OnePlus 2 goes official, starts at $329, invitation sales begin August 11

Last year, OnePlus, a Chinese smartphone startup made a name for itself with its first device touted as the flagship killer, the OnePlus One. Now, OnePlus has introduced the OnePlus 2 to the world finally via a VR launch experience, which is world's first. 

The OnePlus 2 is exactly what the brand had promised. It sports a metal frame fashioned out of lightweight aluminum alloy. There is a fingerprint scanner integrated into the physical home button, and can store up to five fingerprints. On the side there is a hardware sliding switch dubbed 'Alert Slider' that offers quick switching between notification settings. Also on offer is a reversible USB Type-C port and removable back cover with optional style swap covers in Kevlar, bamboo, rosewood and black apricot.

OnePlus 2 features 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS In-Cell display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Inside there is an Octa-core Snapdragon 810 64-bit processor paired with Adreno 430 GPU and 4GB DDR4 RAM. On-board storage is 64GB. There is also a 16GB storage variant that packs 3GB LPPDR4 RAM. 

Software-wise, the OnePlus 2 runs OxygenOS, the brand’s own custom ROM which uses Android Lollipop v5.1 as base. It includes the ability to set app permissions, there is a new camera app with super resolution mode, time lapse and slow motion. Also offered is SwiftKey Keyboard, off screen gestures, option for on-screen navigation keys, audio tuner, file manager, option to adjust icon grid size, personalize LED indicator, choice of Dark UI mode and ability to select accents. OnePlus says it has made subtle changes that add value to the user experience. 

Camerwise it sports 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, Laser Auto focus, OIS, 1.3um pixels, f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording capabilities. On the front there is a 5-megapixel shooter for taking selfies.  Connectivity features include dual-SIM slot, 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS. It is fueled by 3300mAh battery. The OnePlus 2 measures 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85mm, weighs 175g and comes in Sandstone Black color.

The OnePlus 2 will be available in US, UK, EU, India and China starting August 11 and will roll out in Southeast Asia in Q4 2015. The 3GB RAM/16GB storage model is priced at Rs. 22,999 ($329) and the 4GB RAM/64GB storage model costs Rs. 24,999 ($389).

The 64GB OnePlus 2 model will be available to purchase first in India from August 11 exclusively on Amazon via an invite. The 16GB OnePlus 2 model will be available later this year.

OnePlus will also set-up pop up stores at nine cities across the world namely Bengaluru, New Delhi, Jakarta, Milan, Berlin, Paris, London, New York, and San Francisco - on July 31. Visitors will get to demo the OnePlus 2, ask questions, and could even win an invite. The first 50 visitors will get a gift bag. More details can be found on OnePlus forum.