OnePlus X Review: Stylish, efficient and worthy

OnePlus has blurred the fine line between premium and affordable segments with its impressive devices. After challenging the high-end flagship handsets, OnePlus took a bold stand in giving a new definition to premium mid-range smartphones with the OnePlus X.

A little over two weeks ago, OnePlus sent us the review unit of the OnePlus X Onyx version. We must say, the experience so far has been really good. 

In this review of the OnePlus X, we look at the handset's design, performance, battery life and most importantly, if it is worth the money. 

Design and build

Smartphones are differentiated by their unique designs, especially now that all phones look similar. The OnePlus X certainly stands out in the crowd with its gorgeous glassy look and premium feel. It's an undeniable fact that the OnePlus X design reminds us of the good-old iPhone 4 and 4S devices. But that's not a bad thing at all, as the OnePlus X poses great visuals.

The OnePlus X is sleek, light and handy. It measures 140 x 69 x 6.9mm and weighs 138g, which is quite a comfort in hand. Both sides of the device have Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and a textured metal frame surrounds the handset to offer a good grip.

The metal frame on the sides adds to the premium feel of the handset and complements the device with its gunmetal hue. The volume rocker keys and the power/lock button are located on the right side of the device alongside the SIM card tray. On the left, is the Alert Slider that lets you instantly switch between "No Interruptions," "Priority Interruptions Only," and "All Notifications."

Towards the bottom of the device, is the speaker grill with a microUSB slot for charging the device. The headphone jack takes its usual position on the top of the handset.

Display

The OnePlus X features a 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display with 441ppi. The images and videos appear crisp and sharp without compromising viewing experience. The glass top is prone to fingerprint smudges but does not hinder display. The Full HD display with AMOLED screen works really well in bright sunlight. Despite a slight reflection, there is less strain on eyes.

Camera

The OnePlus X features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture with ISOCELL technology for sharp images and true colours. On the front side of the device is an 8MP shooter with f/2.4 aperture that delivers great selfies. The interface is kept simple, much in line with other OnePlus models, by placing all basic options such as flash, timer, capture, selfie camera and settings in a dedicated bar, which takes up one third of the UI.

The OnePlus X camera shootout did not cease to impress us. The results were impressive and multiple modes give a better control at taking good shots. There are different modes including Clear Image, Slow Motion, Time lapse, HDR, Beauty mode along with additional customisations that lets you control ISO, shutter speed and white balance.

We took out the OnePlus X camera for a spin and below are some sample shots:

Performance

The OnePlus X runs an outdated yet powerful 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC combined with 3GB RAM and 16GB onboard storage. The handset works smoothly and carries out multiple operations with ease. We really have no complaint with the performance bit as it does what most phones are capable of doing. 

As for specifics, the OnePlus X benchmark scores aren't impressive. Take a look at the scores below:

We played a few games, ran Full HD videos, among other operations. It is worth noting that the handset was not heating to the point where it cannot be handled, which was one of our biggest fears.

Battery

The OnePlus X features a 2,525mAh battery embedded inside the sealed unibody. The handset isn't big on the battery compartment but it delivers a decent runtime. With mixed usage of music, chatting, internet browsing and calls, the handset survived almost 12 hours, which is more than we can ask. Even so, OnePlus could have improved the battery.

Add-ons

The OnePlus X packs several additional features such as dual SIM slots, microSD card expansion up to 128GB, 4G LTE support and runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop based OxygenOS 2.1.2. There are several customisation options in the phone to make it look unique.

Verdict

The Good:

• OnePlus X has a design that is impressive. 
• The performance is at par with most flagship devices, at least the old-generation ones.
• Camera is decent and takes good shots during daylight.
• The display clarity is superb, offers true colours and good brightness.
• OnePlus X nailed the pricing.

The Bad:

• OnePlus X battery is not up to the mark. 
• Lacks NFC and supports either a microSD card or a second SIM at a time.
• The glass back is slippery and needs extra care.
• The invite-only system continues for OnePlus X.

Overall, the OnePlus X is a great handset at Rs 16,999. Clearly, the pros outweigh the cons. In our view, the OnePlus X is definitely a reliable handset when it comes to performance, design and camera. The invite-only sales model may be a turn off but it can be worth the wait if you are upgrading from a sub-Rs 10,000 phone.