OnePlus 2:Specifications and release date

The OnePlus 2 is launching on July 27 at 7:00 PT and will launched entirely in virtual reality. According to recent leaks, the OnePlus 2 will be joining the flagship trend by donning an all-aluminum body. This rumor has even been contributed to by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, who recently asked fans to define ''full metal''. Head to the highlighted sections below to find out everything we know so far about the OnePlus 2.

OnePlus 2 rendered image leaked

The latest leak to have emerged claims to show an official render of the OnePlus 2. We kept the dimensions of the original image on Weibo, which seem a bit on the elongated side and make it hard to tell what kind of screen size we're looking at (though rumors point to a 5.5-inch one). If it's real, the image confirms rumors that the OnePlus 2 is ditching a plastic chassis in favor of an aluminum one.

However, the image also contradicts previous leaks (see 'Design' section) which suggested that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint sensor on the back, as there is no scanner visible here. Given that OnePlus recently confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint sensor, maybe it'll be on the front instead?

OnePlus 2 release date

We can now reveal that the OnePlus 2 release date is July 27 at 7:00 PT. The launch will kick off simultaneously worldwide via a synchronized Google Cardboard-assisted launch in virtual reality (OnePlus is making their own version of Cardboard for the event).

For more info, visit the OnePlus forum. This mid-year launch will give the OnePlus 2 a solid head-start on the devices coming at IFA 2015 in September (which we think will include the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus as well as the rumored LG G4 Pro).  

The official teaser sent out previously and the competition that went with it, were all just a fake-out from OnePlus and the winners of that competition will not attend the launch, but actually help create it in VR. For reference, the OnePlus One became available on April 25, 2014, first in Asian and European markets, before making its way to the US.

OnePlus 2 specs

As mentioned above, we now have confirmation that the Snapdragon 810 will be the CPU used in the OnePlus 2. As OnePlus stated in their forum: ''We worked very closely with Qualcomm’s engineers to integrate an improved version of the chipset (v2.1) in the OnePlus 2, and fine-tuned both hardware and software. The 2 will be “cooler than ever'' - so keep your fingers crossed that thermal throttling is not an issue anymore.

Leading up to the announcement of the OnePlus One last year, OnePlus revealed the device one spec at a time. And now we're being 'treated' to the same marketing methods ploy again.

Thanks to posts over on the OnePlus forums, we now know that the OnePlus 2 will be the “first global flagship smartphone” to come with a USB Type-C connector. I previously called it “the all-in-one cable you've been waiting your entire life for” - hit the link to find out why.

We’ll keep you posted on the specs as we learn about them over the coming weeks.

Other recently rumored OnePlus 2 specs include an Adreno 430 GPU, 3 GB of RAM and either a Full HD or QHD 5.5-inch display.

At this point, we're inclined to believe that the OnePlus 2 will have a Full HD resolution, given the price point of the device. OnePlus will be keen to provide fans with a similar product to the OnePlus One - and including a high-quality QHD display could increase the device's production costs a little too much.

OnePlus 2 price

A source informed us that the OnePlus 2 will be priced like the original, at (or around) 299/349 USD for the two versions. We're now not so sure about the exact pricing of the OnePlus 2 as a recent OnePlus forum post contradicts the previous information provided to us.

That post states the OnePlus 2 price will be ''higher than 322'' USD. We're hoping if the OnePlus 2 is indeed priced higher than the OnePlus One, that it is not significantly so. We're assuming we'll have a 16 GB and 64 GB version again, but the base model could be bumped up to 32 GB. We'll just have to wait and see how this pans out.

The higher price rumors came earlier in May, when Gizchina reported that Pete Lau, founder and CEO of OnePlus, had said that 2499.99 Yuan (402 USD) sounded like a good price for the OnePlus 2 (after having the figure suggested to him by a poster on Weibo).

The OnePlus One started at 299 USD / 269 Euro / 229 GBP for the 16 GB model, and 349 USD / 299 Euro / 269 GBP for the 64 GB version. Both variants have now received a permanent reduction of 50 USD.

OnePlus 2 invites

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will still be sold using the invite system, at least to begin with. While it has taken a whole year for the One to outgrow the invite system, the 2 will still need to be manufactured and shipped at lower volumes at the start, and this means the invite system will return. Stay tuned for more information on how to get a OnePlus 2 invite.

OnePlus One discounts

At CES 2015, Carl Pei confirmed that once the OnePlus 2 launches, the OnePlus One will be sold at a discounted price until stocks run out. This price cut turned out to be a mere 50 USD, but we also know that the OnePlus will continue to be supported (for the next year or eighteen months) and will be built until demand dries up.

OnePlus 2 design

After a terribly filtered image on Weibo surfaced of a OnePlus shaped device claiming to be the OnePlus 2, another couple of leaked images have appeared. PhoneArena claim to have images of both the front and back of the OnePlus 2.

They're a bit on the blurry side, but we've collaged them together for you below. Do you think this is the OnePlus 2? We've contacted OnePlus for comment but they politely declined to respond. From what the images seem to show though, we can see a bezel-less design, front-facing speakers and a fingerprint scanner on the back - which conflicts with a more recent render that doesn't show a rear-mounted scanner.

Our source at OnePlus tells us though that the OnePlus 2 will ''share the same philosophy and design'' as the OnePlus One. We couldn't get anything more in terms of size, but we did chat vaguely about the rumors of a second, smaller device appearing this year...

OnePlus 2 features

In late June, we got confirmation that the OnePlus 2 will feature a fingerprint scanner. The OnePlus 2 will be capable of storing five different prints to access five different user profiles (or five fingers of the same person).

According to the announcement on the OnePlus forum, the OnePlus 2 fingerprint scanner will be twice as fast as Apple's TouchID. We've had mixed feelings about fingerprint scanners in the past, so we'll be interested to see if OnePlus gets it right.

The OnePlus One arrived running a customized version of CyanogenMod, CyanogenMod 11S, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Since then, OnePlus has split with Cyanogen Inc and developed its own operating system known as OxygenOS: this is the UI which will be used on the OnePlus 2.

How does the OnePlus's latest OTA update, Cyanogen OS 12, compare to OxygenOS? Find out in our OxygenOS vs Cyanogen OS 12 comparison. OnePlus promises us that the slimmed down ROM will mean faster updates with more features added as time goes by.

Are you looking forward to a OnePlus 2? What do you hope to see from this phone?