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How OnePlus 2 can give iPhone a run for its money

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Javed Anwer
Javed AnwerJul 28, 2015 | 15:05

How OnePlus 2 can give iPhone a run for its money

Almost every month, we hear about a phone that is supposed to be a flagship killer. Usually, from a not-so-well-known company, this phone is supposed to be so good that it would make people forget the iPhone. But in most of the cases, once the phone launches, we realise that it was all hype.

The OnePlus 2, however, seems different. Just like many other phones, it also comes with the tag of "flagship killer" attached to it. But in its case, the tag seems entirely justified. The OnePlus 2, just like its predecessor OnePlus One, has the potential to shake up the phone market in a big, big way.

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There are several reasons why companies like Samsung, HTC and LG have to worry about the OnePlus 2. One part is obviously the hardware inside the OnePlus 2. It has almost everything that you can find in iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6. In fact, the OnePlus 2 looks like a better proposition compared to phones like Xperia Z3+ and LG G4.

But what makes OnePlus 2 a game changer is its price. In India, the 64GB version of the phone will be sold at a price of Rs 24,999. This is less than half of what Apple charges for the 64GB iPhone 6. It is also almost half of what Samsung charges for its Galaxy S6. And despite the low price, there is virtually no area where the OnePlus 2 holds back. Fingerprint scanner? OnePlus 2 has it. Camera with optical image stabilisation? OnePlus 2 has it. Metal frame? Yep, the OnePlus 2 comes with it.

Despite the high price, there are still a few reasons why a phone like the Galaxy S6 or the iPhone 6 makes sense. The phones like the Motorola Moto X and Xiaomi Mi 4 are very good. But they still lack a thing or two. The OnePlus 2, however, hits all the right notes. Despite its low price it doesn't seem inferior to any other phone out there, at least on paper.

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This is good news for the consumers. In the last one year, there has been a significant momentum in the phone market towards mainstream devices. Earlier, phones which cost Rs 20,000 were barely passable. Nowadays, these Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 phones are incredibly powerful mini-computers because this is the segment of the market where the growth is and where companies like Xiaomi and Lenovo are focusing hard. The OnePlus 2 is going to accelerate this trend towards equipping budget phones with powerful hardware and other necessary features. It is once again pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a phone that costs less than Rs 25,000.

Of course, it is not all rosy for the OnePlus 2. It has one potentially deal-breaking issue - its availability. Unlike the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy S6 that you can buy anytime you are willing to spend Rs 50,000, finding the OnePlus 2 won't be easy. Once again, to buy the phone a consumer will need an invite from OnePlus. The less-than perfect availability model will limit how much damage OnePlus 2 can cause to the so-called other flagship devices. But that is more of a supply side issue. As a product, there seem to be nothing in the OnePlus 2 that puts it in an unfavourable position in comparison to the iPhone or any other expensive Android phone.

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Last updated: July 29, 2015 | 11:02
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