After a week chock full of teasers and feature confirmations, OnePlus took the wraps off its newest flagship phones – the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro at an online event today. Almost everything about the two phones had leaked online prior to the launch but all of it has finally gone official. OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro share the same design DNA this time around, along with curved displays, Snapdragon 865, and well, an IP rating.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro:
OnePlus 8: Specs and Features
Right off the bat, you will notice that OnePlus has streamlined its phone design and is no longer pushing two separate offerings with the standard and Pro variant. OnePlus has carried forward the OnePlus 7T Pro design, with its dual-curved edge display and vertical camera array. But, the pop-up selfie camera that a ton of users adored on the 7T Pro has been swapped out for a punch-hole cutout on the top left.
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90Hz AMOLED Display
OnePlus 8 features a 6.55-inch Full-HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 180Hz touch sampling rate. The new panel supports 1080 x 2400 resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, HDR 10+ playback, up to 1100 nits of peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The display here brings only minor upgrades over the 90Hz panel seen on last year’s OnePlus 7T. It’s only the dual-curved edges and punch-hole cutout, which houses the 16MP selfie shooter, that is different this time around. It’s trendy and premium – in line with what OnePlus promises.
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Snapdragon 865 + 5G
Under the hood, OnePlus 8 Pro is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 865 chipset from Qualcomm. It comes equipped with the Snapdragon X55 modem onboard for 5G connectivity and supports both SA/NSA 5G modes. The chipset is coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. OnePlus has, however, managed to boost speeds with its Turbo White and Host Performance Booster (HPB) technology.
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New OxygenOS Features
Let’s also talk about software while we are at it. OnePlus 8 Pro runs Android 10-based OxygenOS 10, which already powers other recent OnePlus devices. But, the company today introduced a myriad of new software features.
The most prominent will have to be the Always-on Display (AOD), which finally found its way to OxygenOS, thanks to constant user feedback. There’s also a new dark theme, a dynamic wallpaper option, Live Captions, and around 280 optimizations across the board.
OnePlus 8 series will also support Google Stadia, the cloud game streaming service, and Amazon Alexa out-of-the-box.
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IP Rating
The OnePlus 8 does not have an IP certification to keep it affordable but the OnePlus 8 Pro does. You can read all about it down below.
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Triple Cameras
OnePlus 8 swaps out the circular camera bump on its predecessor for a vertical triple-camera system. It is great for design parity but it loses out on versatility in the process. The camera array includes a primary 48MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX586 sensor with OIS, a 16MP ultra-wide lens, and a macro camera. OnePlus has included an independent macro camera in favor of the telephoto lens. But, I would have preferred versatility over better macros because the latter could’ve been combined with the ultra-wide lens itself.
OnePlus has repeatedly been rebuked for not having the best cameras. The OnePlus 8 series promises to correct that shortcoming. The company has invested heavily in the camera department and we will get audio zoom, 3-HDR video, and a lot more.
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Connectivity
OnePlus has baked all the essential connectivity options into the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. This includes support for WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0, and a USB Type-C port for charging. You also get NFC for payments and dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, NavIC and GALILEO for improved location services. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack onboard but you get dual stereo speakers to make up for it.
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Battery
OnePlus 8 Pro comes equipped with a 4,300mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T fast-charging support. Yeah, the company hasn’t upgraded the wired charging speeds, which is saddening. I mean, 30W is super fast and good enough but it would have been great to see 50W SuperWarp fast-charging support (same as the Realme X2 Pro) this time around. Maybe OnePlus is reserving that for the T-series refresh later this year.
OnePlus 8 will be available in three attractive colorways – Glacier Green, Interstellar Glow, and Onyx Black.
OnePlus 8 Pro: Specs and Features
The OnePlus 8 Pro boasts the same design and internals as the standard OnePlus 8 but with substantial upgrades across the board – be it the display, cameras, or charging. It adds a number of firsts to the Chinese giant’s flagship phone and fans are just going to love it.
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120Hz QHD+ AMOLED Display
OnePlus 8 Pro sports a slightly taller 6.78-inch QHD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. This is an upgrade over the 90Hz 2K+ panel that we saw on the OnePlus 7 Pro. This new panel also supports 3168 x 1440 pixel resolution, JNCD ~ 0.4, 513ppi, HDR10+ playback, 40% less blue light, and a lot more. I would also like to point out that you will be able to experience the 120Hz refresh rate at QHD+ resolution – unlike the Galaxy S20 series, which caps this setting.
OnePlus dubbed this QHD+ panel as the highest-specced display in the universe during the online event.
The company has also baked a dedicated MEMC chip inside the OnePlus 8 Pro. This will enable the device to upscale 24fps content to 120fps to offer a far more immersive experience. It helps video content look less choppy by inserting additional frames into a video file. You can check out the apps that will support the MEMC chip right here.
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Quad-Cameras
OnePlus 8 Pro includes a quad-camera camera setup, the same as its predecessor but you will notice some minor differences here. You get a primary 48MP (f/1.78) Sony IMX689 sensor that recently made its debut on the Oppo Find X2. It’s paired with an ultra-wide-angle 48MP (f/2.2) Sony IMX586 sensor with a 120-degree FOV, an 8MP (f/2.4) telephoto lens with 3x hybrid zoom and 30x digital zoom, and a unique color filter camera. The color filter camera, as OnePlus says, will enable you to capture filtered photos.
The telephoto lens, as you can see above, sits beside the main vertical camera setup. It includes a dual-LED flash and laser autofocus in tow as well. As for stabilization, both the primary and telephoto cameras are optically stabilized (include OIS) to make it possible for users to capture some stunning videos.
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IP Rating
OnePlus 8 Pro is the first OnePlus phone to officially boast an IP certification rating.
OnePlus always touted that its phones can withstand some water splashes and dust at previous launch events. It didn’t get IP certification to keep the prices of its phones in check. However, this changes with the OnePlus 8 series. OnePlus 8 Pro boasts an IP68 rating, which means it can withstand dust or stand, and submersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes.
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Wireless Charging
OnePlus 8 Pro is the first OnePlus phone to feature wireless charging support.
Yeah, you must already know this. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed wireless charging support a couple of days prior to launch. OnePlus 8 Pro comes equipped with a 4,510 mAh battery that can not only be charged with the Warp Charge 30T wired charger but also with the Warp Charge 30 wireless charger. This means you can juice up this huge battery from 0% to 100% in around 70 minutes via either wired or wireless charging, which is great.
OnePlus 8 Pro supports wireless charging at 30W if it wasn’t immediately clear. It’s one of the fastest wireless charging speeds on a smartphone. You also get support for reverse wireless charging, which means you can charge your TWS earbuds, smartwatches, and even other phones by placing them on the rear of the device.
OnePlus 8 Pro will be available in three attractive colorways — Glacier Green, Onyx Black, and Ultramarine Blue.
Price and Availability
OnePlus 8 has been priced at $699 (around Rs. 53,000) for the 8GB+128GB base variant. You will be required to shell out $799 (around Rs. 60,500) for the 12GB+256GB high-end variant.
OnePlus 8 Pro, on the other hand, will heavily affect your bank balance. OnePlus 8 Pro has is starting at $899 (around Rs. 68,250). This is the amount you need to pay for the 8GB+128GB base variant. The higher-end variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage will see you shell out $999 (around Rs. 75,900).
Both of these devices will go on sale from 29th April in North America. The company did not reveal the India prices or availability details. We will keep you updated once we learn more about the same.
So, which of the two are you planning to pick up? OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
