The Best, Hardest-To-Find Android Phone Is Available For Preorder Next Week

The OnePlus One caught the tech industry's attention when it launched earlier this year, primarily for two reasons: it's an excellent value for the price, and it's extremely hard to get your hands on. Now, however, the Chinese startup is rolling out a broader preorder system for a limited time.

While OnePlus usually requires an invite to purchase its phone, the company will allow anyone to order the One on Oct. 27, regardless of whether they have an invite. The catch is that you only have a one-hour window to actually place your order.

Here's what OnePlus wrote on its blog:

Pre-orders will officially open on October 27 at 15:00 GMT (08:00 PST, 11:00 EST). During a one hour time window, anyone can place an order for the OnePlus One. All of our accessories will be sold at celebratory sale prices when added to your order. In fact, for this week only our latest collaboration the JBL E1+ Earphones will be available for $24.99 and will revert back to full price once pre-orders have ended.

This won't replace the current invite system. Rather, it'll give more people a chance to use the phone, as OnePlus works to expand its availability. OnePlus also says shoppers can log in to its online store now and set up an order so that you'd only need to press the checkout button during that one-hour window.

The OnePlus costs $300 off-contract, which is insanely cheap compared to most popular Android phones. It comes with a large 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a 13-megapixel camera, and a quad-core processor, which means it's well-equipped to offer a similar experience as its much more expensive competitors.

Most popular Android phones, such as the Galaxy S5 for example, cost between $500 and $600 without a two-year contract. And, phones that are as large as the OnePlus are usually even more expensive. The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, for example, starts at $300 on a two-year contact, which is the same price as the unsubsidized OnePlus One.