The OnePlus 8 Pro Review: From Flagship Killer to a True Flagship!
OnePlus was always known for its “flagship killer quality” and “affordable pricing strategy” but now those days are over as they are moving towards a more premium approach and that is shown with the launch of the OnePlus 8 Pro which is now giving serious competition to the big flagships such as the Samsung S20, iPhone 11 Pro and the Huawei P40 Pro. The OnePlus 8 Pro has included all the required missing features which is usually expected from a true flagship.
Release Date and Price
The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro were launched on April 14 in an online event without any audience due to the current pandemic. OnePlus has opted for different pricing in several markets whereas it is much cheaper in India and China as compared to USA and other markets.
The prices for the OnePlus 8 Pro are $899/£799 for (8GB+128GB) and $999/£899 for (12GB+256GB) for the US / Europe markets whereas the pricing in India starts at Rs 54,999/$720 for (8GB+128GB) and Rs59,999/$785 for (12GB+256GB). There is a price difference of approx. 200$ which can be due to their local manufacturing units, lower profit margins and a better distribution network in India and China.
OnePlus 8 Pro becomes the most expensive OnePlus device till date but still it is little cheaper as compared to its competitors such as the Samsung S20 Plus, iPhone 11 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro. The OnePlus 8 Pro release dates are April 21 in UK and Europe, April 29 for USA and May 15 for the India.
Display
OnePlus has nailed this year with its “Fluid Display” one the OnePlus 8 Pro and they have assured that it will be “the best screen you’ll see all year”. It is the best display on any smartphone till date. It has a 6.78-inch size, 1440 x 3168 QHD+ resolution display with 19.8:9 aspect ratio and 513ppi pixel density which is in par according to flagship smartphone standards.
Nowadays refresh rate also matters the most for any display as any smartphone with higher refresh rate will ensure smooth scrolling and better graphical performance in terms of fluidity which will overall enhance the user experience and OnePlus did not compromise on this feature which makes them more unique. The OnePlus 8 Pro offers a 120Hz screen (the max refresh rate in the industry) as compared to its competitors as only the Samsung S20 has the 120Hz screen but it only works on HD+ setting whereas the OnePlus 8 Pro’s 120Hz screen will work with QHD+ Display also.
DisplayMate which is the benchmark for all displays in the industry has given the highest rating of A+ grade for the display of the OnePlus 8 Pro which offers 1300nits peak brightness and best color accuracy and is far ahead as compared to its competitors. OnePlus broke 13 records for its display and earned the DisplayMate Best Smartphone Display Award which proves that it has the best smartphone display till date.
OnePlus 8 Pro also offers additional features for video playback such as ‘Vibrant color effect pro” which optimizes the color levels and gives a more vibrant image and also the ‘motion graphics smoothing’ feature which upscales the frame rate of the videos being played to provide a more smoother playback but it only works for certain apps. It depends on personal choice and preference to use these additional features.
Talking about the drawbacks, OnePlus 8 Pro screen covers the sides as well which can result in false touches which becomes annoying sometimes. Samsung S20 has perfected this issue to avoid false touches and OnePlus should take a note of it for its upcoming devices. Also, recently some users are facing a green tint issue, which hopefully should be fixed by OnePlus in the next update.
Design and Color Options
The OnePlus 8 Pro has a very premium design. Its similar to the last year’s OnePlus 7T Pro but with few improvements. The front side has a big 6.78-inch AMOLED display with curved edges. Both the sides are covered with Glass with metal frame to the sides. The glass body does not give a proper sturdy grip and might feel a but slippery so its recommended to use a case for safety as we all know how expensive it can be to repair the display as well as the back-glass body.
The OnePlus 8 Pro is a large device with dimensions of 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5mm and weighs at 199g which is heavier compared to other flagship devices. The phone is quite big to use and two hands are required to have a proper and secure grip. Also, there is a noticeable rear camera bump but that can be levelled by using a case.
Talking about the ports and buttons, it has a USB-C port at the base for charging and data transfer and no 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a dual Sim tray and two speaker options. The Power button and the famous Alert slider is on the right with the volume keys being on the left.
One of the important and highlighting feature of the Pro models was the pop-up selfie camera but this time OnePlus has ditched the option and went for the circular punch hole design for the selfie camera and it is just 3.8mm so its hardly comes in way of normal usage
Regarding the color options, the OnePlus 8 Pro is available in 3 color options — Ultramarine Blue, Glacial Green and the Onyx Black with the blue being my personal favorite
Camera Setup
The OnePlus 8 Pro comes up with the quad camera setup. That is the trend which is being followed currently. This is the biggest upgrade for a OnePlus device in terms of the cameras. OnePlus always lacked with its cameras and could not compete with its competitors and this time they have looked to nail it with its setup that can take on the heavy flagships.
The first camera is a primary 48MP with Sony’s IMX689 sensor with a f/1.78 aperture with OIS and EIS and supports upto 4K video recording
The second camera is another 48MP Ultra-Wide Lens with Sony IMX586 with a f/2.2 aperture and 119.7-degree field of view which gives some nice wide-angle shots.
The third camera at the bottom is the new 5MP Color Filter lens which gives Instagram like filter options. I don’t see it to be most effective and useful as it does not bring any value in terms of cameras and would want a better camera option in the next phone.
The last and fourth camera option is the 8MP telephoto sensor which allows upto 3x optical and 30x digital zoom on the devices. For the selfie’s, it has a 16MP camera, f/2.4 lens
It produces some amazing camera shots with almost close resemble to real life colors and gives cooler images compared to the warmer shots on its competitors. The default camera mode is the 48MP primary sensor but the images are captured at 12MP and gives an option to switch between 12MP and 48MP. There are plenty of other camera features such as Ultra-Shot HDR, Zoom, Nightscape for low light shots, Slow Motion, Portrait and Panorama. Still I don’t see it to have the best camera setup and that can be perfected in its next device.
Software and Performance
Being the top flagship, there is no compromise in terms of specs. It has the top of the line Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 Chipset and Adreno 650 GPU with X55 5G modem bringing superfast 5G network speeds. It comes with 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM options and this a proves that it can withstand almost anything and u can load multiple apps and games. It also has WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support and its speakers are powered with Dolby Atmos Technology
The OnePlus 8 Pro is a very powerful phone with a Geekbench Multi core benchmark score of 3305 which is way higher than its competitors and it is one of the fastest phones I have seen till date.
The software of the OnePlus devices was always the key highlight and its USP as it delivered a smooth and fast performance without any lags or issues and this time is no different. The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with an improved version of its Oxygen OS 10.5.2 which is their Android 10 interface over the Google’s operating system. It is similar to a stock android experience which is a fan favorite for many users.
Battery Life and Other Features
A big phone requires a good battery to sustain its usage for the day. The OnePlus 8 Pro packs a 4510mAh battery and it’s the biggest on any OnePlus device till date and also bigger than what its competitors are offering. It should easily last a day with single charge and normal typical usage and there is also a battery saver option which will give you little extra hours to carry on.
OnePlus supports fast charging with their Warp Charge technology and its quite good compared to others. OnePlus comes equipped with its fast charger in box which is a delight for its users. This time they have enhanced their Warp Charge 30T charging which charges your OnePlus 8 Pro from 0% to 50% in just 23 minutes and also it now finally supports wireless charging with reverse charging capabilities and the OnePlus 8 Pro is the first device which supports this feature.
Looking at other features, OnePlus is now also IP68 certified which offers dust and water protection for upto 1m and it also supports 5G connectivity. OnePlus also launched its own charging pad with built in fan which offers fast wireless charging which can charge your device from 0–50% in just 30minutes which is way fast as normal wireless charging is slower, but it is an additional accessory which can be purchased for around $80
My Verdict
At the end of the review, I can say that this is the best OnePlus device till date. Yes, I agree it’s a premium price and it’s no more considered an affordable phone but you are paying for what you are getting. The OnePlus 8 Pro is one of the best Android devices till date with the best display, unique design, an improved camera setup and the best top of the line internals.
OnePlus always used to be a flagship killer which tried to compete with other heavy flagships but lacked in several departments and this year they have brought all the missing features such as wireless charging, IP68 certification and better cameras which were required to become a true flagship.
OnePlus always follows a trend of bringing an improved version of its current device in the form of its “T” model and that is why I would personally wait for the “T” model as that brings the most value for the device and also it will rectify all the small mistakes and issues which are received from the feedback of the current OnePlus 8 Pro. But for those who are looking for a new phone which competes with the heavy flagships like the Samsung S 20 and the iPhone 11 Pro, this is the best option available in the market rite now
