Waiting for iPhone 6? 3GB RAM OnePlus One under Dh1,500

This is one handset that has, even before its launch, managed to generate hype rivalling Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S5. And it’s coming in two weeks’ time - on April 23, 2014.

The exciting new Android handset that everyone seems to be waiting for is now closer to being launched, with OnePlus, the company behind the upcoming OnePlus One, revealing via its Facebook and Google+ posts that the One Android handset will be powered by Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.5GHz quad-core CPUs, be even cheaper than expected, and - wait for this - will come with a massive 3GB of RAM.

The firm has been teasing us for a while with the specs and features of its upcoming One smartphone. The company hasn’t, until now, actually shown its device or given concrete details about its components.

It recently posted a YouTube video of the unboxing the OnePlus One, which turned out to be another teaser and noting more.

However, the two things that have emerged clearly from the teasers and comments of CEO Peter Lau (of Oppo fame) are - that the OnePlus One will be priced at under $400, which works out to Dh1,470 for the local market. It’ll probably be around the Dh1,599-mark keeping in mind shipping and other overheads.

The other more exciting news that’s now being revealed is that the OnePlus One will sport a massive 3GB RAM. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S5, a fast and very recent launch (hasn’t hit UAE shelves yet) sports a 2GB RAM. The iPhone 5s has just 1GB RAM, with the upcoming iPhone 6 rumoured to have double of that. The proposed 3GB RAM in OnePlus One, therefore, is the equivalent of a V10 car engine compared with a V6 one. 

“So far, we have also been quiet about the amount of RAM that the OnePlus One will have. I have been working very closely with our engineers here to determine the best way to absolutely maximise performance. After carefully considering each option, today I can tell you that the OnePlus One will come with 3GB of RAM. This way no matter how memory hungry your games and apps may be, you will never have to worry about delay due to a lack of available RAM,” Lau wrote on his blog.

When Lau launched the new company late last year, he promised that he would make the best and latest technology accessible to everyone. With this price-point and power, he seems serious in his proposition. The OnePlus One is Lau’s dream smartphone — fast, high-end hardware in neat, sleek design.


The announced specs make the smartphone a must-have:
 

•         Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Processor

•         3100 mAh Battery

•         5.5” 1080p JDI Display

•         6 Piece, 13 Megapixel f/2.0 Sony Exmor IMX214

•         StyleSwap Replaceable Back Covers

“We have chosen to move to Snapdragon 801 processor to take full advantage of the fastest SoC currently on the market,” Lau wrote on his blog explaining the upgrade from Snapdragon 800. “We wanted to bring the real-world performance enhancements gained from the many improvements the Snapdragon 801 offers over the 800. The higher CPU clock of 2.5GHz instead of 2.3GHz will bring more overall speed and an increased experience to the user. A higher GPU clock of 578MHz instead of 450MHz will allow for less time spent waiting for games and other graphics. The newer eMMC 5.0 standard will help in greatly improving the interface speed, reducing the amount of time needed to copy, move, open, modify, and save almost everything that you’ll have on your phone.”

He added: “I want to ensure you all that we are still on track for the full unveiling on April 23, 2014. The addition of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 will not impact our launch plans. We look forward to sharing the One with the world very soon. It will definitely be worth the wait.”