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Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the new OnePlus 2 goes up against the new Motorola Moto X Play. OnePlus came out with the second device and made a few changes from their OnePlus One from last year – some good and others not so good. OnePlus devices have a loyal following that some people cannot explain. Motorola came out with an upgraded Moto E, Moto G and two Moto X’s – the Pure Edition for the US and the Moto X Style for the rest of the world – as well as a new Moto X Play, which has to be considered a solid mid-range device and what I would classify the OnePlus 2.
These two devices are almost identical in physical size and weight and they both have a 5.5-inch LCD Full HD display and the each have 401 pixels-per-inch (PPI). The OnePlus 2 and the Moto X Play both use a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, although a different model. They each have a 5MP front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. Most of the usual suspects are there – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.1 in the OnePlus 2 and 4.0 in the Moto X Play), GPS, a microUSB port (Type-C on the OnePlus 2 and v2.0 on the Moto X Play) and both use a non-removable battery.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
OnePlus 2
The Chinese company, OnePlus, is following up their first smartphone from last year, the OnePlus One with this year’s new OnePlus 2. The build quality of the OnePlus 2’s with its solid metal frame and trim is without question a nice looking device – however, it is difficult to build a flagship device with a low price and not cut some corners. OnePlus stuck with the FHD display, the same size camera, added 1GB of RAM and increased the battery from 3100mAh to 3300mAh. OnePlus did a strange thing – they added a fingerprint sensor, but took away the OnePlus 2’s NFC functionality, which was included in the OnePlus One. This means is that the fingerprint sensor can unlock the phone, but nothing else…no Android Pay, no mobile purchases at all.
The OnePlus 2 sports a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 PPI versus the same LCD FHD display on the Moto X Play with the same 401 PPI. OnePlus selected Qualcomm for their 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor and to keep it from overheating, under-clocked it to 1.8GHz. This goes up against the Moto X Play with its 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor. The OnePlus 2 has two options when it comes to RAM/Memory – 3GB/16GB or 4GB/64GB – although, according to OnePlus, the 4GB/64GB is the only one available for a while. The Moto X Play packs 2GB of RAM with either 16GB or 32GB of internal memory. There is no room for expansion in the OnePlus 2, but the Moto X Play has room for expansion.
The camera in the OnePlus 2 retains the same 13MP sensor as the OnePlus One, but improved the overall experience by adding laser autofocus, a dual-LED flash and OIS. This goes up against a large 21MP, autofocus and dual-tone flash on the Moto X Play. For the FFC, OnePlus included a large 5MP camera for selfies or video chatting…the same size is on the Moto X Play. The OnePlus 2 increased its non-removable battery size from 3000mAh to 3300mAh. This competes with the larger, non-removable 3630mAh battery in the Moto X Play, which also has a quick charge option.
The OnePlus 2 does come with a great sound ‘system’ built-in to the device. It is also using a newer USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer that uses a nice, reversible plug. It runs OnePlus’ own OS called OxygenOS 2.0 over stock Android Lollipop 5.1. LTE works on AT&T and T-Mobile and the OnePlus 2 will cost you $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model.
Motorola Moto X Play
The Moto X Play falls in as a mid-range device, but is a very competent device. It is unmistakably Motorola in both looks and build – all metal frame and the ability to customize it through the Moto Maker, but largely a plastic device – solid, but plastic. It will be available across Europe, Latin American and Canada, but not the US.
The Moto X Play sports a 5.5-inch LCD FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 PPI…the same specs found on the OnePlus 2. Motorola went back to Qualcomm and snatched up the 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor with a quad-core clocked at 1.0GHz and a quad-core clocked at 1.7GHz. This goes up against the OnePlus 2’s 64-bit under clocked Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. The Moto X Play is packing 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot to expand. For the time being, the OnePlus 2 comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB OF memory and no expansion available.
The Moto Play X uses that same camera found on the flagship Moto X Style – 21MP with a dual-tone LED flash and an f/2.0 aperture and is capable of HD videos in 1080p and 30fps. This goes up against a very good 13MP main sensor on the OnePlus 2. It also sports the 5MP FFC for selfies and video chatting, as does the OnePlus 2. Powering the device is a huge non-removable 3630mAh battery that offers TurboPower charging and the OnePlus 2 uses a 3300mAh non-removable battery.
The Moto X Play comes with 4G LTE connectivity, has a water resistant coating, dual front-facing speakers and is running almost stock Android 5.1.1 Lollipop – except for the added Moto Voice, Moto Assist, Moto Display and Moto Actions. It includes the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. The device measures 147.3 x 73.7 x 10.9 mm and weighs in at 169 grams and will cost approximately $400.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was another tough decision as these two devices have many things in common, but I had to go with the OnePlus 2 for its better build, smoother operations and better camera. Both devices use the same FHD display with the same PPI. The 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core should be faster than the 64-bit Snapdragon 610 octa-core, but optimized and running pure Android may tend to even things out. They both offer a model with 16GB of internal memory, but this is where the devices start to separate.
The OnePlus 2 does have a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone, but has no NFC capability like the Moto X Play, so you can use the Moto X Play for mobile payments, but not the OnePlus 2. The Moto X Play comes with water resistance, expandable memory via a microSD card, a much larger main camera sensor (13MP versus 21MP), a larger battery (3630mAh versus 3300mAh) and faster battery charging.
With those extra features and the pricing being about equal, it looks like the Moto X Play should win this competition – however, what the OnePlus 2 lacks in NFC and no memory expand-ability, it more than makes up in quality build and a great camera. The Moto X Play has all the right pieces, but the sum just doesn’t add up as evidenced in our review and that is why I am picking the OnePlus 2 as the winner.
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