In mid-April, OnePlus announced its two new flagships for the first half of 2020: the expected OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Both have quite a few similarities although, obviously, the non-“Pro” model lacks some of the features of its older brother…
The OnePlus 8 arrives with a 6.55 ″ AMOLED screen with a 90 Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 865 processor, 8/12 GB of RAM, 128 / 256GB of storage, 48MP (wide-angle) + 16MP (ultra-wide-angle) rear camera + 2MP (macro), 16MP front camera and 4,300 mAh battery with fast charge at 30W.
The OnePlus 8 is on sale for $ 836 (8GB / 128GB) or $ 954 (12GB / 256GB) through the OnePlus website and also on Amazon.
OnePlus 8 Review
The OnePlus 8 arrives with a front almost all screen with narrow and symmetrical frames, where a small hole stands out in the upper left corner to house the front camera. As a result, we are facing one of the devices with the highest screen-to-body ratio on the market, around 89%.
Both the screen and the glass on the back are curved on the sides. Although this adds a touch of sophistication to the design, the curvature of the screen produces a darkening of the image at the edges that are not to everyone’s liking.
The OnePlus 8 is available in three colors: Onyx Black, Glacial Green, and Interstellar Glow. The Glaciar Green model has very attractive turquoise reflections and, in addition, the tracks are hardly marked on its surface.
OnePlus uses Gorilla Glass 5 glass on both the front and the back but, once again, it has left the device devoid of protection against water – only the ‘Pro’ model offers this protection.
The OnePlus 8 screen has a 6.6 ″ Fluid AMOLED panel with a 20:9 ratio that offers a Full HD + resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels).
Its most striking feature is its 90 Hz refresh rate, which offers a much smoother visual experience when scrolling and enjoying certain games (such as Fortnite ) than normal panels at 60 Hz, although there are already some high-end smartphones with panels at 120 Hz.
The display covers 100% of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces and offers three color modes: Vivid, Natural, and Advanced. The default color mode is Vivid which offers rich and saturated colors but less true to life, while in the Natural color mode, the color fidelity is very high.
The panel is capable of playing HDR10 + content and, in tests, I have successfully played YouTube and Netflix content in this format.
Being an OLED panel, the blacks are pure and the contrast is very high (theoretically, infinite). The maximum brightness of the screen is very high since it exceeds the 800 nits mark with the screen illuminated 100% in white, something that even the best smartphones on the market cannot boast of.
OnePlus incorporates the ‘Ambient Screen’ functionality so that the screen lights up when a notification arrives or when you pick up the phone, but it does not have an ‘Always On Display’ mode to permanently display information on the screen. Together with the absence of the notification LED, this means that we do not know when there is a notice pending to read.
OnePlus has incorporated a fingerprint reader under the screen that allows you to unlock the phone by just resting your finger on it, as long as we have turned on the screen before (for example, tapping on it while it is locked or lifting it from the table).
The fingerprint reader under the screen is quite reliable in identifying the fingerprint and the unlocking process is extremely fast.
OnePlus has also incorporated facial recognition that, again, is very fast when it comes to identifying ourselves, although it is not as secure as the fingerprint system as it is 2D recognition.
In terms of hardware, it has a very powerful configuration that allows it to cope with other high-end smartphones of 2020.
The OnePlus 8 comes with a Snapdragon 865 processor, 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage.
These are very advanced components, although on the market we already find smartphones with LPDDR5 type RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. In practice, however, you shouldn’t notice a difference.
One of the few limitations of the OnePlus 8 is that it does not allow us to expand the storage using a micro-SD card, so we must choose well between the storage variants. I would like OnePlus to offer a micro-SD card slot, as almost all manufacturers do.
In the benchmarks, the OnePlus 8 has obtained excellent scores in all the tests, as we are used to in the phones of the brand. On a day-to-day basis, the OnePlus 8 moves with extreme fluidity, and this sensation also helps the screen at 90 Hz.
In terms of graphics capacity, I have been able to measure stable rates of 30 or 60 FPS in demanding games like Asphalt 9, Dead Effect 2, or Call of Duty. In the games section, it should be mentioned that OnePlus incorporates a Game mode that allows us to better concentrate on our games and a Fnatic mode that increases the performance of the device while we play and avoids distractions.
The OnePlus 8 arrives with a 4,300 mAh battery that, a priori, should be enough for a smartphone with a screen of its size. In the battery test, the smartphone has performed well but is beaten by some other flagships.
OnePlus incorporates its own Warp Charge 30T fast-charging system, which is capable of charging 70% of the battery in half an hour, and fully charging the phone in just over an hour – impressive times.
To take advantage of this fast charge, we must make use of the USB cable and the charger that come in the box since it is a proprietary system of the brand. However, we can also charge the phone quickly (although not as fast) with a standard USB-PD charger.
OnePlus has decided not to include wireless charging in this model, although it does in the OnePlus 8 Pro. It is a pity that it is not part of this model as it is very comfortable.
The OnePlus 8 has stereo speakers that offer a pretty good sound, although somewhat unbalanced since the bottom speaker is more powerful and sounds fuller than the earpiece speaker.
Also, the lower speaker is in a position that is easy to cover with your hand when holding the phone horizontally.
Sadly, the company has decided to do without the 3.5mm headphone jack and it doesn’t even include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. in the box. This means that you will be forced to use USB-C or Bluetooth headphones.
In the photographic section, the OnePlus 8 has a triple rear camera made up of a 48MP f / 1.8 main camera with OIS, 16MP f / 2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, and 2MP macro camera.
The camera interface has given me a bit of war since the fire button does not work the first time if, when holding the phone, you touch the screen somewhere. Considering that the curved edges stretch to the extreme, it’s easy to touch the screen by mistake.
In good light, the images taken by the main camera are sharp, and when light is scarce, snapshots offer good image quality but lag behind other flagships.
The OnePlus 8’s camera offers a Pro mode (only for the main camera) with many manual control options and the ability to save in RAW, as well as a Night Landscape mode that allows you to increase exposure and reduce noise when taking photos at the night with pretty good results.
OnePlus also offers a Portrait mode to blur the background of the image that works very well. Portrait mode uses the wide-angle camera, but by default it does a 2X crop so you don’t have to get as close, thus preventing the face from being deformed by using an angle lens.
The ultra-wide-angle camera is my favorite when taking pictures of landscapes or monuments, as it offers a totally different perspective. The downside is that in low-light conditions, quality suffers from the absence of optical stabilization and a more limited aperture.
OnePlus has added a Macro camera that allows taking pictures from a very close distance but its limited resolution means that the captures are not too good.
In video recording, the OnePlus 8 offers 4K and 1080p recording modes at 30/60 FPS (but not 8K), as well as a slow motion mode up to 720p / 480fps or 1080p / 240fps.
However, it is only possible to record video in all modes with the main camera, as the ultra-wide camera is limited to 1080p / 4K at 30fps.
The front camera has a 16MP sensor with f / 2.0 aperture and offers quite good quality, although its wide viewing angle makes the face appear somewhat deformed if you do not move your hand far enough away. This camera also offers Portrait mode functionality, which offers a good result.
The OnePlus 8 arrives with Android 10 and, on top, the brand’s OyxenOS customization layer, which offers a very fluid user experience but with improvements.
OxygenOS offers interesting features on top of Android, such as double-tap screen switching, gesture navigation, Night / Reading modes, Hidden Space, app protection, Fnatic mode for games, Zen mode for disconnect from a smartphone or Quick Reply in «landscape» (bad translation of landscape mode).
Another unique feature of the OnePlus 8 is the Notification Slider switch, which allows you to quickly silence the phone from ringing and/or vibrating. It is a very interesting addition that I would like to see in more smartphones.
The OnePlus 8 is on sale for $ 836 (8GB / 128GB) or $ 954 (12GB / 256GB) through the OnePlus website and also on Amazon.
OnePlus 8 Full Specifications
| Colors | Glacial Green Interstellar Glow Onyx Black |
| Dimensions | Height：160.2 mm Width：72.9 mm Thickness：8.0 mm Weight：180g |
| Display | Size: 6.55 inches Reading Mode Night Mode Vibrant Color Effect |
| Performance | Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android™ 10 CPU: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™865 5G Chipset: X55 GPU: Adreno 650 RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X Storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 2-LANE Battery: 4300 mAh (non-removable) Warp Charge 30T Fast Charging (5V/6A) |
| Camera | Rear camera – Main Sensor: Sony IMX586 Megapixels: 48 Pixel Size: 0.8µm Lens Quantity: 6P OIS: Yes EIS: Yes Aperture: f/1.75 Macro Lens Megapixels: 2 Pixel Size: 1.75µm Aperture: f/2.4 Ultra Wide Angle Lens Megapixels: 16 Aperture: f/2.2 Flash Dual LED Flash Optical Zoom No（Support in sensor zoom 2X） Video 4K video at 30/60 fps 1080P video at 30/60 fps Super Slow Motion: 1080p video at 240 fps, 720p video at 480 fps Time-Lapse 1080P 30fps, 4k 30fps Front Camera Sensor: Sony IMX471 Megapixels: 16 Pixel Size: 1.0 µm EIS: Yes Autofocus: Fixed Focus Aperture: f/2.45 |
| Sensors | In-display Fingerprint Sensor Accelerometer Electronic Compass Gyroscope Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Sensor Core |
| In The Box | OnePlus 8 Warp Charge 30 Power Adapter Warp Type-C Cable (Support USB 2.0) Quick Start Guide Welcome Letter Safety Information and Warranty Card LOGO Sticker Screen Protector SIM Tray Ejector |
All images and specifications credits for “OnePlus 8“.
The Best and Worst about OnePlus 8
Is the OnePlus 8 a good buy? If you are after a high-end smartphone with a modern design, an excellent screen, a very high performance, a good battery with fast charging, and a smooth Android experience, the OnePlus 8 is an excellent option.
The best:
The Worst:
OnePlus 8 Price and Competitors
The OnePlus 8 is on sale for $ 836 (8GB / 128GB) or $ 954 (12GB / 256GB) through the OnePlus website and also on Amazon.
The price of OnePlus 8 is one of its main attractions. The price difference between OnePlus devices and high-end smartphones from other manufacturers is no longer as marked as it was a few years ago, but it is also true that the deficiencies with respect to these are also much smaller.
A natural alternative to the OnePlus 8 is the OnePlus 8 Pro ( $ 1072 ), which has a 6.8 ″ OLED screen with notch, Snapdragon 865 processor, 8 / 12GB of RAM, 128 / 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, camera will bring 48MP ( wide angle) + 8MP (telephoto) + 48MP (ultra wide angle) + 5MP (color filter), 16MP front camera and 4,510 mAh battery
If you are looking for a powerful smartphone at a good price, the POCO F2 Pro ( $ 589 ) is another good candidate. It has a 6.7 ″ Super AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 865 processor, 6/8 GB of RAM, 128/256 GB of storage, 64MP (wide angle) + 5MP (telephoto) + 13MP (ultra-wide-angle) + 2MP ( depth), 20MP pop-up front camera and 4,700 mAh battery.
Another powerful smartphone option with Snapdragon 865 chipset but at an adjusted price is the Realme X50 Pro 5G ( $ 694 at Amazon) that has a 6.4 ″ Super AMOLED screen with Full HD + resolution at 90Hz, Snapdragon 865 processor, 6/8/12 GB RAM, 128 / 256GB of storage, 64MP (wide) + 12MP (telephoto) + 8MP (ultra-wide / macro) + 2MP (depth) rear camera, 32MP (wide) + 8MP (ultra-wide) front camera angular) and 4,200 mAh battery.
If what you are looking for is the highest quality, you have all the high-end smartphones of the moment at your fingertips, although their prices are considerably higher.
One of the first that comes to mind is the Samsung Galaxy S20 + ($ 1060 with 4G and € 999 with 5G) which has a 6.7 ″ Dynamic AMOLED screen, Exynos 990 processor, 12GB of RAM, 128/256/512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, 12MP (wide-angle) + 64MP (3x telephoto) + 12MP (ultra-wide) + ToF rear camera, 10MP front camera and 4,500 mAh battery.
Another smartphone with the best features is the Oppo Find X2 Pro ($ 1414 when it goes on sale) with a 6.7 ″ AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 865 processor, 12 GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, large rear camera. wide-angle (48MP) + 5x telephoto (13MP) + ultra-wide (48MP), 32MP front camera and 4,260 mAh battery
If you like photography, the Huawei P40 Pro 5G ( $ 1296 at Amazon) is a good reference. It has a 6.6 ″ Full HD + OLED screen, Kirin 990 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, 50MP rear camera (wide angle) + periscope with 5x optical zoom (12MP) + ultra-wide-angle camera (40MP) + 32MP front camera depth, 5G connectivity and 4,200 mAh battery with direct and reverse wireless charging. Now, it does not come with Google services.
Another smartphone that stands out in the photographic section is the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro ( $ 1068 at Amazon) that has a 6.7 ″ Super AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 865 processor, 8/12 GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, 108MP (wide-angle) + 12MP (2x telephoto) + 8MP (3.7x telephoto) + 20MP (ultra-wide) rear camera, 20MP front camera and 4,500mAh battery
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