and CynogenMod to its users. So, they can install and use any one of the two ROMs on their devices.

Today’s leak doesn’t reveal much about the OS, except for the OS startup images. But previous leaks have shown us that the OxygenOS looks a lot like the slightly tweaked version of Android 5.0 Lollipop with flatter UI.

Unfortunately, this is just a leak, so we can’t confirm whether this is the real deal. So, lets wait for a few more days to get an official look at the OxygenOS from OnePlus.

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Smartphone manufacturers are known to use weird marketing campaigns to promote their products. Earlier today, we came across a post on Weibo where we saw the OnePlus One flagship killer frozen inside a large block of ice. And anyone who could get the phone from inside the ice could keep it. Pretty Good deal right?

Well, not exactly! When we say its a large, we mean it. The ice is about 4-5 feet high and quite thick too, which makes it extremely hard to get the OnePlus One smartphone that’s inside it.

A lot of people tried out their luck with the ice block, but nothing seemed to get through to the smartphone. For example, a person tried drilling into the block of ice, but without any success. Another tried pouring hot water on the ice block, hoping that it will melt off, but once again, that didn’t help.

So, did anyone manage to get the device? Yes, actually, there was one individual who managed to break the ice, that too using the old fashioned way i.e. violence!

As you can see in the picture below, the person started kicking the ice block, finally separating the top half. Then, he threw the block down to the ground and started breaking what’s left using a hammer.

Well, that did the trick for him as he finally got what was inside the block of ice.

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A few days back, OnePlus made its flagship killer, OnePlus One available without any invite! At that time, Indian readers were furious because they were not allowed to purchase the phone, however OnePlus’s twitter account did say that the company would host a special day for its fans even in India.

Now, the day has finally arrived. The company has started to send out mails saying that the OnePlus One will be available in India without invite on 10 February 2015. This will be the first time the company is making its popular smartphone available for sale in the country without an invite, so we expect good response from fans.

The sale will start at 10 AM on 10 February on Amazon, which has been the company’s exclusive partner since it launched in the country. The company further adds that there are limited stocks available, so stocks are expected to sell out fast!

Here’s what the mail said,
“There’s some good news for all those in India who couldn’t lay their hands on the latest OnePlus One smartphones! To celebrate the successful completion of 10 weeks of OnePlus in India, Amazon and OnePlus will hold the first-ever open sale of OnePlus One phones, starting 10 AM on February 10, 2015. 
 
We’ve been enthused by the fabulous response from Indian customers so far and to return the love shown by you, everyone will be invited tomorrow. Customers will not require any invite to purchase their favourite OnePlus One smartphone during the sale.”

So, those who have been waiting to get their hands on this flagship killer will finally have their chance tomorrow.

However, its been quite a while since the device first hit the markets and the long wait has already forced fans to opt for other flagship devices.

So, will you be purchasing the OnePlus One tomorrow?

Btw here’s the link to the amazon page. Make sure you purchase the device as soon as you can tomorrow!

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OnePlus One is known for its high end specs at a very low price point. However, there are a lot of other features of the phone that’s attractive. For example, the cyanogen mod OS that it comes with is one of the most popular custom ROMs in the market. Also, the Sandstone Black rear panel is one of its kind and offers a premium look to this affordable phone. Even this is swappable with a number of options like a Bamboo finish, wood finish and so on.

However, it looks like the company may have another back cover in the making for the OnePlus One. The official weibo page of the company today released a teaser image showing off a periodic table with the words, Never Settle written on top. The company has asked its fans to check back tomorrow at exact 10 a.m to know what this teaser means.

Ofcourse, fans and readers won’t wait that long without making speculations. And the most logical conclusion is a new back cover from the company. Yes, it may announce a new OnePlus One metal back cover for its flagship device tomorrow. It could be a premium cover made from some of the materials in the periodic table which could be why the company featured it in the teaser.

However, we are not quite sure about anything at the moment, so lets wait and watch what OnePlus has in store for us tomorrow.

So, what do you think this teaser means? A new OnePlus One metal back cover or is it something else? Feel free to tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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Recently, an image of what seems to be a new phone from OnePlus was leaked online along with information about it. It is supposed to be a Mini version of the popular OnePlus One. It is also supposed to cost 1499 RMB, sport a 5-inch display screen, and use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chip.

According to the information provided by Antutu, this device has dual cameras, both of which are 8mp cameras. Its operating system is the Android 4.4.4. As the pictures show, it has a black front and white back just like the OnePlus One.

The second half of 2014 has been quite a busy time for Chinese cell phone manufacturer, OnePlus. Back in September, the company announced their intention to release the 64GB version of the OnePlus One in India for INR 25,000 or $415. This phone sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display screen and has the 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU. In addition, they released their own pair of earphones called the “Silver Bullet” earphones for 99 RMB (16.13 USD). They also released a version in collaboration with American electronics company, JBL. This version has speakers and earphones made by JBL and the entire package costs 2199.99 RMB (359.04 USD).

With the possible release of a OnePlus One Mini, this makes us wonder if they will release many other versions of the OnePlus One as well as what their plans are for 2015. Will they release a OnePlus One Pro? What will be their follow up to the OnePlus One? Will it be called the “OnePlus Two”? These are just some of the questions we are wondering and hope we can find out soon. For now, we will just have to wait.

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If you have been following the Chinese smartphone market, you would know that things have changed a lot in the past few years. Earlier, Chinese phones were considered to be cheap, low quality products, but now manufacturers like Xiaomi and OPO have proved that even these phones are no less than the phones launched by international manufacturers like Samsung and Sony.

Today, we have plenty of options to choose from, all well built, feature packed and affordable at the same time. And with so many options for the consumers, we decided to take a look at the best Chinese smartphones that you can buy at the moment.

Believe me, you have so many good options, that you’ll have a hard time narrowing down the list to one.

So, without wasting any more of your precious time, we take a look a the best Chinese smartphones to buy in 2014.

NOTE: ( In case you are wondering, the list has no particular order)

MEIZU MX4 PRO

The Meizu MX4 which was released a few weeks back, clearly wasn’t enough for many users out there which meant the company had something better in store for them, the new MX4 Pro.

MX4 Pro comes with a 5.5 inch Sharp 2K display, thereby joining the premium class of smartphones that features resolutions above 2560×1536 pixels. This means the display will be extremely good, and we don’t think you’ll have anything to complain about in this category.

Meizu has incorporated a Samsung Exynos 5430 Octa Core CPU inside its new flagship along with Mali-T628 MP6 GPU and 3GB RAM. So, there’s no doubt that the MX4 Pro will be one of the best smartphones available to buy today.

There are three storage variants to choose from, namely 16GB / 32GB / 64GB. While the smallest storage version will save you a few hundred dollars, note that the device does not come with a MicroSD card slot, so if you like storing a lot of movies, apps and high res pictures on your device, make sure you get atleast the 32GB version.

Even the camera on the MX4 Pro is top of the class. It features a 20.7MP Sony IMX220, f/2.2 camera on the back , which should definitely give you one of the best images captured by an Android device. According to the company, their camera team worked closely with professional photographers to calibrate the rear camera on the device, so color reproduction too should be good.

Finally, coming to the software, you get the new Flyme 4.1 on top of Android 4.4.4 Kikat.

To sum up, Meizu MX4 Pro is truly a Pro version of the MX4 and is currently one of the best Android smartphones that you can get in the market. The device starts at $410 for 16GB, $440 for the 32GB and $510 for the 64GB. However, its still not available to purchase and we’ll update the article shortly once the retailers start accepting pre-orders which should be soon.

Check out our initial impression on the MX4 Pro here.

SUMMARY

Xiaomi Mi4

One of the most popular smartphones of 2014, Xiaomi Mi4 managed to exceed all expectations when it launched back in July this year.

The device comes with a beautiful design which some claim is inspired from Apple’s iPhone lineup. You get a 5 inch Full HD screen up front, with a solid metal frame and a glossy back cover.

Inside, you get Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Soc with a 2.5GHz Quad Core Krait-400 processor. There’s 3GB RAM onboard along with Adreno 330 GPU which makes sure that the device is capable of heavy multi-tasking.

Mi4 runs on Xiaomi’s MIUI on top of Android 4.4 Kitkat. MIUI is considered as one of the best interfaces on Android currently in the market and has extensive support. The UI makes the most out of the Android platform and hence, MIUI would be a great replacement for your traditional stock Android look. You also get a 3080 mAh Li-ion battery on board which can be charged up to 60% within 30 minutes using Quick Charge 2.0

Finally, coming to the price, Xiaomi is known for its affordable and value for money devices, hence, its no surprise that the Xiaomi Mi4 retails for $399. Oppomart has currently listed the device with a $50 discount, so you can head over to the website to buy the device for just $349.

Check out our comparison of Mi4 with OnePlus One here.

SUMMARY

OnePlus One

Another Chinese smartphone which took the world by storm is the ‘One’ from the company called OnePlus. You may have never heard of their name before ‘One’ became popular, but that doesn’t matter as its flagship is currently regarded as one of the best smartphones of 2014.

OnePlus One (OPO) comes with a 5.5 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel display which translates into 401 pixels per inch. Just like the Mi4, it comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 Quad Core processor clocked at 2.5 Ghz. As for the memory, you have 3GB RAM and 16GB/ 64GB internal storage options. Unfortunately, there’s no MiroSD card slot on the device so you have to be careful while choosing the storage variant.

The 13MP rear camera produces some great pictures, and the 3,100 mAh battery makes sure that the device is up and running till the end of the day.

The phone is well designed and well built like a true flagship and is available in Silk White and Sandstone Black finishes.

OPO is available for just $349  which is a great price for a device with such specifications. Like the Mi4, its available on Oppomart for a discount of $50, so you can get it for just $349.

Meanwhile, to help you decide, we have a full review of the OnePlus One here.

SUMMARY

OPPO N3

OPPO N3 is not just a flagship smartphone, its a remarkable piece of technology. The company is quite famous in China for its well built devices and the latest flagship doesn’t disappoint at all. It comes with top of the line specifications with a beautiful and practical design.

On the front, there’s a 5.5 inch 1080p display, (we would have loved a 2K display given its expensive price tag) which means the screen is more or less like the other competitors available in the market.

Internals too are similar as it comes with a Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5 Ghz and Adreno 330 GPU along with 2GB RAM.

However, you won’t buy this phone for its internals but for the various special features that it brings to the table. For example, OPPO N3 can charge from 0% to 75% in under 30 minutes, thanks to VOOC charging. This coupled with a large 3000 battery makes sure, you don’t have to carry around a charger wherever you go.

Secondly, it does have a MicroSD card slot, which is something that’s absent from many flagships available today.

Then there’s the interesting 16MP Omnivision rotating camera that acts as the rear as well as the front shooter. So, selfie addicts could definitely use this feature for beautiful shots.

Other features include a fingerprint sensor, O-Click 2.0 Bluetooth Remote and special software features that come with Color OS 2.0.

But you get these features at a price, as OPPO N3 is the second costliest flagship that we have covered in the list.

The device is available for pre-order for $654. That’s almost $200 more than the basic version of MX4 Pro and $300 more than both OPO and Mi4.

So why would you pay this much for a Chinese phone? Well, OPPO is a well established brand, now available in a number of international markets. Chinese consumers love OPPO which is why its not surprising to see that it received more than 2 million pre-orders in the first week itself.

SUMMARY

ZTE NUBIA Z7

The new Nubia Z7 is yet another costly flagship from a well known Chinese manufacturer. In fact, its the costliest phone that we have covered in this list.

For the $699 price tag, it does have some additional features as compared to the Oppo N3. For example, the 5.5 inch display up front features 2K resolution which means, the phone has a pixel density of over 538 PPI.

Moving on, it has an extra gig of RAM as compared to OPPO N3, but its the same as the 3GB RAM found on the earlier three flagships which were much cheaper than this.

It comes with the same processor as other competitors i.e. Snapdragon 801 with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. Camera too is of 13MP with OIS. There’s a 3,000 mAh battery on board which coupled with the power efficient processor should last an entire day.

Unfortunately, the device is not yet available for purchase and we’ll update the article as soon as it releases worldwide.

SUMMARY

HUAWEI HONOR 6

If you are looking for something cheap yet don’t want to settle for less than a flagship, Huawei Honor 6 is probably your best bet. The company is well known, operates in a number of international market and is known to release affordable and well built devices.

The latest Huawei Honor 6 brings all the standard features you would expect from a flagship device at a price that would only get you a mid range device, had it been an a well known international manufacturer like Samsung or Sony.

But this is Huawei we are talking about so you get an Octa Core HiSilicon Kirin processor clocked at 1.7 Ghz. You have 3GB RAM onboard along with 16/32GB internal storage option, which like the OPPO N3 can be expanded using an external MicroSD card slot.

There’s a 13MP rear camera sensor along with a 5MP front shooter, both capable of taking decent pictures.

Heating may be its biggest issue, but most smartphones these day heat up to some extent, hence we don’t feel this should stop you from buying the device.

Remember, this a 5.0 inch 1080p phone just like the Xiaomi Mi4, so if you don’t like phablets, this is a good option.

Huawei Honor 6 is currently available for a discounted price of just $339 on Oppomart instead of the regular $399 .

By the way, check out our full review of the Honor 6 here.

SUMMARY

LENOVO VIBE Z2 PRO

If you like large devices and by large we mean, even bigger than 5.5 inch phablets like OPO, then you’ll like Lenovo’s VIBE Z2 PRO flagship. It features a large 6 inch 2K screen with a pixel density of 490 PPI. That’s pretty impressive given that the phone is so large that some may even called it a tablet.

The device features a brushed aluminium unibody design which gives it a unique place in the market filled with plastic competitors.

This is yet another Snapdragon 801 device and comes with 3GB RAM onboard along with 32GB internal storage.

It features a 16MP 2K camera and has a large 4,000 mAh battery at the back. This should be more than enough for a day’s usage even with its large and vibrant 6 inch screen up front. Check out our full review of the Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro here.

SUMMARY

IUNI U3

IUNI U3 is one of the best value for money devices that you can get at the moment. The device features a metal body with very thin bezels which makes it look like a premium device.

When it comes to specifications too, the U3 shines well ahead of other competitors. Unlike some of the devices we have mentioned here, like the OPO and Honor 6, U3 comes with a 5.5 inch 2K Quad HD display. This translates into an impressive pixel density of 538 PPI.

The processor is the almost as same as other models in the list i.e. Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.3Ghz and 3GB RAM.

On the back, there’s a 13MP Sony Camera with f2.0 while on the front, you have a 4MP Ultra Pixel camera. Battery’s decent too and at 3,000 mAh, the device should easily last for an entire day.

IUNI U3 is one of the best looking devices in the market at present, which at $399 offers a great deal of features at an amazing pricetag.

Currently, the U3 is listed on Oppomart for $399 and is in stock. Check out the product page for more details. Also, check out our full review here.

SUMMARY

HUAWEI ASCEND MATE 7

If you don’t like Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro’s brushed metal finish, then you can go for the new Huawei Mate 7. Its the same size as the Vibe Z2 Pro, but features only 1080p resolution as opposed to 2K on Lenovo. However, still at 390 PPI, the screen is bright and vibrant and should display and images with great clarity.

Huawei went with its own Hisilicon Kirin 925 Octa Core CPU and Mali-T628 GPU. For memory, you have two options 2GB for the 16GB internal memory version and 3GB for the 32GB version. Interestingly, the device does have a MicroSD card which supports cards up to 128GB in size.

It comes with the same Sony Exmor EX214 13Mp rear camera as seen on most other flagships in the list along with a 5MP front camera. Huawei has also made sure that the 6 inch phablet lives for more than a day as it comes with the biggest battery pack in the list, a 4,100 mAh.

However, for the larger battery and the bigger screen, you have to pay around $100 extra than other competitors. You can purchase the device directly from Oppomart for $499.

SUMMARY

Vivo XShot

If you plan to replace your smartphone as your everyday camera, then the new Vivo XShot looks like a good option.

It comes with a 13MP f/1.8 aperture camera with OIS which takes great pictures. The dual tone dual LED flash also makes sure that the color reproduction is also accurate. The front camera too isn’t shabby and at 8MP you can get some great self portraits with it.

Inside, you have a Snapdragon 801 SoC with processor clocked at 2.5Ghz and 3GB RAM on the flagship version but only 2GB on the elite version.

On the front, you have a 5.2 inch screen with 1080p resolution. The battery pack is of 2,600 mAh which should be enough to last for a day with this relatively small screen.

Vivo Xshot starts at $499  for the elite version and will soon be available on Oppomart. Check out our full review of the phone here.

SUMMARY

OPPO Find 7

Although its been a while since OPPO announced the Find 7, its still one of the best devices in the market. The device comes with the OPPO brand name, which is of value especially in China due to its great build quality and innovative features. It also comes with the fast charging VOOC feature which can charge the phone 4 times faster than other competitors. With this technology, you get 75% charge from 0% in under 30 minutes.

The other specifications are pretty much what you expect from a top end device. You get a 5.5 inch 2K screen, a 2.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Soc with 3GB RAM, Sony Exmor214 13MP rear camera and 3,000 mAh battery which is removable.

So, if you are looking for a well built device from the OPPO family, the Find 7 will suit you well.

The device is listed on Oppomart at a discount of $30 at $569.

SUMMARY

ZOPO 3X

We have seen 11 top chinese phones of 2014 till now and we would like to end it with the cheapest device of the list, the ZOPO 3X. Its the mini version of the flagship, ZOPO ZP999, but don’t be deceived by the name as only the internal storage is smaller and all the rest of the goodies found on the top end flagship makes it to this device.

Surprisingly, it is the first Mediatek Powered handset that is on the list as most others have the Snapdragon 801 SoC onboard. It comes with a  MediaTek MT6595 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2Ghz along with 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The phone has a memory card slot too, so the low inbuilt storage won’t be a big issue.

On the front, you get a 5.5 inch Full HD screen while on the back lies a 14MP f/2.0 aperture camera. You have a large 2,700 mAh battery too, which should be more than enough for a whole day’s usage.

The best thing about the ZOPO 3X is its pricetag. It is currently available for $299 on Oppomart which is a great price for a device with such specifications. You also get some free goodies like the official leather case and screen protector, which should save you some after purchase cost.

So, if you are looking for a cheap flagship with great specifications, you should consider buying the ZOPO 3X. Check out our full review of the device to get more details.

SUMMARY 

The post 12 Best Chinese Smartphones to Buy in 2014 appeared first on Gizmochina.

This morning, OnePlus announced the sale of rear covers for the OnePlus One made of different materials such as sandstone black, baby skin, and others. All of them will be released on November 27. But that’s not all.

OnePlus just posted the following message in their official Weibo account: “The theory of evolution applies to all things in the world, including technological devices, so stayed tuned!” The photo attached has the message “It’s time to evolve.”

Could it be that OnePlus is planning to release a next-generation device soon?

The post OnePlus announces upcoming “evolution”; could a new OnePlus device be coming? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Which Chinese smartphone can take the best shots? A lot of you may have argued with each other about this. Today, I give you several sets of photos taken by four different Chinese cellphones that cost 2000 RMB (326.51 USD) to compare. They are the OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4, Huawei Honor 6, and the Meizu MX4. The latest software these phones had was from before November 10, 2014. You guys compare these photos and decide which smartphone has the best camera.

Scene 1

Order: DSLR camera, MX4, Honor 6, Mi4, OnePlus One

Close-up: 650D DSLR, MX4, Honor 6, Mi4, OnePlus One

Scene 2

Close-up

Scene 3

Scene 4

Scene 5

Close-up

Scene 6

Order: MX4, Mi4, Honor 6, OnePlus One

Scene 7

Close-up

Scene 8

Scene 9

The post Meizu MX4 vs. Huawei Honor 6 vs. Xiaomi Mi4 vs. OnePlus One: Which Chinese smartphone has the best camera? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Yesterday, OnePlus released its first Android 5.0 firmware in its official forums. The uploader pointed out that because this is the first version of the Android L, there are still a few bugs to fix. For example, Bluetooth cannot be used.

ROM：http://pan.baidu.com/s/1pJlwJbX

Recovery http://www.oneplusbbs.com/thread-433595-1-1.html

How to Install (First, make sure that the Recovery file is installed): 

1. Download the ROM but don’t extract it or change the file name. Just copy it to your phone’s SD card.
2. Close your phone. Hold down the volume button and the power button. Then release it to enter Recovery mode.
3. Select “Factory reset (full wipe)” and wait for it to be completed.
4. Select “install zip from SD card”.
5. Select “choose zip from SD card” and look for the ROM zip file.
6. Select the ROM.
7. Wait until it’s finished installing. Afterwards, press the return button to go back to the Recovery interface.
8. Restart the device.

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As cellphone features continue to become more advanced today, cellphones that can handle all kinds of tasks have already become an integral part of our lives. You can see people either checking out their Facebook or Twitter, or reading the news on their phones. As cellphone features become more powerful, they end up consuming more power. Same goes for screen sizes. The larger the screen, the more power is consumed. As a result, today, battery life has become a very important issue to consider when producing smartphones.

In this article, we analyze and compare the battery life of several cellphones such as the Huawei Mate 7, Nokia Lumia 830, Meizu MX4, the Xiaomi Mi4, OnePlus One, IUNI U3, Sony Z1, and the iPhone 5S.

First, I will explain the testing procedure. All the cellphones start out fully charged. With the screen brightness at maximum, the phone in silent, and WiFi connection turned on, the phones undergo these tests: 30-minute video streaming, playing 30-minute videos that were already in the phone (1080p H.264 AAC MP4, 11304kbps), 30-minute gaming, and 30-minute phone calls. Here are the results:

First of all, as you can see from the table, most of the Android phones have at least 3000mAh. Those with the highest battery supply obviously have the advantage. A good example of this is the Huawei Mate 7 which consumed the least amount of power. If regularly used with moderation, you can use it for two days and one night.

Second to the Mate 7 is the OnePlus One which has a battery supply of 3100mAh but with only 40% of its power consumed. This is very impressive.

The difference between the other phones is not too great. They can last for a day and one night. The one that consumes the most power is the IUNI U3 which has a 2K display screen. Despite the fact that it has similar specifications to the Xiaomi Mi4 and OnePlus One, up to 52% of its power was consumed in the tests, making it hard to use for a day.

According to the data, phone calls consume a lot of paper. Also, playing games on the phone consume more power than in actual video game consoles. One reason is definitely due to the upgrades done with the phone’s hardware and software.

Based on these results, we have no choice but continue to charge our phones everyday until battery technology has become much more advanced. However, the development of rapid charging technology has given us hope.

The post Battery life comparison between the OnePlus One, Lumia 830, Huawei Mate 7, Xiaomi Mi4, Meizu MX4, Sony Z1 and iPhone 5S. appeared first on Gizmochina.

Although there have been a lot of products sold at similar prices, the 1999.99 RMB (327.05 USD) OnePlus One is still one of the best products that are worth the price.

Regarding the rear cover, the OnePlus One only comes in sandstone black, and baby skin white as of now. There is also a bamboo version. Netizen @palm, however, has leaked photos that show a yellow OnePlus One rear cover, but nobody knows what it is made of.

Of course, as of now, there is no way to confirm whether this is an official rear cover by OnePlus or a 3^rd party product. Hopefully, it will have a comfortable texture.

The post OnePlus One: Leaked photos show mysterious back cover appeared first on Gizmochina.

After OnePlus One JBL version announced along with specialized JBL E1+ earphones, Oneplus’s CEO Pete Lau said Oneplus two is under designing, will be released at second season in 2015, and they just started to develop Oneplus’ ROM. ROM development is a new field for Oneplus, current target is to make unique features, can not compete with the other ROMs in every aspect.

Pete also said the reason he left Oppo and set up Oneplus is because he found the cellphones in the market are far away from beatiful and laggy UI, or poor crafted.  Oneplus can do better in this feilds. Collaboration with JBL can enhance Oneplus’ global beand awareness.  After reaching 17 countries with its only device, it is now aiming to gain more markets.

The post Oneplus two will Launched at the second season in 2015 appeared first on Gizmochina.

OnePlus has teamed up with JBL in releasing a special version of the OnePlus One. This version has speakers provided by American audio electronics company, JBL. It even has JBL’s logo at the back.

In addition to the speakers, JBL also designed a pair of red E1+ earphones for the OnePlus One. Official reports say that the OnePlus One JBL special edition package will go on sale for 2199.99 RMB (359.04 USD), while the earphones will cost 399 RMB (65.12 USD) sold separately. Both products formally go on sale on October 17.

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IUNI U3 and One Plus one are both flagship devices with budget price. But for customers, there are so many choices for them to choose any smartphones at the price of 1999RMB($325), but which one would you buy? Now we have selected 2 typical smartphones: IUNI U3 and One Plus. Let’s take a look at what is the difference between them.

Specification
As new brands in China, IUNI and One Plus have already found their balance between price and specification.

Dispaly

As for display, the screens of both two models are very impressive, because the screens are extremely close in quality and brightness. IUNI U3 features a 2.D curved screen, while One Plus features a floating touch screen. The difference between them is the design. The former is comfortable to hold, while the latter looks more fashionable.  As everybody knows, there is no difference when you using 2K screen or 1080P screen. If I don’t mention the resolutions, you cannot even tell  what is the difference between them by eyes only.

But there are still some differences in the front: the 3 on-screen buttons. IUNI U3 has put the 3 on-screen buttons inside the interface and you can choose to hide them; While One Plus makes them outside the screen, those buttons show just like notification light. In addition, Both of their menu buttons and back buttons are in a opposite side.

Another difference is the speaker. One Plus has a stereo speaker which located in the bottom of the phone, IUNI U3 has a mono speaker which in the back of the phone.

Both of two models feature a 13MP camera, One Plus has a dual LED flash while IUNI U3 with a single LED flash.

The power button and volume button of IUNI U3 are on the left. One Plus has only power button on the left , its volume button and Micro-SIM slot are on the right. In order to put SIM into the slot, the back cover of IUNI U3 is detachable, but its battery is non-removable. For One plus, back cover is undetachable and battery is non-removable.

Performance

There is no doubt that IUNI U3 and One Plus own the best hardware currently. IUNI U3 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8974AA quad-core processor 2.3GHz , with 3GB RAM and 32 internal storage; while One Plus features a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8974AC quad-core processor 2.5GHz, with 3GB RAM and 32 internal storage. IUNI U3 features IUNI OS which based on Android 4.4.

One Plus features Color OS which also based on Android 4.4.

Camera

One Plus sports the latest Sony’s IMX214 sensor which performs well in the industry. IUNI U3 sports Sony’s  IMX135 sensor with Optical Image Stabilization, but its image quality is less better than One Plus.

Let’s look at the color performance and white balance of IUNI U3( left) and One Plus(Right). After we have seen some sample photos, UNI U3 does a better job of accurate colors, especially when dealing with red and green colors. While One Plus could capture a huge amount of details with a better IMX214 sensor.

Summary

We could find that IUNI U3 and One Plus are very competitive in the market at the price of 2000RMB($325) in China. Both of them will give customers more surprises as their unique design and excellent performance. But which one is better, which one you should buy,  you’d better hear your inner voice and make a choice.

The post IUNI U3 vs OnePlus one, which one should you buy? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Oneplus had just released their headphone silver bullet,and they announced they will have a new product launch event be hosted in Beijing along with JBL. Oneplus didn’t reveal it would be a headphone or speaker, and we can seldom see JBL had formed alliance with any other brands since JBL had been created. But what we’ve got is they are going to show their face together to their fans all over the world.  Could it be that Oneplus and JBL had already formed a partnership? Are they going to work like HTC and Bteats？

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The post Video: Oneplus One vs Huawei Honor 6 vs Meizu Mx4 vs Huawei Mate 7 — 4K video test appeared first on Gizmochina.

NEVER SETTLE! and it is happening so. Back in April this year, One Plus One opened its curtains in smartphone market and gathered lot of  attention due to its unusual invite system, still many are not able to get due to this and held all aces indeed. With this success  the company released a low-cost, high quality ear-phone known as Silver bullets and now it hints at a successor that might get released in Q2 or Q3 next year.

A Reddit AMA session made it clear that , OnePlus 2(might be) will be out in Q2 or Q3 of 2015 by then Android L would be standard and this would run based on it. OnePlus even revealed  that it’s considering a smaller device compared the 5.5-inch phone it released earlier this year. We’d love to see the company bring its software and hardware to a smaller screen.

You can even expect a OnePlus wearable device or tablet which might be released, according to discussion on Reddit AMA session. The firm said it’s not impressed by any smartwatch currently on the market, so you can expect a bunch of devices next year from this lad.

The post OnePlus 2 might Launch in 2015 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Recently, OnePlus released a set of in-ear earphones made of aluminum called the “OnePlus Silver Bullet Earphones.” It went on sale on September 26 at 10:30 AM for 99 RMB (16.11 USD).

Although these earphones only cost 99 RMB, it has a lot of technological selling points such as its use of NPEI diaphragm which is lighter, and slimmer, and a faster vibration rate letting the earphones emit a clearer and more natural sound quality.

The Silver Bullet Earphones have a wire that has an in-line module with three buttons. The texture and elasticity of the wire are pretty good. The module lets the user play or pause music, as well as increase or decrease the volume. It is also compatible with mainstream Android phones. It was twisted more than 30,000 times and pulled for 60 seconds for OnePiece’s severe endurance tests which it passed.

There is also a special mixer App for the OnePlus One regarding the Silver Bullet Earphones which users can use to adjust the earphones’ sound frequency.

OnePlus Silver Bullet Earphones Q/A and references

1. Frequency response and distortion

2. Wire module architecture

       There are three buttons on the module which is tightly held. It is easy for the user to press the buttons and has a good texture.

3. Material

       Highly elastic fibers were used to make the interior cables (Huntsman); the exterior is made of TPE.

4. The earphones’ cable vs. its other strengths

Highly elastic fibers were used to make the interior cables (Huntsman) which increased their endurance. The exterior is made of TPE which has fine leather and not easily crumpled. It also has good texture and weakens stethoscope effects.

5. Benefits of an earshell made of metal

       It lowers any problems that affect low-frequency sound quality and also has a nice design.

6. Do the OnePlus One Silver Bullet earphones have better sound quality than the Xiaomi Huosai earphones?

The red line represents the Huosai’s frequency wave while the green line represents the Silver Bullet’s. As the graph shows, the Huosai’s low/medium frequency is higher, but it fell at its mid frequency causing the sound to be a bit unintelligible. The Silver Bullet’s frequency is a bit more steady and even.

8. Is there an interesting story behind the Silver Bullet’s design?

During the tuning process, because of the high volume, the sound did not seem natural. Then, they changed the diaphragm once again.

9. How do these earphones provide better sound quality?

The NPEI diaphragm is slimmer and has lighter quality providing a better and more natural sound.

The post OnePlus Silver Bullet Earphones Trial Use appeared first on Gizmochina.

The OnePlus One Cellphone Bamboo Limited Edition uses a natural bamboo woo as its outer shell. This material has enjoyed high demand among manufacturers. This version went on sale on September 23 and is available every Tuesday at 10:00 AM at the Chinese E commerce giant JD.com as well as OnePlus’ official store. It costs 2599.99 RMB (423.18 USD).

Related: Unboxed: The OnePlus One Bamboo Limited Edition

The post High Res OnePlus One Cellphone Bamboo Limited Edition Pictures Revealed appeared first on Gizmochina.

Elephone has a number of smartphones in its pipeline in the second half of 2014 and the Elephone G5 is the one of the first to start shipping in the market.

Given that the device is going to be available by the end of this month, we decided to take a look at this handset.

DESIGN

You won’t take much time to realize that the device is an exact clone of the OnePlus One. That’s not really a bad thing because the devices looks great. People really loved the design and the texture of the OnePlus One, so naturally you’ll love this device too. It comes with the rear camera and flash enclosed in a rectangular box and the logo below it. This is exactly like the OPO, with the difference being the Elephone logo instead of the +1.

In short, we really liked the design and the overall built of the phone.

DISPLAY

Like the OPO, Elephone G5 too comes with a 5.5 inch display but the resolution is only HD. But even with the 1280 x 720p display, you get a pixel density count of 267PPI which is not that bad. So, images and videos should looks good on the IPS panel.

HARDWARE

Elephone G5 comes with a Mediatek MT6582 1.3Ghz Quad Core processor which is pretty much what you see in most mid range Chinese smartphones these days. There’s 1GB RAM, Mali 400 GPU and 8GB ROM with expandable memory up to 64GB via MicroSD card.

CAMERA

On the back, you get a 13MP camera with LED flash and features such as Auto Focus, Panorama, Face Beauty, Smile Shot, Best Shot, HDR and EV Bracket Shot.

On the front, there’s a 5MP sensor which should be enough for your day to day selfies.

CONNECTIVITY AND BATTERY

Elelphone E5 comes with connectivity features such as Bluetooth 4.0, FM Radio, Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS and sensors like gravity, distance, gesture, holzer and light. The included battery is of 3020 mAh which should be enough for your daily usage.

SOFTWARE

The device runs on Android 4.4.2 Kitkat OS and you also get the option of having MIUI on it. There are a lot of special software features on G5 like double tap to wake, open apps directly even when the screen is off etc.  You can customize the letters and the apps for the gesture but standard gesture controls include drawing an O on the screen to open up the camera, V for torch and W for message.

In short, the device comes a lot of features with which you can play around. Elephone G5 just costs $129.99 which means its a great buy for anyone who’s looking for a mid range smartphone.

G5 comes in Black, White and Pink colors and will start shipping from September 25th. The White version of the device is currently available in stock at Giztop, so head over to the website to buy one for yourself. 

Check out the full gallery of the device below.

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Ever since its release, the OnePlus One has enjoyed critical acclaim for its powerful specs and excellent design. On September, OnePlus released the only App in China that grants phone owners to access OnePlus IT services whenever their phone has any problems, the OnePlus Doctor.

A lot of phone users have a hard time explaining what is wrong with their phone when they call customer service. They usually wish that they send a technician over to check it out. The OnePlus Doctor solves this problem by allowing OnePlus’ technicians to diagnose any problems with Phone’s settings or features even at a long distance. It is the only App of its kind in China right now.

Using the OnePlus Doctor is quite simple. Users just need to download it from Aijikong, install it, and set up long-distance features. For example, Technicians can see the phone’s screen to check for any problems with the software. Addressing stability and security concerns, OnePlus has stated that the OnePlus Doctor is absolutely safe. Their technicians will only be able to see the phone’s specs and other technical information. They cannot see private information and photos.

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After Xiaomi and OPPO making it to the Indian market, this time it is OnePlus, which is eyeing to capture some share of the huge Indian smartphone market.

India is the second largest mobile market in the world just after China and this is one of the reason that mobile manufacturing companies across the world want to enter India. OnePlus was dreaming of this big step since a while but their official press release where they are seeking a suitable candidate for the position of General Manager in India, confirms their plans.

OnePlus has just launched 1 phone i.e “OnePlus One” and most probably they will enter India with this phone. After seeing the response that Xiaomi got in India, OnePlus wants to enter Indian market as soon as possible. The price at which they will be selling their phone in India and other details are not yet known. But the way One Plus is moving, we can expect then to officially launch their OnePlus One in India by this year end. OnePlus One has good specifications and is affordable in terms of price and these are the only 2 things that Indians want.

Let’s wait till their official announcement and the official launch of OnePlus in India to know the consumer response.

The post One Plus is serious about its launch in India appeared first on Gizmochina.

Many people are already familiar with CyanogenMod, it’s been around in one form or another for some time. The 11s version is unique to the OnePlus One, however, so if you want to know what you’re getting, read on.

The OnePlus One’s default home screen (shown above), named Trebuchet, is similar in style to the Google Now Launcher, except that Google Now doesn’t have permanent residence one screen to the left of the home screen and secondly, the search bar across the top of the screen is removable.

The clock/weather widget is part of the bundle you get with CM, it is titled cLock. You can buy it in the Play Store too, but it is titled Chronus there.

The plain looking lock screen is very nice. There are options to add widgets here but the block of blue is permanent, at least for this version of CM. It might be annoying for anyone who doesn’t like blue, but I think it works well.

The OPO’s capacitive buttons can be switched to the on-screen ones, handy for me for two reasons: firstly, I can access Google Now via the slide-up navigation ring, and secondly, you get to add these very useful custom shortcuts. Nice touch.

You can also customise the OPO by adding the quick setting ribbon along the top of the notification bar, another handy feature to make good use of.

The freedom to customise almost everything is always good, the 11s gives you the option to add whatever you like to the tile menu. Its so much better than any stock Android, you’re essentially creating your own menu and you can chop and change it at will.

The ever-popular storefront for custom themes. There are many Android launchers with theme support, meaning support for custom wallpapers and app icons, but CM 11s goes one better and has custom boot animations too. Very much like the feature that made MIUI such a popular interface throughout Asia.

CMs AudioFX app. Looking good and sounding even better. If you like a lot of music and have rooms of several different sizes nearby, try it out! In all seriousness, this app is the business for the music lover.

Lastly, PrivacyGuard is worth a mention, it’s amazing for preventing the apps you use from helping itself to data which it can’t justify using. This app lets you know exactly which apps are attempting to access which particular information and gives you the option to allow or deny it permission. It’s excellent for people who value their privacy and even for those not too security conscious, it’s interesting to know who’s trying to find out your mother’s maiden name and which app is raiding your contact details. Ok so it’s mostly facebook, but the extent of it can be amazing to witness.

So there it is, it looks good, has some great features and it’s customisable as can be. Result.

The post CyanogenMod 11S on the OnePlus One appeared first on Gizmochina.

Today, we found the lot’s of 1999 yuan smartphone or about $322 USD price tag in the market. The phone are ZTE Nubia Z7 max, Huawei Honor 6 and OnePlus One smartphone. Those are three flagship smartphone in the market.

ZTE has launch the ZTE nubia Z7 Max smartphone, the phone is packs with high-end configuration but offers with  very competitive price, hile the Huawei is also making the attention since unveiled the new flagship smartphone Huawei Honor 6. While the last but not least, the OnePlus One smartphone that comes with very nice configuration but all phones are offers with very affordable price.

Here is the comparison table, contains the specs of each flagship smartphones :

First, we compare to the appearance parameters

Size:
Nubia Z7 Max: 152.7mm x 76mm x 8.7mm
Huawei Honor 6:139.6 mm x 69.7mm x 7.5mm
OnePlus One : 152.9mm x 75.9mm x 8.9mm

Weight:
Nubia Z7 Max: 160g
Huawei Honor 6:130 g
OnePlus One: 160g

In terms of appearance, Nubia Z7 Max and OnePlus One smartphones has larger display with 5.5-inches screen size, while the Huawei Honor 6 is only has 5 inch screen size. But all three device has similar screen with big enough screen size, and the phone’s body thickness is almost similar while the Huawei Honor 6 has more thinnest with only has 7.5mm body thickness, this phone is more lightweight too.

Second, the screen

Screen Size
Nubia Z7 Max: 5.5 inch
Huawei Honor 6: 5 inch
OnePlus One: 5.5 inch

Resolution
Nubia Z7 Max: 1920 x 1080 resolution
Huawei Honor 6: 1920 x 1080 resolution
OnePlus One: 1920 x 1080 resolution

Screen Material
Nubia Z7 Max: The third generation Corning Gorilla Glass
Huawei Honor 6: The third generation of Corning Gorilla Glass
OnePlus One: third-generation Corning Gorilla Glass

All three device is using the same screen material, that using third version of Corning Gorilla Glass material. OnePlus One is using floating screen design, from the exterior to have innovative features. While the Nubia Z7 Max is equipped with a 5.5 inches FHD Sharp screen. And Huawei Honor 6 uses TFT material, with LTPS technology.

Third, the hardware

CPU and GPU

Nubia Z7 Max: Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) quad-core processor, running at 2.5GHz clock-speed, while the GPU is support by Qualcomm Adreno 330

Huawei Honor 6: Powered by Huawei Hass Kirin 920 octa-core processor, 4 x A15 which running at 1.7GHz clock speed and 4 x A7 which running at 1.3GHz clock speed, the GPU is support by ARM Mali T628MP4.

OnePlus One: Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) quad-core processor, that running at 2.5GHz clock speed, and the GPU is support by Qualcomm Adreno 330.

Nubia Z7 Max and OnePlus One smartphone is using the smae processor, both phones is using Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) quad-core processor, both CPU is running frequency up to 2.5GHz clock-speed, contains 28nm HPm processing technology, full support for 4G connectivity, and support for energy saving, quick charging technology, multimedia processing, network connections and other more obvious improvements. To many mainstream phone uses, including Samsung Galaxy S5, Xiaomi Mi4, OPPO Find 7, LG G3, is now one of the best mainstream processor. And the Adreno 330 GPU its accompanying performance is quite powerful.

The Huawei Hass uses their own Huawei Hass Kirin 920 eight-core processor. Kirin 920 has 4 core Cortex-A7 and Cortex-A15 core, using 28HPM advanced technology. The chipset has SoC chip supports TD-LTE/LTE FDD / TD-SCDMA / WCDMA / GSM standard. It also supports H.265, 4K ultra high-definition full HD video decoding, GPU for the ARM Mali T628MP4 that can run big game smoothly.

RAM
Nubia Z7 Max has 2GB of RAM
Huawei Honor 6 has 3GB of RAM
OnePlus One has 3GB of RAM

In addition Nubia Z7 Max uses a 2GB of RAM configuration, the Huawei Honor 6 and OnePlus One provides 3GB of RAM, support better in performance.

Memory Capacity
Nubia Z7 Max: 32GB, support up to 64GB of storage expansion
Huawei Honor 6: 16GB, supports up to 64GB of storage expansion
OnePlus One: 16GB, does not support extended memory

Nubia Z7 Max has the best performance, the product comes with the 32GB and 64GB of internal memory capacity and has support for memory expansion up to 64GB. While the Huawei Honor 6 is comes with 16GB, but support the expansion card.  Both phone is offers with starting 1,999 yuan price tag.

Network Type
Nubia Z7 Max: dual card dual standby
Huawei Honor 6: Single Card
OnePlus One: Single Card

Nubia Z7 Max enables dual card dual standby, a wider choice than the other two smartphones. All three phones are supported TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA and GSM 4G/3G/2G formats. In particular it supports 4G network.

Battery life
Nubia Z7 Max: 3100 mAh
Huawei Honor 6: 3100 mAh
OnePlus One: 3100 mAh

All phone comes with non-removable batteries with similar capacity, but Nubia Z7 Max will consume more power since comes with more larger screen size, but  all phones is comes with smart battery management that can reduce the battery when the battery is going empty.

Fourth, the system

Nubia Z7 Max: is running based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system, and comes with the depth of customization Nubia UI
Huawei Honor 6: is running with Android OS 4.4 KitKat, with Emotion UI 2.3
OnePlus One: is running the Android system as a based OS with  depth of customization of ColorOS.

Nubia Z7 Max uses the depth of customization of Nubia UI operating system, Nubia UI is adjust the system interface and application that can be used with more user friendly, the new system is has great improve from the previous version.

While the Huawei Emotion UI 2.3 is embed in the Huawei Honor 6, brings new appearance in the lock screen, has great power-saving mode, support for voice search, etc.

And the ColorOS operating system is comes from OPPO’s UI is considered a leader in the design and has excellent experience. The system is offers more user friendly interface with gesture mode, the user can move their finger in the screen to load the apps or give the comands.

Five, Cameras

Camera lens
Nubia Z7 Max: Sony IMX214 sensor stack type II
Huawei Honor 6: Sony fourth generation BSI sensor stack
OnePlus One: Sony IMX214 sensor stack type II

Camera pixels
Nubia Z7 Max: 13 megapixel + 5 megapixel
Huawei Honor 6: 13 megapixel + 5 megapixel
OnePlus One: 13 megapixel + 5 megapixel

In addition to consistent pixel camera parameters, three phones has adopted the Sony camera sensor, with f2.0 large aperture capacbility. In terms of camera features, Nubia Z7 Max is very powerful, equipped with the new upgrade NeoVision 4.0, focus metering support separation, independent white balance, exposure lock, try polarizing filters, and other features such as super night imaging capability comparable to the SLR camera this phone is brings more advanced camera features.

While the Huawei Honor 6 using Professional image processing engine 2.0, the phone camera can take the picture in low light condition. The phone comes with large viewing angle 88 degrees, dynamic HDR shooting, 32s slow shutter and other features.

The post Comparison between 1,999 yuan smartphone : ZTE Nubia Z7 Max, Huawei Honor 6 and OnePlus One smartphone appeared first on Gizmochina.

Oneplus is a young brand only 8 months so far, it is a new start in smartphone field. The Oneplus one is a top-level Android phone with unbelievable low price. Now, the 2nd phone is coming, as @evleaks reported, Oneplus two is named Lettuce, and also will be $299 price, but better specs.

There is no more information about the Oneplus 2 phone, but I think it will out 3-4 months later, maybe more time.

The post Oneplus Two Is On The Way, Model Named Lettuce appeared first on Gizmochina.

OnePlus seems ready to preparing their upcoming OnePlus Two smartphone, the phone is has codename “Lettuce” (while we are know the OnePlus One smartphone has codename “Bacon”).

According to @evleaks, the next OnePlus smartphone will be launching in the near future, but there is no detail information about the release date, and we are pretty sure that the phone will be comes with more powerfull specs and nice hardware. As we all know, the OnePlus One smartphone is offers with $299 USD price tag dor unlock version and the new upcoming OnePlus Two will be offers with affordable price too.

OnePlus is also ready to addopt the new Android L platform within three months after Google officially release the new Android L latform to the market, and we predict the new upcoming OnePlus Two is ready to running Android L when release, so what do you think?

The post OnePlus is preparing the OnePlus Two smartphone appeared first on Gizmochina.

It is an exciting time for the smartphone lover, there are plenty of great phones out there at the minute to splash the cash on, and so to help you decide what the best great phone is for you, here are the 3 most exalted flagships of the year compared for you.

PERFORMANCE

All three phones share the same basic performance as far as hardware is concerned. There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, a quad-core 2500 MHz Krait 400 processor, Adreno 330 graphics behind each of them, making them really very similar devices. There is the same amount of RAM (3GB) present in each also, but the ROM shows some significant differences; with the OnePlus One having 16GB, the Find 7 and the Z7 having 32GB.

MEMORY AND BATTERY

Another big difference is that the only one which is Micro-SD expandable is the Find 7, so this one is the clear winner here. The Z7 does well too, but the OnePlus One falls short, with only half the storage capacity of the others and no means of expanding it. If you store a lot of large files on your phone, the OnePlus One might not be your best bet. The battery is slightly better on the OnePlus One however, being 3100 mAh, compared to the others, which have a 3000 mAh, this may not make much difference, but it all helps and smartphone battery life is a very important factor, nobody likes running out of battery half way through the day.

DISPLAY/CAMERA

The display is another area where the Find 7 and the Z7 perform almost identically and the OPO falls short; they all have a 5.5 inch screen but the resolution is much higher on the Find 7 and the Z7 (1440 x 2560) compared to the 1080 x 1920 OnePlus One. The pixel counts are 401 PPI for the OnePlus One, 534 PPI for the Nubia Z7 and 538 PPI for the Find 7. This is a pretty big difference, and if display is an important feature then it makes sense to bypass the OnePlus One and choose one of the others instead. The cameras are equally capable across all three models, 13MP rear and 5MP front, with all three capable of producing some top quality pictures.

OPERATING SYSTEM AND USER INTERFACE

The OnePlus One runs Android 4.4 with CyanogenMod 11s, the Find 7 runs Android 4.3 with Color OS and the Z7 runs Android 4.4 with Nubia 2.0. It depends on your preferred language which is best here, as the CyanogenMod is for native English speakers, whereas the other two are in Chinese. It is easy enough to put CyanogenMod over the other UIs but it is worth comparing these as they are sold. If you require English, then go for the CyanogenMod UI, it is a no-brainer. If you prefer your phone in Chinese, however, you have options. Color OS is considered the better of the two Chinese UIs, so the Find 7 takes the lead if you want a Chinese interface, even though it is based on the Android 4.3 instead of 4.4.

VERDICT

So, after all this, what’s the bottom line? Well there’s really not much between the phones, the overall performance winner is probably the Find 7, it matches the best in every category, the Nubia Z7, is arguably second, let down only by the benchmark score. The OnePlus One is in third place everywhere there is a difference except for the benchmarks where it scores incredibly well. This is of course, before we factor in the price –  and this is a pretty game-changing consideration. the OnePlus is almost holding its own here with the specs, made of the same stuff and a true flagship killer according to the benchmarks. The OnePlus is also half the price of the Find 7, saving you $300, and it is $250 less than the Nubia Z7. The question is, then, would you pay $300 for a better display and double the ROM? If yes, then choose the Find 7 or the Nubia Z7, if you aren’t actually that bothered and can think of something else to spend $300 on, go for the OnePlus One.

The post OnePlus One vs OPPO Find 7 vs Nubia Z7 appeared first on Gizmochina.

More and more people are modifying their phones, whether to fix problems or to take advantage of the numerous options available. There are mods just for fun, and some that provide excellent fixes to common problems. The OnePlus One is such a new phone and such a rare phenomenon that there isn’t a massive amount of support out there yet for people to fall back on when they run into problems and need assistance. We thought we ought to put some help out there, so this is how to put CyanogenMod 11S on your Oneplus One, whether out of necessity or not. It can also be used by people who bought the ColorOS version of the OnePlus to change over, the procedures are the same and the hardware is exactly the same on the phones. Hopefully this guide should save you some trouble. The job is not too difficult to do either, just a simple copy and paste job, nothing too terrifying to the newcomer.

Alright, let’s begin. To start off you need to get all the tools and files you need. Get the Nexus Toolkit as that contains all the files you’ll need to perform the task and you’ll also need to get the entire set of stock files from the CyanogenMod OnePlus One Product Page, they’re near the bottom and make sure yo get the one with ‘fastboot’ in the title. Unzip these files in the same directory where you’re keeping the Nexus Toolkit files.

The unzipped files should look something like the list below, and need to be stored together in the same directory as the fastboot.exe file.

Once you have all of this sorted out you’re half way there. Now for the installation then, here goes.

Firstly, hold down the power button until the phone goes off, and then hold power and volume up simultaneously until a boot logo appears, your OnePlus is now in Fastboot mode. At this point a final reminder that continuing this entire process will involve losing all files on the phone. Not a problem if it is a new phone at factory spec, but if you’ve just taken a video if your child’s first steps or stored your first novel on it, there is a possible way to save some data, it will be explained further when we get there.

Once your phone is in fastboot mode then, open a command prompt and go to the directory where your Nexus Toolkit files are stored. From here issue the following commands one at a time, only proceeding to the next after the first one is confirmed to be successful or completed:

fastboot flash boot boot img

After this you need to decide whether to wipe the phone (for new phones without important files on) or if there are things worth trying to save. If you need to save any files, skip this step for now and see if the phone will boot at the end. If you want to wipe the phone, you need to next select the right file for the phone you have. If you have a 16GB OnePlus One use this command

fastboot flash userdata userdat.img

If you have the 64GB OnePlus One issue this command instead:

fastboot flash userdata userdata 64g.img

After this issue these commands in order, still waiting for the success message after each one before continuing:

fastboot flash system system.img

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

fastboot flash cache cache.img

fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin

fastboot flash sb11 sb11.mbn

fastboot flash dbi sdi.mbn

fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn

fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn

fastboot flash tz tz.mbn

fastboot flash LOGO logo.bin

fastboot reboot

At this point your OnePlus One should boot into CyanogenMod 11S as if you bought it new. If your phone does not boot and you skipped the step to clear all files, you’ll probably have to just wipe your phone at this point, so go back to the beginning and follow the steps again entirely. Everyone else, enjoy your new CyanogenMod 11S OnePlus One.

The post Installing CyanogenMod on your OnePlus One: step by step. appeared first on Gizmochina.

Other than having a high cost-performance, the fact that the OnePlus One has an open system has attracted many users. The Chinese version uses the Color OS while the international version uses CM. The MIUI operating system has also attracted many fans. According to Liu Zuohu has announced that the MIUI will be available for the OnePlus One at around June. This month, they finally released a video of running the MIUI on the OnePlus One phone:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzM0ODEwODcy.html

As the video show, the MIUI V5 is very stable. Users can access the Xiaomi App store and other services. The camera and video player can also work as usual. Even though OnePlus has not yet released their own OS, if they can build a device like the HTC HD2, then, they should be able to make a good system.

The post (Video) OnePlus One successfully runs MIUI appeared first on Gizmochina.

As earlier reports predicted, today at 12:00 PM, the pitch-black 64 GB edition of the Oneplus One was once again put on sale, this time at the cost of 2299.99 RMB.

OnePlus had previously released a white babyskin edition among others, and said that they have enough of the pitch-black version on stock for everyone that wants it. However, they did not state an exact number.

The OnePlus One sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display screen and uses the 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor. It has 3GB RAM and 5mp/13mp camera (Sony IMX214 second generation stackable sensor), and supports 802.11 b/g/n/ac as well as 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-frequency Wi-Fi, and Blu Ray 4.0. It has a built-in 3100mAh battery and its operating system is the Android 4.3-based Color OS.

The post The pitch-black Oneplus One phone 64 GB edition goes on sale for 2299.99 RMB (370.41 USD) and there is enough for everybody! appeared first on Gizmochina.