The company that made its name by being the flagship killer, offering the latest specs at a much more affordable price than competition has actually moved to the flagship territory. Let me explain, OnePlus one launched at 299 USD with all the latest specs including the latest snapdragon processor at that point. However, in 2020, OnePlus has increased the price of its latest ‘flagship’ phone to 899 USD, which can definitely not be deemed as a flagship killer anymore. OnePlus 8 Pro continues to be cheaper than the other flagships in the market like the Galaxy S20 series and iPhones 11 Pro series. OnePlus is also using a differentiation pricing strategy in different regions. In India, it starts at 55,000 rupees which is around 730 USD as of writing this article. That is a significant difference in price, and the phone is definitely worth it for Indians. But is it worth it in other parts of the world? Well, Yeah! OnePlus 8 Pro has all the latest specs, technology, software and processor to be one of the best phones in 2020.
Pros and Cons of the phone? Here you go!
Pros
- The phone is fast! Extremely fast
- 120 Hz display with 1440p makes it the best display on a smartphone ever!
- Almost full screen display
- Beautiful design and no weird camera layout
- Snapdragon 865 processor, WiFi 6, 5G UFS 3.0 storage and more makes this phone One of the most complete phone to date
- IP rating is finally there on a OnePlus phone
- Fast charging with 30T warp charge technology
- Finally wireless charging on a OnePlus phone. Not just that, wireless charging at 30W (faster than iPhone 11 Pro wired charging) making it the fastest wireless charging phone in the world
- Software updates are never a problem on OnePlus phones
Cons
- The price! It is increasing drastically in most regions
- Decent cameras for taking photos. Not the best
- Not a great video taking camera as well!
- 3W reverse wireless charging is slow
- A wasted extra lens. Colour filter feature is disabled.
1) Display: Downgraded and the best ever?
The OnePlus 8 Pro has an amazing 1440p edge to edge display and it is exceptional for viewing content and looks gorgeous. The phone also has a super smooth 120 Hz refresh rate that can be combined with a 1440p resolution, unlike the Galaxy S20 series. The bump from 90Hz in the OnePlus 7 Pro to 120 Hz in the OnePlus 8 Pro might not be a noticeable difference to the general public. However, most people upgrading to an OnePlus 8 Pro would be upgrading from a 60 Hz panel, and they will definitely notice a significant difference in the level of smoothness. Another beneficial feature is the default setting for OnePlus 8 pro devices is Full HD+ and 120 Hz, which is an extremely annoying quirk in the S20 series (set to 60 Hz out of the box). Similar to the S20 series, it come with a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz but unlike the S20 series, consists of a variable refresh rate that switches from 60 Hz on a static page to 120 Hz to a motion page.
The colour accuracy of the OnePlus 8 Pro is probably the best in any phone till date, and in some cases triumphs, the Samsung displays as well. This is a testament to OnePlus’s display technology which helped achieve this remarkable feat. The phone also earned HDR 10+ Rating and can reach 1300 nit max brightness which is more than adequate in direct sunlight.
OnePlus included a special feature that can upscale video content upto 120Hz. Not sure how many people will want to use this feature and whether it will actually be useful in real life. At 120Hs, all the content will be a lot smoother for your naked eye and you probably won’t enjoy the content as much.
OnePlus sticks to the optical in-display fingerprint reader that is accurate and fast, just like the previous generation. However, since the phone uses optical fingerprint technology, you have to turn the screen on to use the fingerprint sensor. OnePlus hasn’t adopted Qualcomm’s ultrasonic sensor that would’ve had a much larger area of detection with additional safety features.
A small downgrade (possibly) is the hole punch cutout for the camera. Unlike the OnePlus 7t Pro that had a pop-up camera, the OnePlus 8 series have a single hole punch at the left corner of the display. Personally, the display still looks amazing and I have no issues with that small cutout. However, the OnePlus 7 and 7t Pro had an amazing notch-less display that definitely looked really cool in 2019. The reason for removing the pop-up camera is because of IP rating and to remove any moving parts in the phone.
Display verdict: OnePlus shocked everyone by offering a staggering display with the best technology ideal for anyone that loves to read, watch or simply scroll through social media! I feel it is the best or at least on par with the Samsung displays as if now and if Display is a priority you will not regret buying this phone.
Display rating: 9.8/10
2) Battery: All the right moves!
Credit: Android Authority
I’m not sure how, but OnePlus made almost all the right choices. A OnePlus phone finally has wireless charging and they’ve also included reverse wireless charging (only the pro version has wireless charging). OnePlus 8 Pro doesn’t just include wireless charging it includes the fastest wireless charging in the market. OnePlus proprietary wireless charger (69.95 USD) can boost up the phone from 0-50 in 30 minutes. For reference, the wireless charging is about an hour faster than the iPhone 11 Pro max’s wired charging and that is staggering. OnePlus 8 Pro can charge with other Qi-enabled wireless chargers but not at the same 30W speeds. To achieve this incredible technology, OnePlus had to install a large fan at the back of the charger to ensure there is enough ventilation for the wireless charger. OnePlus 8 Pro also includes the proprietary 30W warp charge wired charger in the box. Wired charging is a lot faster and is capable of charging the phone from 0-50 in 23 minutes. Reverse wireless charging is available but it is only 3W. It isn’t great but is an added feature to have I guess.
Coming to the battery, OnePlus has once again proved that software optimisation can go a long way for increasing battery life. OnePlus 8 Pro does include a massive 4510 mAh battery, making it the biggest battery in a OnePlus phone and also one of the biggest in the market as if now (S20 ultra, ROG phone 2 and few more beat it). Even the smaller brother has a massive 4310 mAh battery with a smaller display and 90 Hz refresh rate. Both the phones will easily last you an entire day and I am so glad that almost all phone manufacturers (except Google!) are producing phones with more than all-day batteries.
Battery verdict: OnePlus phones hardly ever had any battery issues. This technology continues with the latest OnePlus 8 series as both the phones are capable of offering all-day usage. Also, both phones have the amazing warp charge 30T technology that is capable of quick top-ups whenever required. The OnePlus 8 Pro also includes extremely fast wireless charging that can be a massive bonus for people addicted to wireless charging stands.
Battery rating: 9.5/10
3) Performance: Oxygen (OS) is King!
OnePlus continues to incorporate the latest and greatest flagship-level specs into its phone. Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, UFS 3.0 storage, 120 Hz refresh rate, 8 or 12 GB RAM and 5G in one polished phone. What else do you need?
OnePlus phones have always been one of the fastest and reliable smartphones in the industry. This year is no different as the OnePlus 8 pro has the best specs in the market, and along with Oxygen OS, the phone is a no brainer for anyone looking for a reliable phone.
OnePlus has a great track record with software updates, and that is one of the reasons the phones tend to last so long with reliable Android and OnePlus updates. The benchmark scores of the OnePlus 8 pro are marvellous with 4195 in single-core and 13142 in multi-core tests. These fantastic scores are achieved by a combination of Snapdragon 865, UFS 3.0 storage and the insane 12 GB RAM. OnePlus 8 Pro, like all other OnePlus phones, come with Oxygen OS, which provides a clean and simple user interface with just enough customisation. It comes with the perfect settings out of the box, and you can always tweak the settings in an Android phone based on your preferences.
Both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 pro have 5G built into them thanks to the X55 modem that is paired with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. All phones come with low-band and mid-band 5G and some particular models include mmWave. However, some 5G is better than no 5G. If you want to future-proof your purchase, skip the iPhone 11 Pro and look at the OnePlus 8 Pro, you will not regret it.
Performance verdict: OnePlus phones have always been an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a reliable and consistent phone. You are guaranteed to get all the Android and security updates, have the best chipset available, and have 5G that will ensure your purchase is secured for the coming years.
Performance rating: 9.7/10
4) Camera: Wasted opportunity!
The one potential weakness for OnePlus phones over the last few years has been in the camera department. It continues this year as well, but the camera has definitely improved over the previous few years. OnePlus 8 Pro cameras aren’t bad by any means, but the competition tends to offer a lot better pictures and videos compared to this phone. That being said, OnePlus 8 pro comes with a quadruple rear camera system that includes a colour filter camera for some reason. OnePlus 8 Pro consists of a 48 MP wide camera, 48 MP primary camera, 16 MP telephoto camera and a 5 MP colour filter camera (see the image above below). However, OnePlus is sending an update to block the camera entirely because of privacy issues.
A significant advantage with the new Sony main sensor is the ability to capture more light into the frame because it is a larger sensor. This also means that the pictures tend to offer a natural bokeh effect on most photos. All 3 camera lenses perform consistently well, especially compared to last years OnePlus 7 series. However, they tend to struggle a bit with night sight as probably the software isn’t supporting the hardware like the Pixel, Galaxy or iPhones.
OnePlus 8 Pro can take 4K at 60 FPS videos on all the camera lenses (excluding the colour filter lens of course). The videos are crisp and will suffice for a common man. The videos are good in most scenarios but lack the stabilisation of a Samsung or an iPhone.OnePlus 8 Pro can take 4K at 60 FPS videos on all the camera lenses (excluding the colour filter lens of course). The videos are crisp and will suffice for a common man. The videos are good in most scenarios but lack the stabilisation of a Samsung or an iPhone.
The main issue for OnePlus is not the lack of quality but the immediate need to catch up with the rest of the competition in the smartphone industry. Major companies like Samsung, Apple, Google and Huawei use artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance the quality of the photos. OnePlus should focus a lot more on providing great quality pictures through artificial intelligence and software optimisation.
The colour filter seems like a desperate attempt from OnePlus to offer a differentiating factor. It’s like 100 times zoom from Samsung in the S20 Ultra but a lot more pointless? Moreover, the colour filter camera raised questions regarding privacy as it could see through some materials of clothing. For this reason, OnePlus had to discontinue this feature and technically waste an entire lens for nothing. Nevertheless, it’s a feature that was available and could’ve been a cool party trick.
Credit: Digital Trends
Camera verdict: Overall, OnePlus 8 Pro has an excellent set of cameras that provide surpassing photos and videos. However, the phone and the company are only degraded because of the competition. For anyone looking for good photos and videos, but are more focused on other things like performance, battery, charging or display the OnePlus 8 Pro is a perfect choice.
Camera rating: 8/10
Overall, OnePlus 8 Pro is a great phone, and it is definitely my recommendation for anyone that wants a smartphone that will last a long time. It has the Snapdragon 865, 120 Hz display, Oxygen OS and the amazing track record for software updates and a more than average camera system. By including low-band and mid-band 5G OnePlus almost future-proofed the OnePlus 8 Pro completely and even then it will be suitable for anyone that wants to use their phone for the next 3 years.
Overall rating: 9.3/10
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