OnePlus Two

OnePlus has confirmed the OnePlus Two will arrive in 2015

The OnePlus One was one of 2014’s surprise hits. Produced by Chinese upstart, OnePlus, and designed to do battle with Samsung’s Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8 and the Google Nexus 5, the OnePlus aimed to deliver high-end specs and a no-nonsense user experience for very little money. 

And it sort of succeeded too –– the only real issue with the handset is that OnePlus can’t seem to produce it in enough volume. Officially, things are said to be getting better from here on out but we’re still receiving emails from disgruntled consumers that cannot get hold of one.

So, what’s next for OnePlus? According to @evleaks, lettuce is next up for the Chinese company. And by “Lettuce” we mean the OnePlus Two (Lettuce is its codename, apparently). Interestingly, the OnePlus was codenamed Bacon. Could the OnePlus Three be tomato? Do they even have BLTs in China? 

The leak did not mention anything to do with specs or hardware, or when the handset will launch. All we have is the predictable name and inside knowledge of OnePlus’ bizarre food-based codenaming convention. Based on what the company did with the OnePlus One, though, it is fairly safe to assume the OnePlus Two will be a high-end smartphone with a decent specs and, hopefully, wider LTE support than its predecessor, which was a bit lacking in this area. 

In a recent Reddit AMAA session OnePlus’ Carl and David fielded a bunch of questions about the future of the company and some of its upcoming products, such as the OnePlus Two. According to Carl, the “OnePlus 2 should be out in Q2 or Q3 of 2015. By that time, I’d think Android L would be standard.”

Another question asked about the size of the handset (some users have complained the OnePlus One is too big), the exec responded: “We’ve seen a lot of people asking for a smaller device, and want to let everyone know that we hear you. We’re thinking about it.” 

Unfortunately, OnePlus said that it will probably use the invite system for its next smartphone too, before moving on to limited preorders again.

“It will probably be invite-only for a short period of time, after which pre-orders are rolled out,” OnePlus wrote, much to the chagrin of every fan who’s been slighted by the highly selective system.

The company also confirmed it is hard at work on a wearable device. “Re: wearables,” OnePlus wrote in response to a fan’s question about the new category. “Yes. Unsure if/when/how we’ll release it though.”

On the subject of whether the OnePlus One will ever actually be readily available, like from networks and stuff, Carl added: “Not in 2014. We understand that our current method may be slowing our growth down, but we'd rather grow slower and in a healthy way than taking too much risk and going out of business. Risk management is extra important in our scenario where we don't have hardware margins.”

OnePlus has confirmed the OnePlus One will be getting an update to Android L within the first three months of the new OS being made available – that's happening inside Q4. 

Check out our review of the OnePlus One? Then if you really want to get your hands on one you can read our user guide on how to get one of those elusive invites.

OnePlus Two Spec Leaks

A set of specs has leaked courtesy of an online re-seller of OnePlus handsets called Coolicool. The report claims we'll see a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chip inside, alongside 32GB of onboard storage and a 3,100mAh battery cell. On the outside there's said to be a 5.5in touch display but there's currently no word on a resolution.

The phone will also allegedly pack in a 16MP primary camera and a 5MP front-facer for selfies.

Coolicool claims the OnePlus Two will become available in 2015's third quarter. The leak did not reveal any further details about the software package or OnePlus' plans regarding a sales model, but hopefully it will drop the invite-only nonsense.

OnePlus Two Release Date

OnePlus has been busy launching the One in India over the past couple of weeks. Whilst promoting it to Indian media, OnePlus’ global director Carl Pei has confirmed the OnePlus Two is in development.

Pei told BGR India, “We are planning to announce the OnePlus Two in Q2 or Q3 next year. So it is one year after this phone [OnePlus One]. India will be one of the first countries we will launch the OnePlus Two in.”

If the OnePlus Two launches inside Q2/Q3 we could be looking at an April launch, at the earliest, or around September at the very latest. The next big question is how long after announcement will the OnePlus Two be available? Last year’s model was hyped and hyped and hyped and then released to the public via an invite-only basis –– a process that still exists to this day. A lot of sources claim this invite-to-sale mechanism will be kept in place for next year’s model too. 

Software: What Will The OnePlus Two Run? 

The Economic Times managed to snag an interview with Carl Pei, OnePlus’ Global Director and got some juicy details about behind the scenes at the company.

Pei revealed during the interview that OnePlus has a dedicated software team to help develop operating systems in-house. That suggests OnePlus is looking to make some major changes for the OnePlus Two handset and according to what Pei said it’s likely it’ll be a heavily skinned version of Android.

There is no confirmation OnePlus will do away with CyanogenMod OS for the next handset but the company is definitely investigating the alternatives.

We do know there 100 percent won’t be a Windows Phone OnePlus Two handset. A spokesperson for OnePlus has said quite bluntly, “We have no plans to make a Windows phone.” That’s that then.

OnePlus Has Made Some Affordable Headphones

In the long wait to the OnePlus Two, OnePlus has revealed it will be releasing some high spec in-ear headphones at an affordable price. The new earbuds will be called Silver Bullet Earphones and will be available from September 29 in all 16 launch countries.

A blog post by OnePlus said, “We have meticulously engineered the Silver Bullet to deliver powerful and immersive sound while ensuring a compact yet durable feel.

“The brushed aluminium casing perfectly complements the rugged texture of the One’s Sandstone Black cover. Best of all, now you are in control of your music, camera, and voice calls without ever having to reach for your One.”

You’ll be able to pick them up for $15 from the OnePlus website, it’s currently unclear whether you’ll need an invite to buy them. The UK pricing isn’t available just yet either.