First OnePlus 2 invites go out ahead of launch
OnePlus has sent out the first round of invites to would-be buyers of the OnePlus 2, the successor to last year's well-received OnePlus One.
OnePlus has described the devices as its "2016 flagship killer", and says it has designed to challenge next year's range-leading Android mobiles. The OnePlus 2 is set to be revealed at a livestreamed event, which can be viewed through the company's virtual reality launch app, later today.
Ahead of the launch, OnePlus has published details of invite system for the new device, adding that "for the foreseeable future" consumers will need to have an invite to acquire the handset.
OnePlus hasn't given any precise timelines for how long it will maintain the invite system this time. It has said it was much more prepared to handle sales and manage its razor thin margins this time around, but it took OnePlus a year before it fully lifted the invite system for its first device and began opening up sales periodically.
In other words, it may be months before shoppers will be able to buy OnePlus 2 without an invite. Until then, the chief way to obtain an invite is as a gift from someone that already has one, or by participating in OnePlus forums. Fans can also sign up to the reservation list, a kind of lotto for any unused invites, that so far over 191,000 people have signed up to.
Once a person has an invite, they'll have 24 hours to use it and purchases will take up to three weeks to fulfil, OnePlus said.
OnePlus has revealed a few details about the handset but will tell all at its launch event scheduled for 7pm PST. OnePlus is encouraging users to watch the launch through its Cardboard VR headset (or alternative ones) and the OnePlus 2 launch app published on Google Play last week.
So far the company has revealed that the OnePlus 2 will feature Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor, a USB Type-C connector, 4GB RAM, and a fingerprint sensor said to be faster than Apple's Touch ID.
The next big question, given the higher specs, is how the handset will be priced and whether the OnePlus 2 can come in at the same point as its predecessor.
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