The Chinese surprise hit smartphone OnePlus One has been confirmed to get a follow-up successor, called the OnePlus Two, which will release some time in Q2 or Q3 of this year.
The original OnePlus One Android phone peaked the interest of many tech experts last year with its 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM with a 5.5-inch display in such an inexpensive package, allowing it to compete with the biggest and best high-end phones of 2014. But the OnePlus Two (codenamed Lettuce, following the OnePlus One's codename of Bacon) aims to take that same successful formula and beef it up as much as possible.
While keeping the 5.5-inch screen, the new phone is said to increase its resolution from full HD (1080 x 1920) up to quad HD (1440 x 2560), all while being presented in a lighter and thinner frame. The processor will be upgraded to the Snapdragon 805 with 2.7 GHz of power, but the RAM will stay at 3 GB. Other reports do speculate that the Snapdragon 810 processor will be used with 4 GB of RAM, but recent overheating issues during Samsung tests might have spoiled the 810's reputation. The camera will also get a boost from the One's 13-megapixel to a new 16-megapixel camera and an upgrade of storage up to 32 GB and 3,100 mAh for the battery.
The release date window was first revealed during a Reddit AMA (Ask me Anything) in which OnePlus CEO Carl Pei and community liason David S. spoke in greater detail about what to expect from the company in 2015. "OnePlus 2 should be out in Q2 or Q3 of 2015," they confirmed. "By that time, I'd think Android L would be standard."
But now that the tech company has proven what it's capable of, it has developed quite a following of fans who are eager to see something even better than the One, and for a comparably cheap price tag.
Pei has already spoken out about the next phone and how it will "surprise people" as a flagship phone that will compete with the Samsungs and Googles of the world. But he also revealed that there will be separate models for each region of the global market, including one for North America, one for Europe, and one for Asia. This is done to ensure a better range of mobile data network bands that differ so greatly from market to market.
Also of note, Pei confirmed in another Reddit AMA that the company is working on wearable devices. When asked about the possibility of wearables by a fan, Pei answered, "Yes. Unsure if/when/how we'll release it though."
Going back to the first AMA comment from the company, it seems that the OnePlus Two may be launching with the latest (stable) version of Android 5.0 Lollipop at release, and a company spokesperson confirmed that they "have no plans to make a Windows phone" at all. Hopefully Android Lollipop will be stable and widespread enough by Q2/Q3 of this year for the OnePlus Two to include it as standard.
The original OnePlus One is available in all its glory for only $299 for the 16GB model and $349 for the 64GB version, but the question is whether or not OnePlus will be able to keep those low prices for this next phone. If so, you can bet that they'll secure a spot for the OnePlus line of phones in the top device lists of 2015 and beyond.
