Wileyfox unveils the Swift 2 & Swift 2 Plus, which just took the brand up a level

Wileyfox has today unveiled the Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus, the latest additions to its ever-growing range and what takes the brand up a notch in terms of premium design and finish.

At the launch event, the company said it intends to challenge brands like Samsung, and beat others like Xiaomi, OnePlus and Honor. Quite a bold claim, and we’ll have to see how things pan out as time goes on.

The Wileyfox Swift 2 goes on sale November 14th in a choice of champagne gold, midnight blue or rose pink finishes for £159.99, with a 13-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, while the Swift 2 Plus will sell for £189.99 and comes with 16-megapixel camera, 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM.

Both models are powered by a Snapdragon 430 chipset, dual 4G slots, microSDXC expandability, and with a 2,700mAh battery. Likewise, each version also comes with NFC for Android Pay support and a fingerprint sensor for security, and Quick Charge 3.0 support via USB-C.

Despite the ‘Plus’ name, both phones have an exact same 5-inch 720×1280 pixel resolution display.

It seems Amazon went live with pre-ordering ahead of the launch event, which revealed some of the specs via the description text:

The award-winning Swift has returned. This time complete with a new look and an impressive techy upgrade. Think beautiful design mixed with the latest materials and hi-tech innovation: you’ll be proud to own it.

Swift is back and it’s better than ever. With hidden details that make you smile, from the curve of the metal housing to the criss-cross etching on the side buttons.

It’s a subtle wow. And all fits snugly in your paw. Quick click. Snap the moment. Every moment counts with Swift 2’s 13MP Samsung 3L8 camera sensor. Fantastically sharp. Beautifully detailed.

Feel like you’re reliving the moment with Swift 2’s high-definition display. Colours are vibrant sharp and pictures become super-sharp with 294ppi quality.

Its 2.5d curved Gorilla Glass 3 and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating keep your screen in tip-top condition, too. Super-fast charging. So you can keep on the go.

Enjoy super-fast charging with the advanced technology of Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. With speedy times of 25% charge in 15 minutes, 50% in 30 minutes and 75% in 45 minutes, you’ll be powered up before you know it.

Plus you’ve Type C, a fully reversible connection for extra ease, and a larger battery. Tap and pay. It’s easy to pay with NFC and Android Pay – the latest invention chip from NXP and Qualcomm.

Use Android Pay and add your bank card to buy your morning latte or travel to work. Plus with a quick responsive finger print sensor it has a great low error rate. Tap tap!

One thing that will likely disappoint is the lack of 5GHz Wi-Fi. As yet, Wileyfox is still to release a phone that supports dual-band Wi-Fi, which might prove a deal-breaker for some.

In the coming days I’ll be looking in-depth at the Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus model I was given to review, and making comparisons with the original Swift, which is still available to buy on Amazon at just £99 from time to time – but will eventually be discontinued once sold out.

Wileyfox claims it has sold around half a million handsets to date, and future plans include selling on the high-street, and on contract. But, this will not stop the phones being available SIM-free online.