Was your wait for the OnePlus One worth it or did you buy something else?

With OnePlus One invites flowing nicely now and most of us have had the phone for a few months now it is time to look back and ask “was the wait worth it?”.

The OnePlus One stole the show for the best part of the beginning of the year. With an edgy marketing strategy, impressive hardware and stunning pricing the OnePlus One was very much the phone most tech fans wanted to get hold of.

Though despite the huge demand for the phone it has taken many many months of waiting for most fans to realise their dream of owning a OnePlus One, in fact the wait proved to be just too much for some who went on to buy and enjoy other devices.

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Was the wait worth it or did you buy something else?

Going through the forums and comments about the OnePlus One, it appears to us that there are many happy customers out there, but there are also just as many potential customers who just got fed up of waiting and bought something else.

What we would like to know now is was the wait worth it? Are you happy with your OnePlus One? Is it everything that it was promised to be? We also want to hear from those of you who didn’t wait. Why didn’t you wait? What did you buy instead? Are you happy with your decision?

There are a lot of questions there, and I think there are plenty of thoughts and comments waiting to be heard. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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Andi

VirusPlus
September 18, 2014
Personally i get invite but my country wasn’t in shipping list, so i get a Huawei Honor 6. I think Oneplus’ strategy was a big fail!
- At least you ended up with a great phone. How are you liking the Honor 6?
- bob
  September 18, 2014
  I got an invite also but then purchased a Huawei Honor 6 Instead and moving from a Sony Xperia Z I couldn’t be happier although surprisingly its battery life isn’t as good as I was expecting granted its ultra battery mode is amazing and charging times are so fast its unreal, great purchase and I got the official flip cover for mine which helps keep it protected one issue I dislike is with two SIM cards both operating it drains quickly on the battery so I just run with one card, 3D gaming is ok but some games randomly crash without cause (GTA San Andreas) camera is brilliant and LED flash does blind you better than most torches, sound is good for a small speaker and call quality excellent, onboard sound is also great when used with a good pair of earphones, software is easy to use but I feel like more software optimization is needed so if you want a good purchase I can’t recommend it enough I live in the UK and it took a week to ship from China for me

Konstantinos Natsios
September 18, 2014
was really into one plus bamboo, waited to see the mi4 ,didnt want to wait for lte version ,was waiting for bamboo to get one plus ,then i read today’s article about bamboo being discontinued before even released, and i might wait for mi4 lte now that will get bamboo one day…(me hopes) , or will switch to mx4/ iuni u3. dunno too many options atm,and one plus isnt helping ,their phone was an amazing deal in april but not right now.
- Ah I really wanted that bamboo cover too 🙁
- Damien Xenos
  September 19, 2014
  You can buy the bamboo version on AliExpress. Even the covers separately. Not work the extra cost in my opinion

pa5t1s
September 18, 2014
I am an early member of OPO’s forum (thanks to GizChina’s buzz and announcements about it 😉 and, after my subscription, I almost forgot about it, due to a heavy charge of work…
So, I was really surprised to receive my invite one day, without waiting for it!
Anyway, after a few weeks, I do confess that it’s really worth the wait (for less lucky people, I mean).

Andrew P
September 18, 2014
I am waiting until my country will be supported for delivery 🙂
balcobomber25
September 18, 2014
I got tired of waiting and playing their foolish games so I bought a Nubia Z7 instead, couldn’t be happier.
- - balcobomber25
    September 18, 2014
    Original with the 2k screen. I did some work in Beijing and one of my clients was a contractor for ZTE. I still had to pay for it but got a good deal on it (around $450 US) Trying to get the Mini for the wife but it hasn’t been easy securing one.
    - Adam Irvine
      September 18, 2014
      Yeee, it looks like the 2k screen version are even rarer than the International 64gb OPO!
      As you well know from our previous debates… I’m chuffed to bits with my OnePlus One, though I am looking for a phone for the missis Christmas present and so I’m after something on the smaller side… (I think the OPO is too big for girly hands..?) I have been looking for a z7 2k screen version but I haven’t got a clue where to find one… Or I’ve got my eye on the IUNI U3…
      - chalimoja
        September 18, 2014
        Got my Nubia Z7 Mini from aliexpress for $285! Just to go through the android phones I have owned…. Huawei X5, Star B92M, Jiayu G3, iOcean X7, Jiayu G4 and the Jiayu G4S which was total headache inducing with its lousy software and mediocre sound. So the Z7 mini is an absolute breathe of fresh air for me. Built quality is on point the size just borders the max one can do with one hand so i guess the Max and and Main Z7 are absolute monster sizes! The Z7 mini is probably the most underrated android this year considering the price to specs ratio. Honestly it just ticks all the right boxes for me. Many might complain about the battery size without even using the phone itself and considering the Snapdragon 801 and Dual Sim setup you get about 4hrs + which is more than enough for 1 day. This is the BEST china phone I have owned to date!!
        
        balcobomber25
        September 18, 2014
        You are only getting 4 hours with the mini??? I am getting around 6-7 with the Z7, and that has a 2k screen.
      - balcobomber25
        September 18, 2014
        Good luck finding one lol, they are even harder to get than a OPO. I got mine by chance. But I will say as much as I love the 2k screen (it’s like a piece of art) I would trade it for a 1080 or even 720 screen in a heartbeat. It is very beautiful but I could probably get twice the battery with a normal HD screen. Right now I get about 6-7 hours with normal use a little more if I’m not playing Dead Trigger during meetings….
- Dennis De Wolf
  September 18, 2014
  Yea I’ve been looking into the ZTE nubia Z7 max too for a while now, it seems like the Z7 and MI4 are the only good alternatives for the OPO. My first smartphone was a ZTE skate and I loved it!
  But I would love official Cyanogen support and I don’t think the ZTE will get it, so i might buy the MI4 when there is a LTE version.
  - September 23, 2014
    there’s allready a unofficial cyanogenmod community build out there for the zte nubia z7 max : http://www.androidpit.com/forum/617128/nx505j-nubia-z7-max-root-cwm-recovery-and-cm11-rom-tutorial
Dennis De Wolf
September 18, 2014
My country didnt support the shipping so wasted the invite
waiting for its launch in india

Andy
September 18, 2014
Being in the USA makes it really hard to buy high-end phones for a great price like the OnePlus One. Since I didn’t want to be bound by a 2-year contract and pay a ridiculously high data plan, I did not mind waiting at all. Just like Pa5t1s mentioned, it was a big surprise when I woke up to an email alert saying I got the OPO invite! There are a few very minor bugs here and there, but for it’s price I am 100% happy with it. The company itself has really lost a lot of its charm though, even for an owner of the OPO.
- balcobomber25
  September 21, 2014
  It’s not hard at all in the USA especially if you have the internet. Even with reseller prices you can still get a high end phone for $2-300 less than what the major carriers charge for the unlocked versions of phones. Not to mention there is the Nexus/Moto line of phones and companies like Blu that sells phones from Gionee.
September 18, 2014
After a couple of weeks with the OPO I sold it and bought another Nexus 5: http://is.gd/3utMoy

ckaude
September 18, 2014
I hope a lot about the Gionee v188 with bug battery.
Akimitsui
September 18, 2014
I couldn’t wait for the OPO any longer and ended up getting the Xiaomi Mi4 64GB instead. I am satisfied with my purchase except one thing: the screen. There is no real protection on the screen like Gorilla Glass on the Mi3 or OPO, and as a result I have a significant scratch on the screen. It is a real downside that a flagship phone like this has no protection on the screen unlike other (and even cheaper in some cases) flagships…. such a letdown.

BHazard
September 18, 2014
Worth the wait. CyanogenMod and flagship specs for Nexus prices. No other deal like it in the US.
Whyruss
September 18, 2014
After reading countless reviews I made a decision against The OnePlus One and in favor of the ZTE Nubia z7 Max. It’s a great phone… no regrets on my part.

Danny H.
September 18, 2014
I don’t real have to wait for it. I just sign up for the forum and boom, 1 day the invite arrived in my mail box, no question asked! Clearly, people get work up so easily. In electronics world, waiting always give you better choice. So if you don’t need it now, you don’t need to get stressed out for it.
Blessed
September 18, 2014
I bought iOcean x8 instead. And to be frank.. I should have waited for the oneplus. Very terrible audio quality and slow camera. I love music so much that this x8 disappoints me. Please advice me a phone with great audio quality.
- ufg
  September 19, 2014
  Meizu phones are well known for their high quality audio. I think basically most devices from the big guys like Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo have good audio quality.
- Andi Sykes
  September 19, 2014
  Meizu and Vivo both are great for audio. The Find 7 is ok too but I had huge issues with the screen.

Xiaolu
September 18, 2014
I got the 64GB version and up to date only experience minor bugs, totally compensated by the multitasking POWER, great camera and nice UI. I’m coming from an entry level phone, so this is a HUGE update.
My only regret is that within next year we will probably see the launch of 64 bits devices, including the Qualcomm SD 810… and, as an Ubuntu user, I’m almost certain that Canonical will revive the Ubuntu Edge project with that beat as a heart, and 4-6GB RAM, 128GB eMMC and much more (being the most important the OS itself). And I will look at it from the distance!

stefano franzè
September 18, 2014
i changed my gionee elife e7 with one plus one….it’s better, i love cynogemod and perfect fusion with HW and SW, i love this smartphone i think it’s the better than everyone
- - stefano franzè
    September 19, 2014
    Yeah Andi i know,but not much junk,we waited for 4.4 KitKat but only porting it’s avaible(e7 is a good device)….the camera it’s little better than one plus one(sorry for my bad english)
David
September 18, 2014
In the end I purchased three 1+(For me and my two kids). While waiting for an invite I decided to buy an oppo find 7. A great phone but unacceptable battery life. After watching your Vivo Xshot I picked one up. Great build quality perfect size and smartphone photography at its best. Unfortunately I can not get google hangouts to work consistently. So as I write this on my 1+ with my Moto 360 on my wrist I might be in geek heaven.
- September 19, 2014
  That’s odd I have no issue with hangouts on my Xshot. Did you do the Google Fix after updating?
  - David
    September 19, 2014
    I have deleted and re-installed Google services multiple times. The only Google program that does not work is Hangouts after the Wifi Calling update. It is an absolutely great phone. For easy use in the US One+ for $349 can’t be beat.
    - David
      September 20, 2014
      I did a factory reset. Everything was in Chinese (of course). Thanks to vivo international forum, language option was 9 from the bottom on the more settings menu. Now working like a champ AnTuTu 41947. Great phone.(Blue Back Too).

Kyle
September 18, 2014
I waited for the one plus, just the blueish screen issue keeps me from buying it.
Now I am trying to decide between Z7 Max and Meizu M4. Tough choice.
Both seem to have a great camera and the price is also about the same.
Actually, I’d love to get an Nubia X6 because of the screen, unfortunately I can’t afford it.

Wonton Chaos
September 19, 2014
When the OPO was first announce, I was crazy excited. I live in Shanghai and love all of the low-cost and high-quality designs available here. But because of the long wait time, I realized that all of the other phones coming out now were going to be as good if not better. I’m just not impressed with the OPO specs or even their CM11 ROM any longer. So now I am trying to decide between the MX4 (white), the XShot Ultimate (wish it were blue), the IUNI U3 or the Nubia Z7 mini. I know they’re not completely comparable phones but these are the ones that really interest me now. I’ve been a huge fan of Xiaomi but I am really keen on a better camera experience. Support for China Unicom LTE is also a factor. Plus the lack of Gorilla glass on the Mi4 is a deal breaker, unfortunately.
I love this blog, by the way! Great work, Andi!

Allanitomwesh
September 19, 2014
I am currently juggling between it and the iuni U3 since they pretty much cost the same. I’ve seen all the new flagships except the Nexus 6,that is the only phone unknown on my list that would give me buyers remorse,so I can justify waiting until late october first.
- - Allanitomwesh
    September 20, 2014
jignesh
September 19, 2014
got an invite but wasted as they don not ship to india

Varun
September 19, 2014
I was massively interested in the OPO when it came out and I was willing to wait for it. But the wait was just too long with them joking with rain, storm of invites etc. I live in Kenya and it was not one of the countries that OPO ship to. One of the people I know was in China at that time and I got the idea to buy a scalped OPO but due to the difficulty in availability, I got an idea to buy the Oppo find 7. It was definitely worth an extra few bucks given the QHD and all the other extra features. I was on a very basic phone (Samsung pocket) so if i was to make a leap to a flagship phone, i wanted it to be big one. But to my disappointment, the person brought the find 7a instead of the QHD one 🙁
I also had incredible bad luck as 2 days after i received the find 7a, i got an invite to buy the OPO. I have installed CM 11 on my find 7 and I havent experienced any problem with my find 7a.
Actually, there are only very minor spec differences between the OPO and my find 7a. On the day to day use, I have experienced no problem whatsoever so I’m pretty happy with the Oppo.
If OPO can get their act together, I would definitely consider buying their next phone.
- Ramsey
  September 19, 2014
  At least the Find 7a has a better battery life and more accurate colors than the Find 7.
  I have the Find 7a too. Can you tell me how is CM 11 on it? What camera features does it have? I can’t move to another ROM if it doesn’t have the Color OS camera as it has so many awesome features (I care about camera a lot).
  - Varun
    September 19, 2014
    CM 11 runs very well on the find 7a. The only bug I have with it is that the mic doesn’t work when I’m using the loud speaker in calls so the other side can’t hear what I’m saying. I was hoping it would be fixed with the new monthly CM snapshots but there hasn’t been one in 2 months! However, the nightlies are still there so I hope there will be a snapshot soon.
    To be honest, I never really used Color OS on the phone. As soon as i got it, I flashed CM11 as color OS had too many things in Chinese. The camera app is pretty good but I think it is Generic CM camera app. But again, I haven’t used the Camera app on Color OS so I wouldn’t be able to compare these two well. One thing I know for sure is that the 50MP option goes if you switch to CM.
    - Ramsey
      September 19, 2014
      Thanks for the info :). I have the US version and Color OS is fully English. Perhaps CM11s would be more suitable for our Find 7’s since I believe CM added the 50 MP mode also to that OPO. I also need slow shutter, which Color OS has. Hopefully CM decides to attempt to implement those.
      - Varun
        September 20, 2014
        I hope to see those features in the CM 11 too! I got mine from China and although the Color OS had english language support, many of the things were still in Chinese so that’s why I decided to go for CM 11.

$3003525
September 19, 2014
I received 2 invite to buy OPO and I am early subscriber forum but at the end I bought Mi3 64GB. No regreat and smaller phone.

Alex
September 19, 2014
Got my invite two weeks ago and received another one after i bought it. Now my colleague an me are very satisfied with the phone. I never bought a high specs phone, startet with zte blade -> late desire hd -> THL W200 and now one plus one. Never hat such a great phone. 5,5″ is my optimal screensize.
The camera is great, its fast, native CM is a major opportunity. everything runs smooth.
Ramsey
September 19, 2014
I was about to buy one with an invite that I could have gotten but then I realized the total price of the phone to ship and to enter Canada is too expensive (around 470 CAD) for a phone that should cost around 370. I decided to wait but then I found a Find 7a that is used for 380 USD and bought that instead since it has more features and benefits than an OPO. I love the Find 7a =). So, I ended up paying about the same as a OPO.

Atomicrus
September 19, 2014
Bought it and already regret it. Bottom yellow screen, overburst camera and broken speaker. Oneplus support doesn’t accepts RMA. Will never buy nothing from them. Cool specs, but a horible quality control. I prefer to give to my wife and to buy myself Xiaomi Mi4
- September 19, 2014
  ah bad luck! I also have the yellow screen, and the display is now unresponsive. Not had those other problems (yet) though
dutchgio
September 19, 2014
Bought a ZTE Nubia Z7 Mini on Aliexpress. However, it should have been sended with DHL on wednesday already, but so far the tracking isn’t working at all..
They say because of the local customs that haven’t cleared it yet..

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Was the wait worth it or did you buy something else?

Andi

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