OnePlus 2 Vs OnePlus One Comparison – Should you Upgrade?

The OnePlus One was definitely a smartphone which got a lot of praise for all the features bundled at the right price, but after a year we have the OnePlus 2 which clearly is an upgrade most users were looking forward to. In order to clear the confusion, we have both these Smartphones and in this article we are going to do a detailed comparison based on ten different aspects that we feel are Important. We had earlier covered the Top 5 Missing Features on the OnePlus 2 in case you are interested in reading.

Display

Both the models feature the 1080P display but the major difference here is the brightness levels. The 2 comes with the higher brightness of upto 600 NITS which is amazingly high when you compare with a few other flagship devices. There are no confirmed numbers from the brand on the brightness on the first generation device but definitely when you keep them next to next, you can see noticeable differences.

Notifications Button

Have you ever used the Apple iPhone? It comes with a physical toggle button to Mute the notifications. Called as Alert Slider on OnePlus 2, it comes with three profiles where you can either select No Notifications, Priority Notifications or all Notification Alerts. It’s confusing for an Android user, but a very convenient feature if you get habituated to it since it helps in making changes without the need to unlock the phone. This feature was not available on the OnePlus One and hence a useful option on this new device.

Fingerprint Scanner

Talking about security, it is easy to bypass a PIN Lock or even say an easy pattern. Breaking a fingerprint is almost impossible and also is a very convenient way to unlock your phone. Instead of entering the password or drawing a pattern, you just have to place your registered finger over the button, and you would be given access to the phone. A feature that we expect every phone to offer and was something that was missing the first generation, model.

USB Type C Port

The One did not support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge feature but when charged with the official adapter, it would charge up pretty quickly, while the 2 comes with a new technology ie the USB Type C which is just USB 2.0. When we tested the Type C cable with the official power adapter, we found that the phone took around 150 minutes or 2.5 hours for a full charge, and this is pretty slow. We really hope that the phone would support quick charging but all thanks to this future proof technology, the speeds were not great but the convenience is great since you don’t have to look into the port while inserting the cable into it.

NFC

The one came with the NFC feature in 2014, but according to the brand, not many of their users were using it & which is the reason they didn’t add it in the 2. This year, i.e., 2015 we have seen manufacturers focusing more on the Mobile Payments with a tap all thanks to the NFC technology which when clubbed with the fingerprint scanner would be the best combination ever, but well that’s missing on the latest Smartphone from OnePlus.

Battery

The 2 comes with a 3300 mAh capacity battery that is 200 mAh higher than the predecessor & all thanks to the Oxygen OS, which offers you with no bloatware & stock UI. In our initial tests, we found the battery to not be at par with the OnePlus one, but the brand has mentioned some bug fixes coming up which should solve these issues. With No Quick charging and a larger capacity, its making no sense to upgrade to the 2, if you are a person who is a heavy user on mobile and needs to charge the phone regularly.

OS

CyanogenMod offered a lot of customizations to the users, but after an issue with an Indian Smartphone brand Micromax, OnePlus had to come up with their OS. Dubbed as the Oxygen OS, which offers you Stock UI, which is very fluid & responsive. While we tested it, we did find a large gap of missing features which were all available through Cyanogenmod on the first generation model.

Specifications

If you are a specs hungry person, you should take a look at this OnePlus One Vs OnePlus 2 Comparison which clear most of your questions, but what matters more than these numbers is the experience after using the device.

Price

The last flagship was launched at US$299 and US$349 for the 16 GB and 64 GB models respectively in China & US, while the latest flagship has also been launched in two different variants but the prices are $329 & $389 respectively. Clearly hiked by US$30 for the basic version itself but well that’s not a huge hike compared to the other brands. Considering the upgrades the price hike is justified and if you are willing to buy a phone, its still a value for money considering the other options available in the market from the competition. If you are from India there’s just a small price difference of Rs 2000 for both the models and it is totally recommended to opt for the 64GB Model considering that the device comes with no External SD Card option.

Design

The phone is more matured in the looks now. Starting from the back panel to the side rim that looks not just beautiful but is also sturdy and helps in fewer scratches & cuts. This new phone comes with two 4G supported SIM Cards, which has been a major request from most of the users especially from India and the phone also, comes with a New Laser Focus for better & quicker captures. That said, what puts it apart from other phones at the moment is the availability of the cases that you could swap within seconds. The device comes with Gorilla® Glass & crafted from an alloy of magnesium & aluminum. Apart from this, there are minor other changes like the opposite placement of the 3.5mm headphone jack, larger speaker grills for better sound output and the all new ‘Alert Slider’.

Upgrade

If you already own the first generation model, then you should be pretty much happy with the same since the device came with the Snapdragon 801 along with 3GB Ram which was pretty much enough for most of the users. Bundled with this the Cyanogenmod was offering great customizations on the device that has been seen with most of the satisfied users also praising the high Screen-on-Time on the device. If you are aptly satisfied with the phone then there’s no need for an upgrade since you cannot find much of a difference, but if you are switching from some other budget phone then the OP2 is something you should totally consider. Its not just about the specifications but the experience that matters & that’s what this phone is about.

Verdict

Calling the latest device a 2016 killer is a bold statement because we have already seen amazing devices like the LG G4, Galaxy S6, etc. which have done well in a few departments & the OnePlus team is looking forward already to 2016. Nonetheless if the comparison is between these models, it is recommended to go for the OnePlus 2, considering all the latest upgraded hardware, cleaner OS with simple UI, better camera, higher battery & a competitive pricing.