OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro review: The makings of a flagship smartphone killer

Note: This review was first published on 18 June 2020.

The most affordable flagship phone with 5G?

OnePlus needs no introduction. What first started as a Chinese smartphone maker founded by an ex-Oppo employee has since evolved into a fully-fledged phone brand with a retail presence in 50 countries, including Singapore. The brand was (and still somewhat is) famous for its self-proclamation of making phones that are flagship killers, packing top-end hardware and features at affordable prices. Having said that, their 2019 flagships were far from being affordable and called out if OnePlus could still maintain their edge in this crowded smartphone space.

The OnePlus 8 series that was announced in mid-April 2020 as the successor to the OnePlus 7 series (including the OnePlus 7T). The launch of the 5G-ready OnePlus 8 series is set to compete with 5G-capable, flagship smartphones from other brands launched this year. And when we mean 5G-ready, this phone does come with a 5G modem!

OnePlus's latest flagship devices pack several headlining features beyond 5G. The phones have a different, yet heightened refresh rate for their displays, HDR playback support in both models, Wi-Fi 6 support, and a flagship Snapdragon 865 processor. Two main models exist, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro:-

Key differences between them models lie in their camera capabilities, with the OnePlus 8 touting a triple rear camera setup while the Pro gets a quad-camera system on the rear. Other subtle points are the OnePlus 8 Pro's 30W wireless charging support, while the OnePlus 8 gets wired 30W charging only. 

Nonetheless, the phones look like spec monsters on paper, with starting prices lower than many competing devices. The OnePlus 8 starts at S$998 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage (including 5G support), while the OnePlus 8 Pro starts at S$1,298 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage (also including 5G support). Both the Pro and non-Pro models also have a another tier with more memory and storage options - 12GB RAM with 256GB storage - so in total, there are actually four different configurations of OnePlus 8 phones across two model names.

With these prices and specs, will they finally claim the flagship killer title, or will they just be another flagship phone in the mix? Let's find out.

Note: in this article, "OnePlus 8 series" refers to the collective OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro together. For specific differences or attributes, the applicable device (OnePlus 8, or OnePlus 8 Pro) will be mentioned.

Design & Handling 

The OnePlus 8 series may be relatively 'affordable' flagship smartphones with current-gen hardware, but they feel undeniably premium like their more expensive competitors. The phones' design mostly follows the modern look for top-shelf flagship phones - a curved glass front that goes down to the sides with a unibody-like appearance. 

Aesthetically, the OnePlus 8 series feature minor differences. They sport the same bodywork, have identical button placements (volume rocker on the left, power/lock button and silence toggle on the right). The corresponding port arrangement below is identical too (from left to right: SIM card slot, USB Type-C port, built-in speakers), and they have a centre-aligned rear camera system at the back. 

What sets them apart are their proportions. The OnePlus 8 is smaller, slimmer, and lighter (180g) than the Pro variant (199g) because of their different display sizes. OnePlus 8 with its 6.55-inch, 2,400 x 1,080 pixels resolution screen still fits well in one hand, as it's nearly as wide as the iPhone X, but a centimetre taller (roughly). The OnePlus 8 Pro is still ergonomic despite its larger body, given that it's closer in size to the Oppo Find X2 Pro and in between the Samsung Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra. The OnePlus 8 Pro model is preferable if you like larger displays with more to see and interact with (6.78-inch, 3,168 x 1,440 pixels resolution), while the OnePlus 8 is better if you value the ease of use with a single hand.

Both models are comfortable to use during regular phone interactions since the button controls are in all the typical places. For instance, the grooved embellishment on the silence toggle makes it easy to silence the device without needing to look at the phone.

Another way to tell apart the OnePlus 8 and the Pro version is the flash that accompanies the rear camera systems. On the OnePlus 8 sits a dual-LED with a circular cut-out at the bottom of the lens array. The OnePlus 8 Pro's dual-LED flash is oblong-shaped nested to the left of three cameras. The fourth camera - the colour filter lens - sits just above the flash. Check out the backs of the OnePlus 8 models below:-

The OnePlus 8's colour variants include a cool-looking Glacial Green (the one we have on hand), the iridescent Interstellar Glow, and conventional Onyx Black. The OnePlus 8 Pro comes in the same Glacial Green, Onyx Black (our review unit), and a pleasant Ultramarine Blue. Going by the device colours we've received, the OnePlus phones should be appealing no matter your colour choice. If the design and build matters, you can always take a closer look with our initial first-looks article here.

Display & Audio

On the OnePlus 8, you'll find a 6.55-inch AMOLED display at 2,400 x 1,080 pixels resolution (working out to ~402ppi)  with sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamut support. Some display features included are HDR10 and HDR10+ support, Reading Mode, Night Mode, and Vibrant Colour Effect for videos. You can manually select your preferred colour space and set your ideal colour temperature via a slider. These options are available under the Display category within the phone's Settings app.

The OnePlus 8 Pro has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display at 3,168 x 1,440 pixels resolution (about 513 PPI). Besides the display options found on the non-Pro version, the 8 Pro also has Comfort Tone, which decreases the amount of blue light emitted based on the lighting of your surroundings. OnePlus 8 Pro also has has some interesting  video playback tweaks available via the Video Enhancement Engine menu. There's an option that helps increase saturation and contrast, while another setting is Motion Graphics Smoothing, which increases video framerates by 'inserting' extra frames in between to reduce graphical lag and jitter. Motion Graphics Smoothing depends on app compatibility, which you'll only know after installing the said video playback app. In our case, it works with VLC, YouTube, and Netflix. 

While their pixel densities are nearly 100 PPI (pixels-per-inch) apart, an untrained, naked eye won't be able to tell apart the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro's screen quality. By comparison, 300ppi is the average industry standard for high-quality digital images, so a display capable of squeezing more than 300 pixels per inch may not result in a significant-enough difference if you're holding your phone at typical texting and reading distance. 

The most significant difference in both phones' displays lies in its refresh rate capability. OnePlus 8's screen can refresh at 90Hz, while the OnePlus 8 Pro refreshes at 120Hz. Besides video support, the heightened refresh rates are also supported on some games like Fortnite. There's not much visible difference if the content is recorded or rendered for 60fps playback, but games with up to 120fps support feel smoother on the OnePlus 8 Pro.

We found that the OnePlus 8 Pro's video playback with enabled enhancements is just fine, save for a few instances where the phone over-compensates on footage with a high frame rate (60fps and above). It causes mild jitter on a few rare occasions, but none of which will interfere with your video watching experience.

Audio-wise, the OnePlus 8 offers a generic audio signature with an over-emphasised bass range by default. This gives it a bloated mid-range frequency. Such a sound profile makes vocals and spoken lines more comfortable to follow if you're watching drama serials and vlogs, which is excellent. What it's not so great is if you're an audiophile chasing after sound purity. The OnePlus 8 Pro doesn't fare that much better in that regard - high-pitched frequencies are not as tinny as the OnePlus 8, but the bloated bass is still quite prominent.

Both devices come with Dolby Atmos virtual audio enhancements, which can be adjusted via the Settings app under Sound & Vibration. The default (dynamic) is preferable for most content.

There's no 3.5mm audio jack port on the OnePlus 8 series, similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro. If you want to, you can pick one an OnePlus-branded USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter at S$19.90 by OnePlus, but we felt that they could have included one with the device, just to stand out further from some other brands.

User Interface

OnePlus 8 series phones come with Android 10, sitting beneath OnePlus's proprietary OxygenOS 10.0.7 reskin. Operationally, it gives a pure Android experience with an OnePlus cosmetic sheen across its core apps. OxygenOS is user-friendly, with very straight-to-the-point menus and well-spaced buttons, circular app icons, and a neutral colour palette. Outlines and markings are only used sparingly, with many menus opting for a borderless, no-outline look, e.g. notifications and app manager selection menu.

Core Android 10 features - such as forcing Dark Mode across all apps, using Gestures or the traditional three-button Android menu (Back, Home, app summary), and having an app drawer - are still fully intact despite the re-skin, so the OnePlus 8 series offer a complete Android experience without taking away or replacing them needlessly.

Part of the user experience is the notch-hole camera on the OnePlus 8 series - yes, OnePlus decided to abandon the pop-up front camera mechanism on last year's model in favour of a camera hole on the top left corner of the screen. Fortunately, it doesn't detract from the smooth browsing experience, and neither does it affect video watching since common video ratios don't overlap with the notched area of the panel.

The OnePlus 8 series' dual-SIM card slot accepts two nano-SIM cards, but with no option of expanding storage via a microSD card. While the default 128GB of storage should be decent for most users, if you're trigger happy and seldom manage your camera roll, you might want to top-up S$100 more of the 256GB editions of the respective phone models (which also nets you an insane amount of memory, 12GB).

Cameras and Imaging Performance

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro is their camera systems, with the former touting triple rear cameras, and the latter with a total of four rear cameras.

Cutting to the chase - the OnePlus 8 main camera sensor is the same as the secondary rear camera on the Oppo Find X2 Pro, while the OnePlus 8 Pro's main camera is the same as Find X2 Pro's primary rear shooter. Both phones have electronic and optical image stabilisation built into the primary shooter. Given how both phones tout flagship-tier sensors, we've come to expect decent imaging quality on the OnePlus 8 series. Software optimisation plays a huge role in delivering ideal shots, which is why we've sample photos for comparison nonetheless.

The Circuit Breaker measures in the last couple of months meant that we did not have access to our controller indoor lab chart, which is situated within the testing studio in the office. To improvise, we've decided to bring both phones outdoors while abiding by the containment measures. Photos taken are shot on default settings, with any adjustments made only to ensure we're using the correct lens for each photo.

Starting with the "temporary lab chart" above, we're looking at photos from the main cameras shot at the nearest provision store under an overcast sky. It's evident that both OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are both very capable at photo-taking, but they do have their quirks. The OnePlus 8 prefers vibrancy at the expense of some detailing, while the OnePlus 8 Pro can bring out outlines at the cost of contrast. Both are high quality, no doubt, with the OnePlus 8 Pro coming out better at overall imaging performance and better colour neutrality. Below is another pair of main camera sample photos for comparison.

While the colourisation on the OnePlus 8's main camera is more favourable, the OnePlus 8 Pro can capture the details that the OnePlus 8 overlooks.  Images feel 'less flat' when taken via the OnePlus 8 Pro.

The OnePlus 8 series both have dedicated ultra-wide-angle cameras on the rear with differing resolution capabilities, and they both have differing zoom features (10x digital zoom on the OnePlus 8, 3x hybrid zoom and 30x digital zoom on the OnePlus 8 Pro), so we decided to try them out as well.

It's rather clear which of the two phone models was the favourite child when judging by the secondary cameras' imaging performance, especially when you toggle on "Super Macro" mode. We must say that both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro certainly have decent imaging quality via their main shooter, just enough to be lower-priced flagship devices. However, it's the OnePlus 8 Pro that does the better job overall - from detail reproduction to the handling of the device while shooting, making it the more versatile photo taker between the two. 

Benchmarks and Performance

The highlight of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro is the inclusion of a 5G-capable flagship chipset - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 mobile processing platform paired with a Snapdragon X55 5G modem - at its price point. While our sunny island doesn't yet have 5G service, when it arrives, this phone will be ready.

Competing devices would naturally be other phones with the same chipset, or its competitive equivalents, like the Kirin 990 5G from HiSilicon (under Huawei) and Samsung's Exynos 990 processors. Naturally, we'd have to pit the OnePlus 8 series against the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Oppo Find X2 Pro, and the Huawei P40 Pro. We'd also take the latest flagship smartphone by Apple (iPhone 11 Pro) and the previously reviewed OnePlus 7 Pro just for comparison's sake.

Jetstream

To benchmark the phone's web browsing performance, we used the JetStream 2 benchmark test on the Google Chrome web browser app. The test measures a phone's capabilities in handling a variety of advanced workloads and executing codes. JetStream 2 is an updated version of older benchmarks, such as the first JetStream and SunSpider.

While some phones come with custom-made web browsers, We always run this benchmark test on Chrome as it gives the best indication across devices, processors, and OS platforms - whether iOS or Android. Also, we would adjust the phone's display settings to ensure that the screen doesn't turn off mid-test since this would relegate the browser's thread(s) to background processing. Where necessary, we would run multiple test instances to get a more accurate reading of scores.

Given that both OnePlus 8 series phones pack the same chipset, the similar scores reported on the benchmark aren't surprising. They are also on par with the Snapdragon 865-backed Oppo Find X 2 Pro, and ahead of Huawei and Samsung's current-generation flagships. 

AnTuTu

Note: As of 9th March 2020, all AnTuTu benchmarks were removed from the Google Play Store. This move likely arose from Google's attempts to relieve the Play Store of apps that violate their policies. AnTuTu is working with Google to restore their app listing. For this review, we used the APK file that was available on AnTuTu's website.

AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, and the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device's flash memory.

Both OnePlus models lead this benchmark, beating the Find X2 Pro by a slight margin ahead. At this point, we're quite assured that the OnePlus 8 series devices deliver the flagship-quality hardware and performance that's usually relegated to expensive, premium devices. 

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100.

The same performance lead in the Chinese-made AnTuTu benchmark is repeated in the US-made Geekbench measurements. This helps confirm that the device can at least be consistent across multiple benchmark tools, which may allude to its real-world performance regardless of the apps you use. 

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme

3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. The test's Unlimited mode ignores screen resolutions.

The OnePlus 8 series is slightly behind the Samsung range of flagships in terms of benchmark performance, but it's unsurprisingly on par with the Oppo's Find X2 Pro. Game graphics and video content pose no significant issues to us in real-world use either.

In summary, you're looking at a flagship-quality device with 5G capabilities when it comes to the OnePlus 8. Similarly, the OnePlus 8 Pro doesn't compromise its performance even with the bells and whistles attached. 

Battery life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email

The OnePlus 8 may have a smaller 4,300mAh battery capacity when compared to the Pro variant, but its 1080p display might just give it the longer-lasting edge in battery life. Conversely, the 4,510mAh OnePlus 8 Pro was necessary on the larger device given the more demanding 1440p display. Both phones still outperformed many of the more expensive, 2020 flagship alternatives, except for the battery-efficient (but lower technical performance) Huawei P40 Pro and the 5,000mAh Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. OnePlus phones generally fare well in our battery benchmarks, which was why included the older OnePlus 7 Pro at the bottom for comparison's sake.

The OnePlus 8's and OnePlus 8 Pro's fast-charging capability (dubbed Warp Charging 30T) goes hand-in-hand with its 30W (5V, 6A) charging adapter that's supplied in the box. As mentioned earlier, the OnePlus 8 Pro also builds on the wired charging abilities with a 30W wireless charging feature dubbed Warp Charge 30 Wireless that is unavailable on the regular OnePlus 8. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 8 Pro doesn't come supplied with a compatible wireless charger by default (it's sold separately, and it's also not available on the official Lazada storefront), so we didn't have the opportunity to put its supposedly super-fast wireless charging to the test. However, if the name and claims are any indications, it should theoretically see the same charging speeds as its wired counterpart.

By using the included wired 30W charging adapter, both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro took the same amount of time to replenish from 0% to 100% - about 75 minutes each. Both phones were also able to hit 50% charge somewhere around the 35th-minute mark. We were expecting slight charging time differences between both models given their differing battery capacities. Still, it appears that the proprietary fast-charging technology has some sort of power regulation involved to ensure an even charge over time.

Conclusion

On their own, OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro check the right boxes when it comes to high-end, high-performance smartphones, offering a great user experience for all the core phone functionalities. Similar to the other high-end devices of 2020, we wish the OnePlus 8 series came with expandable microSD storage and 3.5mm audio jack. Right now, only the Samsung Galaxy S20 series offers expandable storage that doesn't use a proprietary storage card (Huawei P40 Pro, for example, requires their exclusive nano memory card).

Elsewhere, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro doesn't have quite that shine that the Oppo Find X2 Pro was able to pull off, display- and audio-wise. If you remember the Find X2 Pro's review, you will find rather high praise for its display and audio capabilities, and it did perform very well in the real world. The OnePlus 8 series (especially the Pro version) was enjoyable but does not have the audio clarity and reproduction offered by the Oppo device. We did mention that the OnePlus 8 Pro's video enhancements didn't result in an adverse viewing experience, but it's no doubt outmatched by the Find X2 Pro's overall viewing experience. That's not to say that the OnePlus 8 series are subpar. I've enjoyed using them more than using the Huawei P40 Pro, and Huawei's flagship phone was already polished given the efforts they've made to cover the bases.

If you look at the numbers, the OnePlus 8 series also brings more to the table, purportedly offering the same or better overall benchmark performance as the rest, even if the OnePlus 8 series doesn't snag the first place in these benchmarks or real-world use. The P40 Pro and Galaxy S20 Ultra offer better battery life, Oppo Find X2 Pro has a viewing and auditory experience that's hard to beat, and the Huawei and Samsung counterparts offer excellent camera photography experience that's above many.

The price point and overall package perspective is where Oppo turns the fight towards its favour. Starting at S$998 for the OnePlus 8 and S$1,298 for the OnePlus 8 Pro, they are by far the most affordable flagship quality, 5G-ready smartphones currently available in Singapore (as of writing). If you want another flagship phone with better video-watching experience, be prepared to fork out S$1,699 for the Oppo Find X2 Pro and live without wireless charging. You want 108 megapixels on your rear camera instead? The S$1,898 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is waiting for you, or you can settle for the S$1,298 or S$1,498 Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+ with 64-megapixel cameras. There's also the S$1,488 Huawei P40 Pro, but you'll have to live without Google Mobile Services. All these phones are great, but they don't have the kind of pull on a phone user who values the extra S$200 to S$800 in their pocket or aren't willing to pay extra for a better version of a feature but yet want a flagship status phone.

Is it worth to top-up for the OnePlus 8 Pro?

Between the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro sits a S$300 difference, offering somewhere 30 extra frames per second on your display refresh capabilities, a slightly higher display resolution (though not usually appreciable), fast wireless charging support (though no wireless charger is provided and you can't get a compatible model locally), a much better photography system with decent zoom capabilities, and a slightly larger screen/body with IP68 water/dust resistance protection. If you ask us, the extra S$300 does make it a better phone just solely because of the wealth of features it adds on - some not so obvious, and some appreciable ones.

However, if you're thinking about paying the extra S$300 for the Pro version, then remember to consider the S$1,298 Samsung Galaxy S20 first. It has a similar display resolution and refresh rate capabilities, wireless charging support, an equally impressive rear camera configuration, and equal RAM and internal storage capacities to boot. What the regular Galaxy S20 has ahead of the OnePlus 8 Pro is microSD expandable storage, better software features, after-sales service and support. Where the S20 loses out to OnePlus 8 Pro is its screen size, 5G support, overall chipset performance and battery life, which doesn't sound like any strong ace up its sleeves. It gets worse once you consider telco plan/service oriented phone buys where the big three from Singtel, StarHub and M1 don't offer OnePlus phones, but almost any telco (including MVNOs) offer Samsung devices.

Effectively, the OnePlus 8 series aren't quite the flagship killers in the sense of having multiple, better features than others - a claim proven too huge for any brand, really, time and again. However, they offer good value, especially the non-Pro version which brings all the necessities and the high-quality performance at a price lower than many, on a UI that feels non-intrusive and neat.

Logically, the OnePlus 8 is the phone to get when people tell themselves they "want a current-gen flagship phone that doesn't cost more than a thousand dollars". Realistically, many luxuries, such as the bells, whistles, and even brand biases, play a part in choosing your high-performance phone.

If you're a mid-range phone user that doesn't quite understand what all this flagship fuss is about, the OnePlus 8 makes an excellent device to introduce yourself into the high-end world of flagship smartphones. Alternatively, it's still a good choice if you want to pay the lowest possible price for a smartphone with Snapdragon 865 without skimping out on some niceties, like a 90Hz display, clean-looking operating system, passable main camera, all on a phone that lasts reasonably long and is even 5G network ready. On the other hand, the OnePlus 8 Pro is for the brand-agnostic users who want all the high-end specs and features, with better and more flexible camera kit while possible paying the lowest price possible for a full-fledged flagship phone of this year, with a 5G modem to boot.

All said and done, the OnePlus 8 series are nice phones, just that they don't particularly excel at any one arena. Finally, if you do end up choosing the OnePlus 8 route, don't forget there is an option to pick up the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage editions of the Pro and non-Pro models for S$100 more. You can find all the purchase options here at their OnePlus Lazada Flagship Store.

	Design	Features	User-friendliness	Performance	Value	Overall
OnePlus 8	8.0	7.5	8.0	8.5	8.5
OnePlus 8 Pro	8.0	8.5	8.5	9.0	8.0