I have yet to play with a OnePlus One, but it seems like a lot of phone for $299. I know a lot of you agree as you hope and pray for an invite so you can just hand them your money. Based on the fact that production is limited, your chances of getting that coveted invite are slim, but there is another way to grab one. Yes, there are a couple of caveats like that it will cost you a little more, but not a whole lot more.
Online retailer Oppomart.com actually has the OnePlus One in stock right now with the “Add to Cart” option just waiting for your click. Now like I said, there are a couple of caveats, but not too bad if you really want this phone. The first is that it will cost you a premium of $100. Oppomart has the 16GB version for $399. The other issue is that you will not get CyanogenMod on it. According to the site, “CyanogenMod is not ready for Oneplus One yet, so all phones installed Color OS now.”
Last week, we reported that shipments were delayed because there was an issue with CyanogenMod, but it was supposedly cleared up the very next day. We can only assume that Oppmart has devices in boxes that are obviously too late to be changed. Color OS is Oppo's proprietary UI skin, but the good news is that you will be able to easily install CyanogenMod through the Oneplus official site or the CyanogenMod community.
So what do you guys think? It is worth the extra $100 to get one a few months sooner? If you think it is, just click the source link below to get your order in.
source: oppomart
via: Android Authority
Second, you won’t get CyanogenMod on the device – the retailer claims “CyanogenMod is not ready for the device yet,” so you will get instead a device running Color OS, the Android implementation offered by Oppo (OnePlus’ sister company) on the Find 7. It should be easy to install CM11 manually, but not everyone is comfortable doing that.
Third, you will need to be careful about the LTE bands. According to Oppomart, the One supports the following bands: WCDMA: 1/2/4/5/8 (850/900/1900/2100 MHz) and LTE FDD: 1/3/4/7/17/38/40 (1800/2100/2600MHz). Before you place your order, make sure that your carrier supports some of the listed bands in your market.
With these sizeable catches out of the way, why would you shell out an extra $100 for the 16GB OnePlus One and go through the hassle of ordering from a third-party retailer? Well, if you live in one of the 16 markets where OnePlus currently sells devices, you might want to wait. But if you urgently need a phone, if you don’t have an invite, or if OnePlus doesn’t sell devices in your country, Oppomart seems like a good alternative, and it’s definitely better than buying from shady resellers on eBay or Craigslist.
I think that I am ready to go for the OnePlus One 64GB phone. I love the fact that CyanogenMod is fully installed and functioning. I have to admit I’m a little concerned about fully speed functionality in the US using either the StraightTalk or Net10 LTE network. Also, I am hoping that I can run full device encryption. I have done Android OS full encryption and found that it nearly crippled my phone and 7″ tablet with battery drain and performance issues. I had to start over and run without full encryption.
Check out the Oppo Find 7, you can actually buy it. It is made by the same company and the international version supports LTE band 20.
But it probably cost (almost) twice as much.
It is £100 more, but better specs.
Nice that today they made an announcement that essentially delays the full rollout of the phone until at least Q3.
Here it is: We have been actively collecting and discussing the feedback that you’ve
had to the invite system. There is still a lot of confusion around the
goals of the invite system, which means that we haven’t done our best to
communicate this. However, we’ve also noticed that the attitude
completely changes when a user actually receives an invite.
One of the major pain points of the system lies in the anxiety of not
knowing what needs to be done to obtain an invite, and the idea of
spending a lot of time and effort to get one. This was not a planned
side effect of the invite system, and we recognize that it is
counterproductive to the great user experience of buying a OnePlus
smartphone that we’re aiming for.
We want to find a solution that can both allow us to reward early fans,
as well as provide a pain free and time efficient way for busy people to
buy our device. Therefore, we’ll launch our devices in multiple stages:
invites only with a transition into invites and pre-orders.
Initial period: Invites
The first months following our launch, we need to ensure consistency in
product and service quality. We need to make sure that the product
performs well, as well as fix any problems that may hinder a higher
yield rate as production ramps up. At the same time, customer service
and logistics also need to get ready to handle the upcoming demand, so
that our users aren’t left with in a situation where service is poor.
For these reasons, the devices will be sold via an invite system.
Stable period: Invites and Pre-orders
Once our business operations are on track to handle the demand, we will
be able to provide more detailed estimations on when we can ship. When
this happens, we will launch pre-orders in addition to invites.
If you have an invite, you’ll be able to purchase your device
immediately. If you don’t have an invite, you’ll be able to pay for and
pre-order your device, during which you’ll be given an estimation on
when the order can be shipped. Before the order is processed, you are
also free to cancel your pre-order for a full refund.
We are currently developing the pre-order functionality. Our best
estimation for the launch of this functionality is Q3, but are not able
to make any guarantees at this moment.
Update (June 16): Some
members are interpreting this as an additional delay. This is incorrect.
Nothing has changed on the production front, and a lot of people will
be receiving their phones this month. This post is about what comes
further down the line.