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If the OnePlus 3 looks like a OnePlus X, I'd buy it

oneplus x 8
© nextpit

I would. The way I see it, the OnePlus X has one of the most beautiful designs of a piece of consumer electronics hardware, ever. And if the OnePlus 3 followed a similar aesthetic, I’d buy it outright.

Androidpit Oneplus x vs oneplus 2 1
Stay glassy : the OnePlus X (right) and OnePlus Two. / © ANDROIDPIT

Now, that’s not to say the OnePlus 3  won't look good – or that a OnePlus X2 won’t arrive later in the year with a similar design. But leaked photos suggest the OnePlus 3 doesn't have much in common with the OnePlus X, from a physical standpoint. And it's a crying shame.

The OnePlus X is, essentially, a small piece of touch-sensitive black glass with a metal rim. But it looks like how I imagined future handhelds would look when I was a kid. It's ominous. Threatening. It could turn on you at any moment. 

But it also has something of a magical appearance. Run your thumb along its side edge: it’s like stroking Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Cradle it in your hand – you’re massaging the Mona Lisa.

androidpit sony xperia Z3 compact vs OnePlus x 4
The OnePlus X (left) features a glass and metal package lacking on other, smaller handhelds. / © ANDROIDPIT

The OnePlus X is right in so many ways; the hardware and price point are bang on. And if OnePlus had have managed to achieve this look with stronger internal components (even with the necessary increase in price this would require), I can’t see how it would have been anything less than ridiculously awesome.  

Somewhere along the line smartphones stopped being cool, you know? But this, the OnePlus X, this handset put the X back into seXy phones. I just want to hold it and pretend its Ziggy from Quantum Leap’s evil sister. All. Day. Long.  

OnePlus3 1
I'm not saying this looks bad but it looks like it lacks the charm that the OnePlus X has. / © Phonearena

So that’s it. When devices like the OnePlus X – or Nextbit Robin (yep, you heard me) – come along, you stand up and take notice. All signs indicate it’s the OnePlus 3 will have a new look, but I want you to picture it for a second: an ultra-thin, ultra-powerful, ceramic, OnePlus 3. That would have been really something.

That's all. I would buy that. Do you like the (rumored) OnePlus 3 design? Or would you have preferred it to look like a OnePlus X? Let me know in the comments.

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Scott Adam Gordon

Scott Adam Gordon
Editor

Originally from the UK, Scott graduated in Popular Music Studies at Newcastle University and attributes much of his success there to his beloved Samsung Galaxy S2. His current aim is to write cool things about Android. And he loves it.

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15 comments
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  • 3
    tftdguru May 18, 2016 Link to comment

    No way. No how do I want a glass back on my next phone. It's not a piece of sculpture, it's a tool, a useful device, that should be designed for touching, holding, and, unfortunately, dropping. Give me some texture to reduce slipping and fingerprints anyday over a once shiny, now smudged or cracked monoslab.


  • Kikloo 4
    Kikloo May 18, 2016 Link to comment

    Love my op2. It's the first android phone which I have kept for more than 6 months and am still in love with it. It made me forget my i6. If op3 comes with 6 gb ram then I will switch otherwise I'll stick to op2 till op2. Quality of op is top notch. Updates are a bit slow but cm13 takes care of it.


  • 2
    Phil Shotton May 18, 2016 Link to comment

    On the flipside of this, if the OneX had the innards of the 2 or the 3.... Until very recently I had still clung on to my HTC One M7. The M8, M9 and even M10 (or 10 or whatever) just seemed to get bigger and not much better. The same can be said for the OnePlus1, 2 and even 3 - they've gotten a little better but far too much bigger. In the end I plumped for the Nexus 5X


  • 1
    Rajat Sharma May 18, 2016 Link to comment

    I like the design of OnePlus X and I found Moto X (1st Gen) to be the best phone for single handed usage( or maybe it fits my hands perfectly) and I also like the design of Mi 5. So, if there is a phone which is as powerful as the flagship phones and good for single handed usage I would definitely buy that. I found iPhone SE to be too small and overpriced. And, OnePlus is the one of the companies who can make a phone like that which is still affordable. I wish if they create a 5.5 inch OnePlus 3 then they also make a smaller version of it having all the same hardware not some old processor like OnePlus X. Or I should say create a iPhone SE killer with a screen size of 4.7-5 inch.


  • Anabel Christopher 1
    Anabel Christopher May 17, 2016 Link to comment

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  • 49
    storm May 17, 2016 Link to comment

    That's a pretty shallow analysis and reason for phone purchasing.


  • Anil Ch 1
    Anil Ch May 17, 2016 Link to comment

    Me too . , Love the OPX design.


  • 12
    joost May 16, 2016 Link to comment

    ? I assume you are on the payroll of OnePlus?
    then you can perhaps explain why they send out this"beautiful" phone with a cheap looking protectie casing? this silicone shield takes away all the oh's and ah's...and transforms this X-gem into an ordinary rock..


  • WoOw 1
    WoOw May 16, 2016 Link to comment

    Well! If 1+3 ever comes in One+X alike body, it must be a truely bazel free phone in order to achieve the screen size 5.5". I wouldn't buy a phone with less than 5.3" nor larger than 5.6" over size phone that is hard to fit into my pocket. 1+1 & 1+2 are the reason propel me from owning one were both had a too long body in size. Also, no NFC is another reason I shy away from.


  • Param Vir 1
    Param Vir May 16, 2016 Link to comment

    The leaked photos of OP3 are purely ugly. While I am fine with the front, the back makes it look horrible. However there is some hope as there is no oneplus logo on the headset which suggests that it is just a prototype and not the final design. I also completely agree that OP3 should be "an ultra-thin, ultra-powerful, ceramic" phone


  • 5
    derek mac May 16, 2016 Link to comment

    unfortunately the OPX is a rather poor, dated phone, I'd rather have better specs than decent looks.. (I did have 1 but got rid and got an Honor 7 instead)


  • Carmelo Rivera 20
    Carmelo Rivera May 15, 2016 Link to comment

    I don't care too much about design. I don't like thick phones though. As long as it's well built, I'm good. Specs to me are more important and well optimized.


  • 1
    Tony THONG May 15, 2016 Link to comment

    Oneplus X design is far better than presumed Oneplus 3... I love my Oneplus X and I decided to buy a new oneplus 3 for my wife but after seen some leaks, I'm not sure about it... design can ruin the device....


  • Michal Horna 14
    Michal Horna May 15, 2016 Link to comment

    It is a beautiful and well-equipped phone
    I'm waiting for the price OnePlus 3

    Shubham mandovara


  • Francesco V. 20
    Francesco V. May 15, 2016 Link to comment

    Who cares? Really. Design is design. Cannot wait for a piece of technology where the design comes with a practical purpose. But all this noise about subjective bla bla is a tiring bla bla. IMHO. Bla.

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