OnePlus One phone review – hitting the sweet spot

Its supply is rationed and some apps may not work - but this Android phone is fast and returns control to its users

How good is the OnePlus One phone, which recently hit the market? Good enough that after trying a review unit, I bought one. It is simply the best combination of hardware and software, at a more-than-fair price, that I’ve found to date.

Before I go into details, let me offer several cautions. It’s hard to buy one of these devices, because OnePlus is rationing the availability in its early days; you need an invitation, normally from a current owner, to buy one, though OnePlus says it’s ramping up mass production as quickly as possible. (Sorry, I don’t have any invites to offer.) The company, an offshoot of a Chinese manufacturer, Oppo, is selling the devices at roughly the cost of manufacturing to spur demand. So there’s always a question in such circumstances about support - reports like this (“Can’t get data to work. Went to AT&T store. They checked APN settings. All correct. Just won’t work.”) aren’t encouraging - and about future pricing and longevity.