OnePlus has made a name for itself by delivering super cheap flagships and while the OnePlus X isn’t its most powerful phone it is incredibly affordable.
But it’s not the only cut-price contender, as the Nexus 5X is another recent phone, with similar specs and an affordable price tag. So just how do these two handsets compare? Read on to find out.
OnePlus X (140 x 69 x 6.9mm 138/160g metal and ceramic) vs Nexus 5X (147 x 72.6 x 7.9mm 136g plastic)
The OnePlus X is slim at just 6.9mm thick and with a metal frame and ceramic back it looks enormously premium. It’s a bit of a fingerprint magnet and a little bit slippery to hold, but it looks great.
The Nexus 5X just can’t compete here, as it’s thicker at 7.9m and has a plain plastic back. It’s got a soft touch feel, making it nice in the hand and it’s easier to get a firm grip on than the OnePlus X is, but it looks mid-range, while the OnePlus X looks like a flagship.
OnePlus X (5.0-inch 1080*1920 441ppi) vs Nexus 5X (5.2-inch 1080*1920 424ppi)
There’s less to choose when it comes to these two phones displays. The OnePlus X has a 5.0-inch 1080 x 1920 screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch, while the Nexus 5X has a 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 display with a pixel density of 424 pixels per inch.
So they’re the same resolution, but the Nexus 5X is marginally larger and in turn marginally less sharp.
We’d give the OnePlus X the edge though, as it has a bright, vibrant display, while the screen on the Nexus 5X looks comparatively washed out.
OnePlus X (2.3GHz quad-core processor 3GB RAM) vs Nexus 5X (1.82GHz hexa-core processor 2GB RAM)
Neither of these phones have flagship power, but they’re not overly lacking in oomph either. The OnePlus X has a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM, while the Nexus 5X has 2GB of RAM and a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chip, with four cores running at 1.44GHz and two at 1.82GHz.
The Nexus 5X has a newer processor with more cores then, so general performance should be slicker, but with less RAM it’s not as well equipped for multi-tasking as the OnePlus X. In practice both are pretty smooth operators, but you won’t get as much speed as you would from a real flagship like the Nexus 6P or OnePlus 2.
OnePlus X (13MP rear 8MP front-facing) vs Nexus 5X (12.3MP rear 5MP front-facing)
The OnePlus X has a 13MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation and a dual-LED flash, while the Nexus 5X has a 12.3MP rear snapper with laser autofocus and a dual-LED flash.
So the two cameras are a similar spec, but the presence of optical image stabilisation arguably gives the OnePlus X a boost, allowing it to better compensate for camera shake.
The OnePlus X is also the better selfie shooter, as it has an 8MP camera on the front, while the Nexus 5X has just a 5MP one.
The Nexus 5X wins out for video though, as it can shoot in up to 2160p at 30fps, while the OnePlus X is limited to 1080p at 30fps.
OnePlus X (2525 mAh 16GB 4G) vs Nexus 5X (2700 mAh 16/32GB 4G)
The OnePlus X has a 2525 mAh battery, while the Nexus 5X has a slightly larger 2700 mAh one, but it also has a larger screen and more powerful processor to keep juiced up.
In practice both phones should last you around a day of moderate use, but neither handset has overly impressive battery life. The Nexus 5X has USB Type-C though, which both makes it faster to charge and allows you to plug the cable in either way round. Despite the OnePlus 2 having this the OnePlus X doesn’t.
Memory comes in at just 16GB on the OnePlus X, though it also has a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 128GB. The Nexus 5X comes with either 16 or 32GB of built in storage, but there’s no microSD card slot.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G and Bluetooth 4.0 on the OnePlus X, while the Nexus 5X has Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC. It also has a fingerprint scanner, which coupled with NFC (both of which the OnePlus X lacks), will allow it to make use of Android Pay.
The OnePlus X does have a second SIM card slot though, which you can use if you don’t have a microSD card in the phone. That’s something with niche appeal, but if you travel between two different countries a lot it could be seriously useful.
Despite having some quite similar specs the OnePlus X and Nexus 5X have very different selling points. The OnePlus X is stylish, has a microSD card slot, two SIM card slots, a great front-facing camera and a decent amount of RAM.
The Nexus 5X on the other hand has more built in storage, USB Type-C support, NFC, a fingerprint scanner, a faster processor and stock Android Marshmallow on board.
That long list might seem to edge it in the Nexus 5X’s favour, but it’s also quite a lot more expensive, with a starting price of £339, while the OnePlus X is just £199. It’s hard to justify paying £140 more, especially when even the OnePlus 2 is only £239.
They’re both great phones then and both affordably priced, but while the Nexus 5X is arguably a little better the OnePlus X is far better value.
