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Ryan0751

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 4, 2013
184
164
I've been using iPhones since the first model. Occasionally, I'd play with an Android tablet here and there. I was even given one from work, and I used it for a short time (original Nexus 7) and ended up giving it to a friend.

I had the 5S, and when the 6 and 6+ came out I really wanted a bigger screen. I didn't really want a new contract (I still had a year left on my AT&T 5S contract), and also really didn't want to spend $950 on a phone.

A coworker had purchased the OnePlus One, and I managed to get in on the deal. $350 for a 64GB 5.5" Android phone, fully unlocked...

The device itself is really nice. It's a simple elegant design, feels well built in your hand. The camera is "OK", it's high MP, but the SW is what keeps it not quite as good as the iPhone's. I don't mind much, as I carry a Fuji X100s with me most times.

Switching to Android wasn't too bad, but not completely painless either. For the most part, you use your phone to run your apps, and most apps are available on both platforms, so it's a wash. I found a few apps that were not of the same quality as the iOS equivalent.

The phone has the CyanogenMod firmware, which lets me configure a bunch of options, and it doesn't come with any vendor specific crap installed on the phone, which is a big plus.

I had major issues trying to get the phone onto the corporate network. We use a mobile device management system, and because of the differences in all the Android variants, it wasn't able to provision the certificates correctly to get on the corporate services until I and the IT department played with it... a lot!

But, now that it's been a couple of months, it's actually not a bad experience at all. There are things I like about Android, the customizability and the way the apps have more control of the OS. The notification systems does seem to work a bit better, I really never used them on iOS, or not in the same way. On Android, I constantly check the notification drawer.

One surprise was iTunes syncing. I thought this would be a pain, but I installed iSyncr, and it lets me sync to my iTunes library, right from my phone. I think it actually works better than syncing with iTunes directly. Fortunately I don't have a lot of video content in iTunes, because the Apple formats don't seem to be playable on the OnePlus.

Things I miss? I do miss the touch ID. The OnePlus has a "double tap to wake" feature which is nice, but you still have to put in your pin code. I also miss iMessage. I am now using MySMS so that I can respond and send texts from my desktop and laptop, but it's not as well integrated and I need to run two programs (Messages and MySMS) to keep in touch.

Some things that are native on iOS require additional apps to do in Android. Take a photo and want to e-mail it? It'll be full size unless you get a "reszier" app, unlike iOS where it prompts you to resize automatically. Things along that line...

I haven't tried out Google Pay yet, though it's set up. I think iPay seems to be deployed much better and it more advertised as to where you can use it.

I figured I'd share my experience in case anyone else is lured by this phone. I think it's a nice phone at a great price. The issues I faced are common with any android device, and provided you are patient the switch can be relatively painless.
 
^ I would imagine our experience would be very similar for most people switching to android from iOS regardless of android device (not just one plus one) :)

Enjoy your phone :) I find the 'fundamental' similarities between all smartphones is often greater than the 'elemental' differences. As long as you enjoy the device you have and are ok being 'app store' agnostic (don't mind buying the odd few apps again) then android & iOS are both great in there own ways :)
 
The OPO is a great phone! Enjoy the great battery life. One of the great things about this phone is the ability to unlock the bootloader and have complete control over your phone. You can flash custom ROMs if you so choose. It was one of my favorite phones of 2014. It is big but not too big as it has a very nice ergonomic feel in the hand.
Enjoy! Great phone!
 
I'm really loving my oneplus. Agree with you on the camera. That is the only thing I miss from the iPhone 6. Otherwise, everything else is wonderful.
 
I had the OPO over the summer and part of fall, and loved the thing honestly! When it comes to Android, my current favorite device is the Nexus 6 though, but not at retail price. I just scored one for $480 on Swappa (which is only $100 more than OPO), which I think would have been a much more appealing price for the Nexus 6: $499 32GB/$549 64GB.
 
Ryan, just use pushbullet with the extension in chrome for sms. No need to have another sms app.
 
A couple days ago, I was watching several video comparisons between OnePlus One vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Sony Xperia Z3....

The OnePlus One held up quite well! The Z3 wasn't all that but it had OIS for better shake-free videos. Its still shots were not that much better while OPO captured more true colors. And the OPO was actually beating Note 4 in benchmark tests. It won about half of the speed tests opening up apps.

It is really, really close between all three. Z3 has the water-resist, longest battery, and best design of the three. Note 4 has removable battery, best screen, and cool multi-app window features. OPO has the best value, skin/ROM, customizable rear, and as fast as the other two with battery life in-between them.

For me, my gut tells me to get Note 4 first but barely. I can't stand brittle, glass rears on the Z3. But the OPO is really worth the price of admission knowing it holds up well vs newer phones like the Note 4 with more powerful internals. OPO is a damn good consolation prize for people who can't afford the Note.
 
A couple days ago, I was watching several video comparisons between OnePlus One vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Sony Xperia Z3....

The OnePlus One held up quite well! The Z3 wasn't all that but it had OIS for better shake-free videos. Its still shots were not that much better while OPO captured more true colors. And the OPO was actually beating Note 4 in benchmark tests. It won about half of the speed tests opening up apps.

It is really, really close between all three. Z3 has the water-resist, longest battery, and best design of the three. Note 4 has removable battery, best screen, and cool multi-app window features. OPO has the best value, skin/ROM, customizable rear, and as fast as the other two with battery life in-between them.

For me, my gut tells me to get Note 4 first but barely. I can't stand brittle, glass rears on the Z3. But the OPO is really worth the price of admission knowing it holds up well vs newer phones like the Note 4 with more powerful internals. OPO is a damn good consolation prize for people who can't afford the Note.

I was between the z3 and the oneplus and am glad I went the route of oneplus. The only thing I see the z3 having better is the waterproofing and the design. Neither were deal breakers for me to not have so to get the oneplus for half the price made sense.

Also, don't forget you get 64gb for half the price. I know the z3 has expandable storage but having 64gb on board right away is more than enough.

I could go on and on, and if you have questions feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer. In short, the Oneplus is a great device. I hardly use my iPhone 6 anymore.

Having said that I can't wait to see what Sony does with the z4!
 
I was between the z3 and the oneplus and am glad I went the route of oneplus. The only thing I see the z3 having better is the waterproofing and the design. Neither were deal breakers for me to not have so to get the oneplus for half the price made sense.

Also, don't forget you get 64gb for half the price. I know the z3 has expandable storage but having 64gb on board right away is more than enough.

I could go on and on, and if you have questions feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer. In short, the Oneplus is a great device. I hardly use my iPhone 6 anymore.

Having said that I can't wait to see what Sony does with the z4!


Hello! are you using the OnePlus one yet?

I cant decide between the OPO and the sony Z3

Greetings From Venezuela
 
OPO has the best value, skin/ROM, customizable rear, and as fast as the other two with battery life in-between them.
If only it was to an extent it was originally advertised to be.

The only thing I see the z3 having better is the waterproofing and the design. Neither were deal breakers for me to not have so to get the oneplus for half the price made sense.

The Z3 also has stereo front-facing speakers, a physical shutter button, and the camera itself is arguably better than the OPO's (Z3 has a larger sensor, higher MP count but the OPO does RAW) . The Xperia Z3's display is smaller, but has a higher density, maximum brightness, contrast ratio, and a wider gamut than the OnePlus One's. Being a deal breaker though; that's another story.

Hello! are you using the OnePlus one yet?

I cant decide between the OPO and the sony Z3

Greetings From Venezuela

Both are quite similar in specs. They share the same chipset, 3 GB RAM, 3100 mAh battery, and a 1080p display.

Differentiating features of the OPO vs. Z3 (in that order):

  • Plastic vs. glass and aluminum build
  • Curved back vs. uniform thickness
  • Centered camera protrusion (barely) vs. flush camera in top left corner
  • Dual LED vs. single LED flash (brightness is probably comparable though)
  • 5.5" vs. 5.2" display
  • Capacitive buttons or navbar vs. on-screen navbar only
  • 13 MP vs. 20.7 MP rear camera
  • 5 MP vs. 2.2 MP front camera
  • 16/64 GB internal storage vs. 16 GB + expandable storage
  • No camera button vs. yes
  • Styleswap vs. no
  • Dual mono down-facing (probably louder too) vs. stereo front-facing speakers (better frequency response?)
  • No protection from elements vs. IP68 dust and water resistance
  • Unlocking bootloader does not void warranty vs. may void warranty
  • Easier to root vs. harder to root

It depends on what you prefer/want in a phone.
 
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