Introduction

Do we have a good one for you today – the cult following OnePlus 2 goes up against the new Huawei Nexus 6P. Both of these devices are beautiful to look at and have a true premium feel, although the Nexus 6P is an all-metal design. Both devices have rounded edges and are comfortable to hold, even for extended periods. The OnePlus 2 and Nexus 6P are very close in physical size with the Nexus 6P being slightly thinner, although they weigh within 3 grams of each other. These two devices have many things in common, we will touch on them first, and later on, we will delve into the differences of each smartphone in more depth.

The OnePlus 2 and the Nexus 6P have displays that are within .2-inches of each other – the OnePlus 2 has a 5.5-inch display vs the 5.7-in on the Nexus 6P…but are different resolutions and different technologies. These two devices even have the same 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM (the OnePlus 2 also has a 4GB model), and you can get 64GB of internal memory on both models and neither one offers any expansion. Even the main camera areas are very close – a 13MP sensor on the OnePlus 2 and the 12.3MP sensor on the Nexus 6P. Both devices have a fingerprint sensor and both have a new style Type-C reversible USB plug for faster charging or data transfer.


Both devices have the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (v4.1 on the OnePlus 2 and v4.2 0n the Nexus 6P), GPS and both have a large non-removable battery. One 'usual suspect' is missing from the OnePlus 2 – OnePlus decided not to include the NFC capabilities in their new model for some unknown reason, but it is included on the Nexus 6P.

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 OnePlus 2 is the second rendition of this model device and the build quality is as good as ever with its solid metal frame and trim. It is nice looking device – however, no matter how OnePlus tries to spin it – it is a difficult task to build a flagship device at such a low price and not cut some corners. The OnePlus kept the FHD display on the 2 model rather than jumping to a QHD as other flagships have done. They also kept the same size camera, they removed the NFC function and they removed the dual bottom speakers and replaced it with a single unit. OnePlus did add 1GB of RAM and increased the battery from 3100mAh to 3300mAh, and added a fingerprint sensor; however, with no NFC chip, the fingerprint sensor can unlock the phone, but nothing else…no Android Pay and no mobile purchases of any kind.


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 Samsung-made AMOLED QHD 5.7-inch display on the Nexus 6P with 518 PPI. OnePlus decided on using the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, and to keep it from overheating, under-clocked it to 1.8GHz. This goes up against the same processor in the Nexus 6P, only v2.1 that is supposed to take care of the overheating. The OnePlus 2 has two options when it comes to RAM/Memory – 3GB/16GB or 4GB/64GB – although OnePlus claims that only the 4GB/64GB will be available for a while. The Nexus 6P packs 3GB of RAM with either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory. There is no room for expansion in the OnePlus 2 or the Nexus 6P, which makes one wonder why OnePlus would even offer a 16GB model.

The camera in the OnePlus 2 retains the same 13MP sensor as the OnePlus One, but improved on it greatly by adding laser autofocus, a dual-LED flash and OIS. This goes up against a 12.3MP sensor in the Nexus 6P that also takes great photos. For the FFC, OnePlus 2 included a large 5MP camera for selfies or video chatting and goes up against a larger 8MP FFC on the Nexus 6P. The OnePlus 2 increased its non-removable battery size from 3000 mAh to 3300 mAh, but it is still smaller than the 3450 mAh in the Nexus 6P. Neither device offers a quick charge option, although the Type-C connector does a good job of charging faster.

The OnePlus 2 does come with a great sound 'system' built-in to the device when listening through headphones. It runs OnePlus' own OS called OxygenOS 2.0 over stock Android Lollipop 5.1. Its LTE works on AT&T and T-Mobile and the OnePlus 2 will cost you about $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model.


Huawei Nexus 6P

The Huawei Nexus 6P is certainly a high-end smartphone by today's standards and the more upscale of the two Nexus devices being offered this year. The Nexus 6P is a real beauty and well-built device with an all-metal unibody construction and available in three colors – Aluminum, Graphite or Frost. It matches up very nicely to the OnePlus 2 in components – it even uses the same processor.

The Nexus 6P's 5.7-inch display is produced by Samsung, so you would be correct in guessing that it uses its AMOLED technology. It is Quad HD with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 PPI. This compares to the 5.5-inch FHD IPS LCD display on the OnePlus 2 with 401 PPI. Huawei decided to go with the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, version 2.1. It has four cores clocked at 1.55 GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. The OnePlus 2 uses the original Snapdragon 810, but underclocked the processor to avoid any overheating issues. Both devices have 3GB of RAM and 32GB in the Nexus 6P and 16GB in the OnePlus 2 as standard; however, the OnePlus 2 offers a 4GB/64GB model as well. The Nexus 6P comes with 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory and neither device offers any room for external expansion.

The camera on the Nexus 6P received high marks with DxOMark and did well in our own testing. It has a 12.3MP sensor, laser autofocus and dual-tone LED flash…but no OIS. This goes up against another good camera on the OnePlus 2 with a 13MP sensor, laser autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and OIS. The Nexus 6P has a large 8MP FFC for selfies and video chatting, while the OnePlus 2 has the more common 5MP FFC. The Nexus 6P has a large, 3450mAh non-removable battery that includes a rapid charge feature via its Type-C reversible plug. The OnePlus 2 has a slightly smaller 3300mAh non-removable battery with rapid charge via its Type-C plug.


The Nexus 6P has a few features not found on the OnePlus 2 – let's start with the Samsung-built AMOLED QHD display. It also has a built-in fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone and making Android Pay (mobile payments) – due to possessing NFC capabilities. It has dual stereo front-facing speakers for better sound. Last, but certainly not least, it is running pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will always get the fastest upgrades possible when new versions come out. Pricing is at only $500 for the 32GB model and offers a great value.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

This was a fairly easy call and I am crowning the Huawei Nexus 6P as the winner of this competition. I am sure that the diehard OnePlus fans will rant and rave, but facts are facts and the Nexus 6P does have better specifications and at a reasonable price…albeit for another $100. With all of the things they have in common, a few key areas separate these two devices.


The Nexus 6P has the better QHD AMOLED display, and even though it is a little larger, it has 518 PPI versus the 401 PPI on the OnePlus 2. They also use the same processor, but the Nexus 6P uses v2.1, which is supposed to take care of the overheating issues. The Nexus 6P is also running the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow and along with the NFC chip, you can authorize mobile payments with fingerprint sensor on the Nexus 6P – mobile payments of any kind are out of the question on the OnePlus 2. The Nexus 6P also has a much larger FFC for better selfies and video chats. It also has dual, front-facing stereo speakers, a slightly larger battery and an all-metal body.

The OnePlus 2 is a well-built and beautiful device, but it is not the " 2016 Flagship Killer" they make it out to be – it has a great camera and one more GB of RAM in one variation, but it only has a FHD display and no NFC capabilities. It simply does not stand up to the Nexus 6P in this comparison.

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