OnePlus has a great business model: it makes high-end Android phones and sells them for a lot less than its competitors. This MO has propelled the company for bizarre upstart to big name player in the space of three short years.

The OnePlus 2 was OnePlus’ tricky second album. All eyes were on the company, after the success it enjoyed with the OnePlus One. Topping the handset wouldn’t be too difficult – just add in updated specs and hardware.

But could OnePlus fix all the issues experienced with its original handset?

Yes and no.

The handset itself is a very solid piece of kit and OnePlus did just about enough with the design to make this second-generation stand apart from the ever-growing crowds of handsets now available in the phone space.

The way I see this handset is simple: it’s like Google’s Nexus 5 on steroids and HGH – it’s bigger, better, faster and more capable. You get so much bang for you buck with OnePlus handsets and no where is this more evident than with the follow-up to the OnePlus One.

I’m going to keep this review super-short because the main reason for it is looking back at the OnePlus 2 in order to decide whether or not it is still a good option for 2017.

Personally speaking, I think you’re 100% better off with the OnePlus 3T – it’s more expensive, sure, but it’s also a lot better and future-proofed with things like a fingerprint scanner, Android Pay and a very decent camera.

OnePlus 2 Review: Design

The design of the OnePlus 2 is pretty utilitarian. It doesn’t scream, “look at me,” for instance, but this is no bad thing. I prefer my phones to have subtle design and the slab-like aesthetics of the OnePlus 2 fit right in here.

The handset looks and feels very premium; easily as premium as anything from Samsung, LG and HTC. It’s metal frame keeps things solid and its minimal use of bezels give you maximum room for the display – both good things.

The display is 5.5in and, in my option, is perfectly proportioned for almost any user. If you don’t like big displays, too bad, it’s 2017 - we’ve all moved on and you should too. Failing that, get an iPhone SE.

When you hold this phone in your hand, one thought will enter your mind: I’m being ripped off by everybody else.

There is no good reason why a phone from HTC should cost double the RRP of a OnePlus handset, other than the fact HTC – or Samsung, LG or Apple – is charging you more.

OnePlus phones look and feel like high-end flagship phones. They also perform like them too. This is because they are high-performance, flagship Android phones. They’re just priced A LOT differently than everything else in the space.

Like Nexus phones, once you’ve experienced OnePlus’ way of doing things it does becomes a lot harder justifying £700 for a new iPhone that looks like the old iPhone. Ditto anything else in the Android space.

I like value for money and no one does value for money like OnePlus. Okay, Xiaomi does but their handsets aren't exactly readily available in the UK.

OnePlus 2 Review: Specs & Hardware

The specs inside the OnePlus 2, while a little behind modern handsets like the Galaxy S7 and Google Pixel, are still pretty potent – especially if you’re more of a casual user.

Here’s a breakdown of the OnePlus 2’s key specs:

• Color: Sandstone Black
• Dimensions: 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85 mm
• Weight: 6.17 ounces (175 g)
• Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android 5.1
• CPU: 64-bit Qualcomm© Snapdragon™ 810 processor with 1.8GHz Octa-core CPUs
• GPU: Adreno™ 430
• RAM: 4 GB/3 GB LPDDR4
• Storage: 64 GB/16 GB eMMC v5.0 (available capacity varies)
• Display Size: 5.5 inch
• Resolution: 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 401 PPI
• Type: LCD In-cell
• Camera Sensor: 13 Megapixel (1.3um)
• Lenses: 6 lenses to avoid distortion and color aberration
• OIS: Yes
• Laser Focus: Yes
• Flash: Dual-LED
• Aperture: f/2.0
• Front Camera: 5 Megapixel - Distortion free
• Video: 4K resolution video, Slow Motion: 720p video at 120fps

OnePlus 2 Review: Battery Life

The OnePlus 2 uses a very capable 3,330mAh battery, which delivers solid battery performance across the board. Moderate to light use will net you around a two day’s use from a single charge.

Push the OnePlus 2 harder and you’ll need to top up once a day. Either way, this handset’s battery performance – even by 2017’s standards – is very impressive.

OnePlus 2 Review: Verdict

Is the OnePlus 2 still a good buy? Yes – it’s cheaper than the Nexus 6P and still packs in plenty of performance where it counts.

If budget is an issue this handset should definitely be on your radar, however, if you just want a good phone that has tons of specs and features, I’d strongly suggest you just check out the OnePlus 3T – it’s as good as anything from Apple and Samsung and it retails for A LOT less.

If you do want a great phone at a great price and you can find a OnePlus 2 then you should go for it. The handset still packs a mighty punch and takes care of business in all the important areas.