Affordability is the name of the game for Wileyfox's Swift 2 line of phones

By Williams Pelegrin Published November 3, 2016

Known for putting out affordable Android phones in Europe, Wileyfox hopes to continue its run of budget phones with the Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus.

Both phones feature fingerprint scanners on the back, as well as a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 resolution display on the front. Above that display sits an 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. Both the Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus opt for USB Type-C. Even with the relatively new connector, however, the phones feature Quick Charge 3.0, thanks to the 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset at their core.

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Do not construe the “Plus” in the Swift 2 Plus to mean it has a larger battery than its sibling — both phones feature the same 2,700mAh battery that, thanks to Quick Charge 3.0, can go from zero to 75 percent in 45 minutes. The Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus feature micro and nano SIM card slots; the nano slot can turn into a MicroSD card slot that lets you add up to an additional 64GB of storage.

Continuing its partnership with Cyanogen, Wileyfox loaded both phones with Cyanogen OS 13.1, which is based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. As such, its look and feel is stock Android, but tweaks here and there let you run different themes. According to Wileyfox, there will be regular updates, including an update to Android 7.0 Nougat.

The differences begin on the back, where the Swift 2 features a 13MP sensor. The Swift 2 Plus steps things up to a 16MP camera, though both cameras are from Samsung, so expect somewhat similar results when looking at images.

Even though the two phones feature the same processor, the Swift 2 goes for 2GB RAM and 16GB of native storage, while the Swift 2 Plus opts for 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. Finally, and most importantly, the Swift 2 (159 pounds, $195 U.S.) is more affordable than the Swift 2 Plus (189 pounds, $232).

You can currently buy both phones directly from Wileyfox, with availability through Amazon later in the week. Regardless of where you buy them, they will be available in gold, rose gold, and a dark blue-gray color. If neither the Swift 2 or Swift 2 Plus are to your liking, Wileyfox will also release the Swift 2 X sometime in the near future. Apart from a slightly large 5.2-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution display, the phone is a carbon copy of its two smaller siblings.

Williams Pelegrin

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Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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