It’s been practically six years since a totally unknown firm used a slogan – NEVER SETTLE, and their premise was easy: stability between a few of the strongest specs of the time, at a value that will arduous to resist.
The OnePlus One was such a phenomenon that the one method you can purchase one was in case you received an invitation, and that story remained for the years that adopted. This was such a market disruption that by the point the corporate landed its first US service deal in 2018, the model was already nicely established; folks simply flocked to T-Mobile shops to purchase the 6T.
But then got here 2019 with a little bit of experimentation the place the corporate launched two OnePlus 7s in Spring, however relegated the US to solely the dearer Pro, which no matter its premium method on a funds, was nonetheless fairly the leap in value from the extra aggressive 6T. It nearly appears like if the swap in methods with the 7T within the fall was a obligatory return to the corporate’s roots.
For 2020, the entire regional method is gone, and the technique now could be to give customers a selection between a funds flagship, and a extra premium resolution for many who need extra. Meet the OnePlus 8 sequence, what the corporate meant with “Lead with velocity”, and possibly essentially the most fascinating approaches the corporate has had but.
See, not often have I ever made a comparability between lineups, however the hidden variations between these telephones are so substantial that I really feel an important query to reply is which of those must you get? This is OnePlus 8 Pro vs OnePlus 8 comparability.
I feel an important factor to contemplate is that this isn’t the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Plus. It’s not a easy play of a smaller and bigger variant of the identical cellphone. Instead it appears that evidently the corporate’s method is to serve two totally different clients. The OnePlus 8 follows extra on the corporate’s unique technique of offering a superb stability between value and specs, whereas the 8 Pro is that vanguard machine that’s meant to take away all of the buts we normally have in each evaluation.
Hardware
Visually you wouldn’t get that impression, although. If I have been to stack each telephones facet by facet, the one key differentiators are the additional digicam parts, as a result of even the scale variations are meager. The 8 Pro is barely 5mm taller, 2mm wider, and round half a mm thicker, although you’ll discover the added 19 grams.
Materials are the identical with 3D corning gorilla glass and aluminum, and if Onyx Black or Glacial Green is your favourite shade, it’s accessible on each. Here we’ve got their distinctive iterations that are Ultramarine Blue on the 8 Pro and Interstellar Glow on the 8. Visually it’s arduous to look previous how lovely this compact disk glow seems to be on the 8, however that’s till you contact it and get it soiled. The 8 Pro then again is so matte, that it’s proper up there with Pixel four at not permitting any fingerprints or smudges to be seen.

I really feel each gadgets pay extra of an homage to the Galaxy S10 in the way it was boxier and lighter than its predecessor, eve if neither of those gadgets has a headphone jack. Both have a protruding digicam hump, the accents on the speaker grills are just about equivalent, and that 3-way mute slider that we love can also be right here.
Once you pop the hood you begin noticing variations. Both are powered by the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, however even when the RAM and Storage are the identical quantity, the speeds are totally different, with the 8 Pro sporting sooner requirements. The 8 Pro is IP68 – Finally! While the 8 stays splash proof with no certification. Both help Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and the battery can also be barely bigger on the 8 Pro, however then issues get attention-grabbing.
Both gadgets are able to Warp Charge 30T which comes within the field, however the 8 Pro now lastly helps Warp Charge 30 wi-fi charging. That signifies that in case you purchase the separate accent, you may cost at up to 30 Watts, or at common speeds with a normal Qi pad, or use your 8 Pro to cost one other cellphone, as reverse wi-fi charging can also be supported.
And then the 5G story will get much more attention-grabbing, as each the 8 Pro and the 8 provide sub-6 powered by the identical Snapdragon X55 moden, which can work on any service that helps it within the US. There’s additionally the excellent news that each T-Mobile and Verizon at the moment are service companions for OnePlus, however there’s a tiny little catch. See, each carriers are solely promoting the OnePlus 8, which signifies that provided that you get the Verizon variant of the 8, will you discover some mmWave love. Those of you shopping for the 8 Pro on Amazon or OnePlus.com will solely discover it on sub-6 flavors. I do know, complicated.

Last however not least, let’s speak shows. I imply they’re each curved and look related, however their specs aren’t. The OnePlus 8 Pro naturally has a bigger 6.78-inch panel vs 6.55, even when the 8 has a barely taller facet ratio. Both are of Fluid AMOLED expertise with help for the P3 shade gamut and HDR10+, however the 8 is proscribed to full HD+ vs Quad HD+ on the 8 Pro, at full decision the 8 solely does 90hz refresh price vs 120hz on the 8 Pro together with 240hz contact sampling, after which the 8 Pro has some additional tips like a 10-bit show that permits HDR increase, and a brand new MEMC chip that makes even this 24fps video look smoother, kind of like what you see on most high-end TVs at this time. (audio pattern OnePlus 8) Dual firing audio system are normal on each gadgets although. (audio pattern OnePlus 8 Pro)
So far, as anticipated, the 8 professional wins, however discover that not by a major margin.
Software
The software program expertise is by no means even one thing to evaluate as there actually isn’t any distinction. This is Oxygen OS 10.5.2 on prime of Android 10, and in case you have been a fan of it earlier than, it solely retains getting higher.
For one, an important change for me, behold the Google Feed on the left. Like sorry OnePlus, I do know your thought of the Shelf was cool and all, however the feed is extra full, and now you don’t want a T-Mobile variant for it. The firm additionally claims plenty of optimizations, butt it’s not like if earlier iterations have been sluggish to ensure that anybody to discover a distinction.
Second, together with different latest Oxygen OS updates to legacy gadgets, now you can set notifications to solely present content material in case your face is detected.

Second, together with different latest Oxygen OS updates to legacy gadgets, now you can set notifications to solely present content material in case your face is detected.
We have a brand new Dark Theme 2.zero which now brings the its darkish mode help to extra apps, however discover it is a Theme and never a mode, so that you sadly can’t allow it with dawn or sundown but. Regardless I do reward all the pliability in how one can pores and skin this person interface, with the Vibrant Tints being my favourite. We even have some extra dynamic wallpapers for these wanting to add extra shade. You can set the colour tone based mostly on the temperature.
In completely the whole lot else, it stays as snappy as earlier than, and that’s for both machine that you just decide. Favorites like Zen Mode and Reading mode are right here, and even in case you have been to use both of those telephones for gaming, I can’t let you know that one performs higher than the opposite by a major margin.
Experience
Sadly given the necessity to keep at residence in these bizarre instances, I haven’t been in a position to take a look at both of those telephones on 5G. What I’ll let you know is that every performs like a champ on LTE, cellphone calls sound simply as crisp on both of them, and even when I’m battling with horrendous temperatures in Latin America, I can’t actually say that heating has been a lot of a problem.
It’s additionally why I really feel that battery life is actually comparable. I get the sense that it’s as if every machine has the identical goal of lasting greater than a day, and there’s sufficient juice to permit it on every, as a result of this isn’t the case of battery life being higher on the bigger cellphone. I’ve examined each individually and have been in a position to get by the day simply effective.
Even options just like the fingerprint scanner or face to unlock, you gained’t actually find a way to inform a lot of a distinction.
Camera

Really the tie breaker is the digicam, and that is the place I’m gonna say that I’m a bit shocked. I actually wasn’t anticipating there to be a lot of a distinction, however I used to be incorrect. The variations between them are vital and it begins with the spec sheet.
Both telephones have a 48 megapixel major digicam, however the micron measurement is dramatically totally different, permitting the 8 Pro to suck in additional gentle whereas Pixel binning. Then the 8 Pro brings one other 48 megapixel digicam on the ultra-wide, which reportedly matches shut to the first on the 8, whereas the later has a 16 megapixel shooter. And then the 8 Pro presents an 8 megapixel telephoto, which the 8 lacks in favor of a digital crop of the first sensor. The fourth digicam on 8 Pro is a shade filter sensor, whereas the 8’s third lens is a 2 megapixel macro, which the 8 professional achieves by a built-in motor. Both have part detection autofocus, whereas solely the 8 Pro contains laser help, and each gadgets then have equivalent 16 megapixel selfie cameras.
Now in the course of the day you gained’t find a way to inform a lot of a distinction. You’ll in all probability discover a slight enchancment in dynamic vary on the 8 Pro, however its just about nit choosing. Colors aren’t essentially uniform throughout all focal lengths, however I do worth having the flexibility of various methods to seize the identical shot. The 8 Pro has the benefit of manufacturing pretty usable images up to 10X zoom, and with a 30X restrict for stalker unusable images. The 8 then again goes so far as 10, although these pics are ineffective, even when I do desire it’s default 2X zoom from the digital crop once you zoom in. I’m additionally gonna say that the 8 Pro can produce much more dependable macro images, the place I don’t know what the 8 is doing with this 2 megapixel shooter.

Low gentle is the place issues get attention-grabbing. For these complaining about how unhealthy OnePlus telephones have been, nicely the 8 Pro must be your cellphone, whereas the 8 is best than final yr’s telephones, however not by a lot. The 8 Pro for instance is in a position to pull out considerably extra gentle and fewer grain from the ultra-wide, whereas the 8 favors a darker photograph that extra depicts what the attention is seeing in the intervening time. Not saying it’s unhealthy, however I don’t see how that is any higher than images from the Ultra-wide with out nightscape.
Portraits now have the benefit of supporting a wider and tighter crop, with the later offering a extra pure outcome. I really really feel the 8 Pro produces portraits that look simply too faux, whereas the 8 provides you photographs which are extra true to life. Selfies then again are equivalent for the reason that {hardware} is identical, which means their adequate even when some wrestle with borders.
And as for video nicely, the 8 Pro wins. Capabilities are the identical and each gadgets even embody a CINE facet ratio, however the 8 Pro offers much more element and fewer warping as you stroll, even when stabilization is comparable. I like that we are able to now change focal lengths whereas filming, one thing its predecessors couldn’t do however even right here the 8 Pro handles shade and element much better, together with stabilization, whereas the 8 tries, however doesn’t actually ship.
My solely bummer scenario even with this 8 Pro is selfie video, which shouldn’t stay at 1080p in 2020. The cellphone has sufficient megapixels, and it’s been two years for the reason that function reached the market. Obviously the 8 offers the identical outcomes, however that’s acceptable for a tool that doesn’t declare to be for professionals.
Conclusion

To conclude, let’s around the numbers up. The OnePlus 8 Pro naturally owns the {hardware}, I imply it was constructed to, after which the software program expertise is a whole tie, which isn’t any shock in any respect. The expertise utilizing them is absolutely not that a lot totally different, and actually the one tie breaker that separates the Pro from the usual is the digicam.
It’s as if the message that OnePlus is sending to shoppers is that if you need the legacy OnePlus expertise, the place the digicam is simply adequate, then you definitely stick to the OnePlus 8. If you really desire a OnePlus machine with a digicam that’s comparable to different flagships, you want the OnePlus 8 Pro, and even there the 8 Pro isn’t essentially urgent all of the buttons that matter to a few of us.
The final piece of the puzzle left is absolutely the worth, and this the place issues get attention-grabbing. See, the OnePlus 8 begins at $699, and the OnePlus 8 Pro begins at $899. If I had to decide one, my selection can be the exact opposite from final yr the place I most well-liked the 7T over the 7T Pro. Those telephones regarded totally different whereas performing the identical, whereas this yr, the story is totally different. This time I do really feel that I’m getting $200 extra of a cellphone with the OnePlus 8 Pro, and the place the digicam enhancements alone are sufficient to throw within the additional money over the common 8.
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