WileyFox launches Swift and Storm running Cyanogen OS

WileyFox, a new smartphone brand and Britain’s answer to OnePlus, has today launched two new smartphones in partnership with Qualcomm and Cyanogen. The two handsets – the Swift and the Storm – run on Cyanogen 12.1 OS and will launch in the UK and Europe in the coming weeks.

The Swift features a 5-inch HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage that can be expanded by up to 32GB. On the back, it has a 13MP main camera while up front, a 5MP camera takes care of selfies. The handset is LTE enabled and will be one of the few dual SIM handsets to launch in the UK.

The Storm is the more premium of the two devices and features a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that can be expanded by up to 128GB. On the back it has a 20MP Sony IMX220 camera, while up front an 8MP ‘Selfy’ camera takes care of selfies. Like the Swift, the Storm is LTE enabled and comes with dual SIM functionality.

Both handsets will be sold exclusively online directly to customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with pre-orders launching later this week. The Swift will be available for £129 (approx $205) and will ship early next month, while the more-premium Storm will be available for £199 (approx $315) and will begin shipping in October.

Like Chinese company OnePlus, WileyFox is promoting a “pure” experience and working on low margins in a bid to stand out in what is fast becoming a very crowded market. The company faces a battle to stand out, not only against OnePlus but also against other devices in the mid-range price including Motorola’s new Moto G, Huawei’s HONOR 7 – which will launch for £199 as we exclusively revealed – and other devices such as the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6.

Whether the strategy will work remains to be seen but for WileyFox, it will certainly hope that its strategy of offering premium experiences at affordable prices will pay off. What do you think? Would you buy either of these handsets? Let us know your views in the comments below guys!