I have a OnePlus One - ask me about it!

[Andrew Martonik]

I've read in some initial reviews that there is a slight lag when using the capacitive buttons to go to the home screen from apps. Do you also experience this, and is it because of the double tap function of the home button? (Similar to galaxy devices where double pressing home button brings up s voice; it creates a lag since the phone waits for a second press after the first press to see whether you want to launch s voice. This was solved by turning off "launch s voice" by double pressing home button.) Can the double tap function of the home button be switched off completely? (i.e. Double pressing home buttons does no action).Thanks! This phone seems like a beast so far, so it'll be a bummer if there's a lag from the home buttom since I hate on-screen buttons.

That makes a lot of sense. I never encountered lag using the capacitive keys — but I never turned on double press on the home key.

Is the firmware stable? Any random reboots? Crashes? How is the battery life? Signal strength?

No random reboots or crashes, but things still have to be tweaked and finalized.

Battery life has been noted earlier in this thread — it's good, but not blowing me away. Make it through a full day with 15-20% left, which is completely acceptable to me.

Signal strength is lower than other phones released in the last year. Disappointing, but not surprising. Not really a deal-breaker either.

Since the call volume is weak, can you use a wired headset to use for calls?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Yup!

1. The phone was shipped without a box or accessories, leaving no way to charge the phone, or even remove the SIM tray.
2. The boot up time is so long I thought the device didn't work at first. You have to hold the power button down for almost 30 seconds just to get it to turn on.
3. The call quality is **** poor, AT BEST. I've attached an image of the speaker up top and you can see only 4 of the holes on the speaker are open. The rest are covered over with the molding. This an issue that has been brought up by everyone who has tested the device, and it's obvious. I'm on T-Mobile here in the US, and the connectivity sucks compared to my Nexus 5.
4. The camera is a cheap version of the one available on the Z2. The addition of all of the customization and filters in the camera app try to hide the fact, but it's obvious. Pictures will be posted soon. There is no noticeable difference compared to my Nexus 5.
5. All Nexus devices are receiving 4.4.3 this Friday, the 23rd, dating this device already.
6. The more I use Cyanogen, the more I realize that it's got so many useless features and customization I'd prefer Vanilla Android over it. That's an opinion though.
7. The stereo speakers are no where near what HTC offers with LAST YEAR'S ONE. As soon as you hold the phone horizontally your palm covers them and you can't hear anything. Even with some hand adjustments they shoot the sound to one side.

I will be keeping my Nexus 5 for now. I'll run some more tests with the OPO over the next few weeks and post a full on review later. If it continues the way this company is making impressions on people who have their devices, the smashing the past will consist of a OPO very shortly.

Looking forward to the Oppo Find 7 and LG G3 coming out over this.

SIMPLY PUT, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

@David S. Live by social media, die by it. Don't let the hype of a company dictate the quality of a product. It wears off rather quickly once you get the devices in the hands of people who want to really use them.

Update: Just received a message from @David S. saying that all of the aforementioned issues will be fixed with a software update next week, and that they're all known. Even worse, considering half of them are hardware related.

I agree that some these issues are pretty big. OnePlus should never be shipping someone a phone without a production box, production software and production hardware. There's just no excuse there — people would be better served by getting the phone later and having it work then having issues and getting it "early."

That being said, I think that poster is going a tad (okay, way more than a tad) overboard. None of the above mentioned things are as bad as he makes them out to be, and he seems a bit overly-aggressive about the whole thing. OnePlus isn't doing the best job ever launching this, but he's not being a good sport in any way shape or form. Best thing is he's only out $299 — money he can easily make back (and more) by selling it on eBay and moving on with his life.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

There is way more going on in #196 than the OP (who wasn't the OP at OPO forums, btw) is letting on. In a nutshell, the guy who posted that at OPO forums lied about where he got the phone, got called out, tried to cover it up, and had it all blow up in his face. Then, only after it all blew up, did he post what is in #196. And I think he got banned in the process. I'm not here to bash anyone, but the OP was the biggest OPO fanboy, until he wasn't. Then he was again. Then he wasn't. See where I'm going with this? Finally, his comments contradict pretty much everything else that has been written or said about the phone. I'll leave it up for you to decide if that is a credible assessment or not.

Sounds about right.

 

[jasonvvong]

There is way more going on in #196 than the OP (who wasn't the OP at OPO forums, btw) is letting on. In a nutshell, the guy who posted that at OPO forums lied about where he got the phone, got called out, tried to cover it up, and had it all blow up in his face. Then, only after it all blew up, did he post what is in #196. And I think he got banned in the process. I'm not here to bash anyone, but the OP was the biggest OPO fanboy, until he wasn't. Then he was again. Then he wasn't. See where I'm going with this? Finally, his comments contradict pretty much everything else that has been written or said about the phone. I'll leave it up for you to decide if that is a credible assessment or not.

I don't understand why we give people like that attention. After reading that post, it was obvious that this person was trolling the forum.

 

[jasonvvong]

Andrew, when is review coming? I want to know more about the camera and how it compares to the Nexus 5's camera. Using the speedtest app, what are the differences in download speeds between your Nexus 5 and the OnePlus One (T-mobile download and upload speeds)?

 

[Rayzaa]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrgGHAab9D8

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Andrew, when is review coming? I want to know more about the camera and how it compares to the Nexus 5's camera. Using the speedtest app, what are the differences in download speeds between your Nexus 5 and the OnePlus One (T-mobile download and upload speeds)?

An all-encompassing review is actually under way now! I wanted to give the software time to be updated to something closer to final and get my real impressions of the device before putting digital ink to digital paper, and now I'm on it.

I can tell you the camera is capable of some really nice shots, better than the Nexus 5, but it comes up a little short in low light situations because it lacks OIS and the ability to have longer shutter speeds in those situations. Shot-to-shot consistency on the One is also a bit odd compared to the Nexus 5.

As for speeds, I'll have to do more testing. All I've looked at so far is signal strength and Wifi speeds, both of which are lower than the Nexus 5 (and GS5, fwiw). I can't say I notice that mobile network speeds are lower than other phones, but I'll have to test that.

 

[serj_mig]

Hey, I've also got a Nexus 5 and am somewhat interested in the 1+ One. First of all thanks for taking the time to give your impressions and overall comparison to your other phones, that's very informative.

That said, I have a couple questions.
There is a nice comparison of the 1+ One camera against the iPhone 5, which I'll be linking right after. Alike to your Nexus comparison, some shots look way better than iPhone 5s ones, and others look like crap. It looks like exposure is completely botched in strong light conditions, the sensor absorbs too much light and thus contrast is awful, whitening everything like there's no tomorrow. HDR looks like it over-saturates pictures, also needs to be adjusted. Also the UHD video looks utter crap. Are these notes consistent with what you've seeing?

Is it possible to do long exposure shots with the camera? It should be the same as the Find 7a where you can regulate exposure from 1-32s, which is pretty cool when you have a tripod or somewhere to rest the phone on.

Does the Google Camera work well with the One? I like Google Camera way better than CM camera, better viewer and better functions (at least on the Nexus 5).

Do you see any bug or nuisance with the One that seems to be hardware-related? Most of the stuff talked about in the internet looks like CM11S bugs, but that signal strength worries me as the Nexus 5 isn't that big on signal strength to start with, for a phone to have worse reception is... bad.

I am also a bit worried about the phone size, as the Nexus 5 and LG G2 seem to be very close to my hand limit (I do have small hands). This is one thing where I need to feel the phone myself I guess; as I sometimes use 2 hands to type anyway, with 1 hand I can only swipe (instead of type) consistently - and I'm fine with that.

Thanks again for your insight!

 

[puremind]

Could you post screenshots of the screen calibration controls?

Are you able to measure the color accuracy using a color meter?

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Could you post screenshots of the screen calibration controls?

Are you able to measure the color accuracy using a color meter?

Nope.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Hey, I've also got a Nexus 5 and am somewhat interested in the 1+ One. First of all thanks for taking the time to give your impressions and overall comparison to your other phones, that's very informative.

That said, I have a couple questions.
There is a nice comparison of the 1+ One camera against the iPhone 5, which I'll be linking right after. Alike to your Nexus comparison, some shots look way better than iPhone 5s ones, and others look like crap. It looks like exposure is completely botched in strong light conditions, the sensor absorbs too much light and thus contrast is awful, whitening everything like there's no tomorrow. HDR looks like it over-saturates pictures, also needs to be adjusted. Also the UHD video looks utter crap. Are these notes consistent with what you've seeing?

Yup, pretty much what I'm finding. Inconsistent performance, and I agree it often lets it far too much light.

Is it possible to do long exposure shots with the camera? It should be the same as the Find 7a where you can regulate exposure from 1-32s, which is pretty cool when you have a tripod or somewhere to rest the phone on.

Nope, I see no long exposure settings in the camera app I have available. There's a "night" mode but no manual shutter speed controls.

Does the Google Camera work well with the One? I like Google Camera way better than CM camera, better viewer and better functions (at least on the Nexus 5).

Yup, Google Camera works, but you won't get the same performance, particularly in HDR, as you will with the stock camera app that's made for this hardware. Same case as any other phone. If you really prefer the GCamera app interface, it'll be a worthwhile tradeoff for you.

Do you see any bug or nuisance with the One that seems to be hardware-related? Most of the stuff talked about in the internet looks like CM11S bugs, but that signal strength worries me as the Nexus 5 isn't that big on signal strength to start with, for a phone to have worse reception is... bad.

Signal strength is low, and at some point that probably comes down to how much they wanted to pay to license from Qualcomm (etc) to get the best possible radio firmware stack. I do notice that overall screen sensitivity is a bit low in general use, but overly-sensitive when the screen's off (for gestures), but that, too, could be a software/firmware issue.

Can't say anything about the hardware that would be called a "bug." I've noted previously that the vibration motor feels insanely cheap ? not a bug, but a cost-cutting measure ? but that's about it.

I am also a bit worried about the phone size, as the Nexus 5 and LG G2 seem to be very close to my hand limit (I do have small hands). This is one thing where I need to feel the phone myself I guess; as I sometimes use 2 hands to type anyway, with 1 hand I can only swipe (instead of type) consistently - and I'm fine with that.

Thanks again for your insight!

If the N5 and G2 are pushing it for you, the OnePlus One is beyond your limit. If you're willing to put up with that, that'll be the real test.

 

[vvarma1]

Hi Andrew, I've read on the one plus forums that Cyanogen have just pushed out a major update that brings the device in line with the final firmware being shipped with the devices. Could you confirm if you've received it and if it has fixed any of the bugs that you mentioned earlier?

 

[vicw926a4]

Signal strength is low, and at some point that probably comes down to how much they wanted to pay to license from Qualcomm (etc) to get the best possible radio firmware stack.

I'm really looking forward to your review, Andrew, and I'm confident that it will be thorough and fair.

I hope that you will be able to offer some quantification on the important Signal Strength issue, to put the issue in better perspective. Saying that it's low is somewhat helpful, but is it 1% or 50% Low? Perhaps some live captures of signal strength dbm readings on the OnePlus vs. a couple of other competitive phones would do the trick.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Hi Andrew, I've read on the one plus forums that Cyanogen have just pushed out a major update that brings the device in line with the final firmware being shipped with the devices. Could you confirm if you've received it and if it has fixed any of the bugs that you mentioned earlier?

Yup, i just received an update that is apparently the "final preproduction release" that gets things ready for a production software release. it factory reset my phone, as it warned, and quite a few things have changed.

The startup screens have been improved.

The camera now has slow motion 120fps video and slow shutter speed options.

The CM theme is enabled by default.

The "always listening" wakeup settings are completely gone for whatever reason. They didnt work before, now they're just gone.

There are new quick toggles in the top of the notification shade.

I'm still going through other things, but this update seems to fix and improve quite a few things.

 

[serj_mig]

Yup, i just received an update that is apparently the "final preproduction release" that gets things ready for a production software release. it factory reset my phone, as it warned, and quite a few things have changed.

The startup screens have been improved.

The camera now has slow motion 120fps video and slow shutter speed options.

The CM theme is enabled by default.

The "always listening" wakeup settings are completely gone for whatever reason. They didnt work before, now they're just gone.

There are new quick toggles in the top of the notification shade.

I'm still going through other things, but this update seems to fix and improve quite a few things.

Maybe signal strength has improved? That would be one of my primary concerns

 

[dberry74]

Just curious...
Are we close to seeing your full review?

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Maybe signal strength has improved? That would be one of my primary concerns

Nope. Signal strength seems to be the same — aka lower than other devices — after the update as it was on all previous updates. Not the end of the world, but it's a fact.

Just curious...

Are we close to seeing your full review?

Very close. As in, you may want to keep an eye on Android Central tomorrow .

 

[alex klaus]

Hi,
Does it support Native Video Calling ? ( i mean without app )

 

[Mac58]

Hey Andrew I asked a question on the review page but I really didnt get an answer ( well maybe just not the answer I was looking for lol) here it is:
Your statement is why I asked the question but from the impression of the review, you were turned off by small nuisances which every phone has so I wasn't sure if it was a case of settling for the phone because its cheap or settling for the phone like we do for every phone because the hardware manufacturer just made small stupid mistakes that we can live with.

I'm tired of Nexus Syndrome. Probably won't be purchasing this. I just want something that is top notch through and through with no sacrifices regardless of price

So does this phone just suffer from small quirks that all phones suffer from or are they really detrimental factors that make this phone a turnoff and only a purchase because it is so cheap (My definition of Nexus Syndrome lol)? Again I love my Nexus but I know their are better phones out there hardware wise IMO.

 

[Shamatix]

I've read in some initial reviews that there is a slight lag when using the capacitive buttons to go to the home screen from apps. Do you also experience this, and is it because of the double tap function of the home button? (Similar to galaxy devices where double pressing home button brings up s voice; it creates a lag since the phone waits for a second press after the first press to see whether you want to launch s voice. This was solved by turning off "launch s voice" by double pressing home button.) Can the double tap function of the home button be switched off completely? (i.e. Double pressing home buttons does no action).Thanks! This phone seems like a beast so far, so it'll be a bummer if there's a lag from the home buttom since I hate on-screen buttons.

The reviews are stupid, the reason it take abit longer time to get "out of apps" when you press the home button is because they give you extra time for double tap to open/switch between multiple applications, it is possible to turn the timer down so it will go to your home screen instantly, so you wont have to be bothered with the "delay" from tapping the home button

 

[alex klaus]

About native video calls, anyone knows ?