You can now buy OnePlus One sans invites but with caveats

Last week, the OnePlus One should have started shipping to the first people who got invites to buy it. But there's now a way to get a One without the need to wait for an invite.

The Chinese online retailer Oppomart claims to have OnePlus One units in stock and ready to be shipped - worldwide, no less. Oppomart however isn't affiliated with Oppo as its name might imply, so how trustworthy ordering from there might be is up for debate. There are also a few caveats you should know about.

First and foremost, you're going to be paying $399 for the 16GB version of the phone, which is currently the only one in stock. That's exactly $100 more than what OnePlus itself is asking for.

Furthermore, the devices you buy this way won't come with CyanogenMod 11S preinstalled. Rather, they ship with... Color OS, which is essentially Oppo's interpretation of what an Android skin should be. There go any doubts you might have had whether the two manufacturers are actually affiliated.

That's because the OnePlus One is being sold in two different ways across the globe. Everywhere but China you have to go through the dreaded invite system to get one. In China, though, it's available from time to time in batches - a sales model pioneered by Xiaomi.

However, the main difference between the Chinese OnePlus One and the international model is the software inside. That, and the 4G LTE band support.

So before you order a OnePlus One, do check whether this Chinese stock will play nice with your particular carrier's bands. The units sold by Oppomart work on 1800/2100/2600 MHz for 4G, and 850/900/1900/2100 MHz for 3G.

Source | Via