ONEPLUS 2
$598

Dubbed by its creator as "the 2016 flagship killer" when it was released last year, the OnePlus 2 is easily the fastest smartphone here.

It has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip and high-end features such as a fingerprint sensor. Yet, the OnePlus 2 is just $598 for the 64GB version.

At the same time, it lacks some features common in a high-end phone, with no near-field communication support for mobile paymentsor wireless charging.

The OnePlus 2's 5.5-inch screen looks subdued compared to its rivals. Its processor is fast, but gets warm when running a game, though not unpleasantly so.

Internal storage is plentiful at 64GB, but there is no microSD option to increase it. The battery cannot be removed. On the other hand, it has two SIM card slots.

OnePlus clearly made some compromises to achieve its phone's price point. But if you do not need its missing features, the OnePlus 2 is a solid contender with its mid-range price and high-end hardware.

Vincent Chang