The OnePlus 2 gets a lower-end sibling-- the OnePlus X, a lower-cost smartphone with high-end design features such as a glass back and a 5-inch 1920x1080 resolution AMOLED display.

The OnePlus X will actually be available in 2 versions, the Onyx (features the aforementioned glass back) and a ceramic version limited to just 10000 European customers. Like all other OnePlus devices actually buying the X involves online invites, a system the company says allows for tight inventory management.

HTC launches a midrange addition to the One smartphone family-- the One A9, an Android 6 (aka Marshmallow)-powered handset featuring an aluminium unibody perhaps all too similar to the Apple iPhone.

The device has a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable via microSD slot) and a 1250mAh battery. The rear-facing camera has a 13MP sensor behind a f/2.0 lens, and comes complete with optical stabilisation and dual-tone flash.

Google announces annual device lineup updates-- the 5.7-inch Nexus 6P and 5-inch Nexus 5X smartphones, Microsoft Surface/iPad Pro rival Pixel C, a redesigned Chromecast HDMI dongle and, in new offerings, the Chromecast Audio wifi audio streamer.

The smartphone offerings have features new to the Nexus family, namely a Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor and a USB Type-C port. The bigger of the two, the 5.7-inch Nexus 6P, is Huawei-made and is the first Nexus devices with an all-aluminium body and a 12.3MP camera with a sensor promising "massive 1.55µm pixels."

Further spec details include a 2560x1440 resolution AMOLED display, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core CPU, 3GB RAM, 32/64/128GB storage, 8MP front-facing camera and 3450mAh battery.

Qualcomm describes the upcoming Snapdragon 820 mobile device processor as its most powerful yet, as it features the company's "most advanced" integrated modem and Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

The integrated modem in question is the X12. It handles LTE category 12 download speeds reaching up to 600Mbps, beating the previous company record of 450Mbp, as well as speeds of up to 150Mbps. It is also the first to support unlicensed LTE (aka LTE-U).

When it comes to wifi the X12 gets 802.11ac 2x2 MU-MIMO and 802.11ad support, making it fairly futureproof as far as mobile device modems go.