OnePlus has finally launched the OnePlus 7 in India, with the usual flagship specs, and the phone goes on sale June 4th across online retailers, and OnePlus exclusive offline stores. However, earlier this month, the company also launched the OnePlus 7 Pro packed to the brim with flagship features. So, if you’re confused about which OnePlus phone you should buy this year, we’re here to help. This is our OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 7 Pro quick comparison.
OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 7 Pro: Specs
First things first, let’s compare both these phones on terms of on-paper specifications.
| OnePlus 7 | OnePlus 7 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.41-inch FullHD+ Optic AMOLED | 6.67-inch QHD+ Fluid AMOLED 90Hz Refresh Rate |
| Processor | Snapdragon 855 | Snapdragon 855 |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 640 |
| RAM | 6GB/ 8GB | 6GB/ 8GB/ 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB/ 256GB UFS 3.0 | 128GB/ 256GB UFS 3.0 |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP f/1.7 + 5MP f/2.4 | 48MP f/1.6 + 8MP f/2.4 + 16MP f/2.2 |
| Front Camera | 16MP f/2.0 | 16MP f/2.0 |
| Sensors | In-display Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Sensor Core | In-display Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Sensor Core, Laser Sensor |
| Battery | 3,700 mAh 20W Fast Charging | 4,000 mAh 30W Warp Charge |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; NFC | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; NFC |
| Price | starts at Rs. 32,999 | starts at Rs. 48,999 |
With that out of the way, let’s take a quick look at both the phones.
Design and Build
In terms of design, the OnePlus 7 comes with a very OnePlus 6T-like design, and yes there’s a waterdrop notch on the display here. In comparison, the OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a completely bezel-less design, trading the waterdrop notch for a pop-up selfie module. The OnePlus 7 Pro does look a lot better from the front than the OnePlus 7.
Apart from that, the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro are both phones with a glass sandwich design, in-display fingerprint scanners, and the OnePlus alert slider that people have come to love so much.
However, there’s one place where the OnePlus 7 actually beats the OnePlus 7 Pro. The OnePlus 7 comes with Gorilla Glass 5 on the back, and Gorilla Glass 6 on the front; however, the OnePlus 7 Pro comes with Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back, which is definitely disappointing.
Also, the OnePlus 7 Pro is a heftier, bulkier smartphone than almost every other flagship out there, and it’s considerably heavier than the OnePlus 7. So yeah, the OnePlus 7 Pro does look better than the OnePlus 7, but it comes with Gorilla Glass 5, and is a much heavier device to hold and use.
Basically, as far as the design and build are concerned, if you want a completely bezel-less display and you’re willing to ignore the heft and the lesser protection offered by Gorilla Glass 5, the OnePlus 7 Pro is the winner. However, if notches don’t matter to you, and you want a lightweight phone that comes with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front, the OnePlus 7 is the winner.
Winner: Tie (OnePlus 7 Pro brings better design, OnePlus 7 brings Gorilla Glass 6)
Display
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a stunning QHD+ Fluid AMOLED display with curved edges, along with a 90Hz refresh rate, and it’s a gorgeous looking display with great colors, brightness, and viewing angles. It’s just a very good display.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 7 comes with a FullHD+ Optic AMOLED display with a standard 60Hz refresh rate. There are also no curved edges here, and while some people prefer flat displays, I’m a sucker for curved displays. Anyway, while the OnePlus 7 clearly lags behind the OnePlus 7 Pro in terms of display, it’s still a great display. True, it’s not QHD+, but it’s crisp, and it brings stunning colors and viewing angles as well.
Still, this can be a deciding factor for a lot of people. After all, a QHD+ 90Hz display does sound lucrative, but if that’s not too big a deal for you, the OnePlus 7 display won’t disappoint you either. Frankly, though, I’ll give the win to the OnePlus 7 Pro here.
Winner: OnePlus 7 Pro
Cameras
In terms of cameras, the OnePlus 7 Pro brings a triple rear camera set up, with a 48MP f/1.6 primary lens, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens with a 117-degree field of view, whereas the OnePlus 7 brings a dual rear camera set up with a 48MP f/1.7 primary lens, and a 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor.
As far as general camera performance is concerned, both the phones perform almost equally well, for better or worse. The only point that I’m really concerned with, is that the OnePlus 7 Pro’s camera performance doesn’t seem to hold up for a phone that’s priced at Rs. 49,000. However, a similar performance at Rs. 33,000 is actually good enough.
That said, the OnePlus 7 Pro also brings along an ultra-wide lens, so if that’s something you absolutely want on your phone, you should consider it. However, the ultra-wide lens on the OnePlus 7 Pro is not good enough, and that pretty much negates the purpose of its existence.
Winner: OnePlus 7 (decent camera for the price)
Performance
Internally, both the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro come with almost identical specs. They both feature the latest Snapdragon 855 processor, and up to 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. The only place where they differ, really, is that the OnePlus 7 Pro offers a 12GB RAM variant, while the OnePlus 7 tops out at 8GB.
However, 12GB RAM on a smartphone is really overkill, and to me, the OnePlus 7 Pro’s 12GB variant seems like nothing more than bragging rights.
Both these phones are flagships as far as the hardware is concerned, and they perform as such. Day to day tasks on the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro run smooth as butter, multi-tasking is a breeze on both phones, and even while gaming, the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro are equally awesome; there’s no real advantage, performance wise, to get the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Winner: Tie (both the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro bring flagship level performance)
Battery
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a massive 4,000 mAh battery, while the OnePlus 7 comes with a relatively smaller 3,700 mAh battery. However, the OnePlus 7 Pro’s battery needs to power a bigger, higher-resolution QHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, while the OnePlus 7’s battery needs to power a relatively smaller, FullHD+ display.
Both the phones’ battery life is decent enough though, and even with the bigger battery, the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn’t really last longer than the OnePlus 7 does with its 3,700 mAh battery unit.
The one place where the OnePlus 7 Pro beats out the OnePlus 7 is in fast charging. The OnePlus 7 Pro supports 30W Warp Charge, while the OnePlus 7 only supports 20W Fast Charge.
Winner: Tie (both the phones have similar battery life)
OnePlus 7 vs OnePlus 7 Pro: Which One Should You Buy?
All things considered, here’s what you need to think about if you’re confused between the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro. Does a marginally bigger battery, a 90Hz QHD+ display, and an ultra-wide camera sound worth Rs.16,000 to you? If it does, go for the OnePlus 7 Pro. Other than that, the OnePlus 7 brings all of the same stuff as the OnePlus 7 Pro, and apart from the actually stunning Fluid AMOLED display, the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn’t really do anything better than its much more affordable sibling.
Personally, I’d suggest you to buy the OnePlus 7; it’s just a much better value for money smartphone, and it brings all of the good stuff that OnePlus is known for. That said, if you’re not set on buying a OnePlus phone, and you are willing to wait, the Redmi K20 Pro and the ZenFone 6 are both coming to India really soon with flagship specs, bezel-less designs, and more, and they might give some tough competition to the OnePlus 7 in this price range.
Abubakar Mohammed
