Top Five: OnePlus One Hardware Features

Bryan Collom
Adventures With Android
3 min readAug 12, 2014

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The OnePlus One is an incredibly striking device inside and out. OnePlus took careful time to create an ergonomic device that feels great in the hand. They haven’t branded the OnePlus One as a “Flagship Killer” for nothing. With top of the line specs and great design, OnePlus has created pretty remarkable hardware. Here are the five best features of the hardware of the OnePlus One.

Sandstone Black

The 64GB OnePlus One comes with a back material they have named “Sandstone Black”. I have already raved about how fantastic the back is in my full hardware review of the device. But to say even more. The Sandstone Black material puts the device in another echelon of grip and comfort. The Sandstone Black can be compared to velvety sandpaper. Once you feel the back of the OnePlus One, most other devices can’t compare. It’s just that good.

64GB of Storage

When a phone manufacturer decides to omit MicroSD card expandability to maintain a fluid design, they normally only offer a 16 or 32GB variant. Not OnePlus. They chose to offer a 64GB version of their behemoth phone. While having an MicroSD slot would prove convenient for future expandability. OnePlus offering 64GB is the second best option. This gives me the choice to have tons of music, games, and pictures without having to worry about filling up any time soon.

Volume/Power Button Placement

The OnePlus One is a big phone. It’s strictly in “phablet” territory. What OnePlus chose to do with the One’s power button and volume rocker was pure genius. They chose to move the buttons halfway down the sides of the device. This keeps you from having to stretch your hand to access the buttons. It makes the comfort of using such a large device much, much easier.

Metal frame

The OnePlus One has a metal frame that wraps around the device on the front side. it’s where the back of the device and the slightly raised screen meld together to from the OnePlus One as a whole.The metal frame adds as an ounce of flair for the device. Giving it a glisten under a light, which attracts attention. It also gives the OnePlus One a more premium and luxurious look and feel. A small touch, that offers an already fantastically built phone even more quality.

Snapdragon 801 / 3100mAh battery

The most alluring spec the OnePlus One carries is assuredly the combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and the 3100mAh battery. For a giant screen, you need a giant battery to support it. The battery life for the OnePlus One is fantastic. Part of this can be attributed to the Snapdragon 801 inside, which sips power wonderfully. But the giant battery helps a great deal as well. The battery can easily power the One for a full day with heavy, heavy use. Around the OnePlus community, you can see people achieving 5 hours of screen-on time with no problems.

The OnePlus One is a wonderfully built phone with flagship level specs. Coupled with the incredible price tag of $350 dollars, it simply cannot be beat. With a device that has so much going for it in terms of design and hardware, it was difficult to choose just five features that stood out. This phone is simply fantastic in every way.

If you want to see my Top Five: CyanogenMod 11 Features for the OnePlus One, you can find that here

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Bryan Collom
Adventures With Android

Technology. Photography. Coffee. Did I mention technology?