OnePlus 2: Disappointing Second Album syndrome strikes again

Meh

I think I'll stick with my iPhone. Less faff.

Speaking as someone who just traded in their Samsung Galaxy S2 in for a grey-import Oneplus 2 I have to say I am absolutely delighted with it. However in view of the age of my old phone you could probably have handed me 2 coconuts tied together and I would have clapped excitedly. It did improve immeasurably once I'd flashed the latest OxygenOS over the grey-import bloaty crapware it came installed with. Despite Andrews early assertions, I can't say I've noticed that having 5.5 inches of bamboo in my pocket has made any difference either way to the ease of getting laid.

shame

I love my oneplus one, and although i plan to keep it for many years, if it ever died I don't think I'd go for a OP2

i'd want a cm one i think

I love my OnePlus One, primarily because of CM, so the Two doesn't interest me too much. Having said that, Ill probably buy the Two just for the bamboo backing...

Cyanogen OS, not CyanogenMod

The Wileyfox runs Cyanogen OS, not CyanogenMod. Cyanogen OS is the one that gets the Microsoft apps and deeply integrated Cortana at some point. Also, probably you won't have root on those phones. So definitely not as interesting as having a real CM.

I agree that there are issues, but I'm happy with mine.

I don't find the battery life bad (I get about a day and a half to two days on a charge). I would have liked fast charge but it's not a deal breaker for me (I've never had it). And, right now, NFC has little use in the UK. I have only every used it to mess around (reading my passport and using a few stick-on tags).

However, once Android Pay launches in the UK, I may regret it. I hadn't heard about the lack of NFC before I bought it, and it may have affected my decision. I don't quite understand why they omitted it just as the tech is about to become useful...

Interesting read.

A lot of negatives and hardly any positives apart from the OnePlus One.

They have released update 2.1.0 two days ago which resolves certain issues.

Software updates are a plenty so far (3 since launch) so iron out the community bugs.

How the original started out really, just its more prevalent as it was a higher profile release.

LTE

The biggest problem with cheap high-spec phones is the lack of LTE bands. Most of them have two sets of two or three diverse bands to choose from, with hopefully one set having one band that is used in your region. The OnePlus Two is better than average in this respect. I count 8 LTE bands in the North American model.

My take

I've had one for 10 days and have very few complaints, added to which it's got generally better specs than my old HTC One M8 at 55% of the cost. Given that I always buy off contract, that's a big factor.

NFC: had it on the HTC, never used it. Seems to me NFC is pretty useless in the UK.

USB-C: different, just like switching from mini-USB to micro- was, and I've no idea why the article says "And the supplied USB-C cable doesn’t fit any regular USB plugs or ports, although it should" because I have zero problems with it. Also it avoids the usual Lovecraftian geometry that requires you to have at least three attempts to plug USB in.

Oxygen OS: not really stock Android. It sits over SELinux, has user accounts, and can control app permissions so you don't have to live with the over-generous rights grab most apps seem to have these days. It's remarkably quick to encrypt the phone as well - it warns you that it will take up to four hours, then does it in about 7 minutes.

Can't persuade the damn launcher to give me a 6x4 grid though, and I agree the lack of customisability of the quick settings is a PITA, although you can reorder them (unlike the article claim).

Fast charge: no big deal for me. The battery lasts me two days normally, one while travelling and using maps a lot (plus being in the wilds so the phone shouts harder to out of range base stations), and I charge overnight.

Fingerprint scanner: works fine for me unless I have wet hands (maybe Andrew O moisturises a lot?). Setting it up automatically let me use it for unlock (as well as the PIN I'd set up), no problem.

Camera: if I want seriously good photos I get out the DLSR. Good enough for using as an aide memoire, and the only reason I use selfie mode is to act as a mirror so I can see the backs of monitors when plugging cables in.

I'm far from a typical phone user, but for my use it's great. The only major problem is the ridiculous "invite" system - I'm somewhere around number 500,000 and only have my phone because I know a OnePlus 1 owner who got an early invite and took it intending to resell.

OTG issues

I'm reasonably happy with my OnePlus 2, having moved from a Nexus 5 I do miss QI charging but NFC turned out to be a short lived novelty.

NFC may be more important in the UK a a year or two and I'm happy to change phones if that turns out to be the case.

My only concern so far is that I used to be able to use a Plantronics USB headset and an R820T2 dongle with USB OTG cables on the 5. Neither device is detected on the 2.

I've bought a couple of cheap USB C OTG cables and USB-C to micro USB adapters to use with my existing OTG cables so they may be the problem. OnePlus do sell a C to micro adapter but it is out of stock on the UK store so I've not been able to try that yet.

Otherwise I'm happy enough with the phone, especially considering the price.

I've also bought a USB C to micro USB adapter and that The official USB C to micro

Another glaring problem

...is that, for the Two, OnePlus has produced regional versions. I was looking forward to the dual SIM facility, meaning I could roam in the States on a local SIM and keep my UK SIM in too.

Two SIMs, one phone: what's not to like? Well, the fact that the European version doesn't have any US LTE bands, for instance. The One did. So, yes, I could roam in the States, but I get 3G at best on a European Two. And that ain't good enough for me, because I _need_ the speed: hotel networking there often is wired-only (I mean, seriously? Twenty-FIRST century, anyone?), and when it's actually wi-fi, it's either larcenously expensive - $15-20/day is typical) - slow, or, quite often, both.

The lack of NFC's a problem for me too, particularly as I was writing an Android NFC app for one client!

So, the Two's a zero for me. Sorry.

"It excites them more than the (remote) prospect of sex."

I don't know which nerds you asked, but all the ones I know only have sex on their minds...

No NFC makes it obsolete?

More like it is missing some checkbox item that some people like to think is a requirement, but like SD card slot and removable battery, the market says is not.

Unless you feel a pressing need to buy stuff with your phone, NFC is pretty much useless except for geeks who like to find solutions in need of a problem, where the solution is "let me stick NFC tags all over my life"