My experience with OnePlus is limited since I started by reviewing the OnePlus 7 Pro. With the pandemic going on, we didn’t get an in-person event to demo the OnePlus 8 and 8 Plus but luckily we got a review unit a few weeks later. Here are 5 things I should know about the OnePlus 8 Pro:
Design
The OnePlus 8 Pro is beautiful!
The OnePlus 8 Pro has a gorgeous design with one flaw. We got the green model which shines beautifully in pictures. It feels like a premium phone, as it should with the new pricing. It’s the only Android phone that has a toggle switch for silent, vibrate and ring. I used the switch more than I thought I would. You wont find a headphone jack here.
Display
The display is almost perfect.
The nearly 7-inch 120Hz display spoils you with how fluid it is. Unfortunately, the display is curved which causes a lot of accidental taps. OnePlus issued an update to help aid this but even then it still happened way too much. My hands aren’t large enough to reach from one side to the other or from the bottom to the top without accidental palm presses. Hopefully no more curved display with the next model.
The best solution I have for that is some type of holder in the back of the phone. It’s not the prettiest-looking solution but it helps with handling. You can use the phone at 90hz (like previous OnePlus phones) or on 120 Hz. It depends on the resolution setting you choose.
Software
It is refreshingly smooth!
OnePlus phones are just easy to use. You can thank their software for that. OxygenOS is probably my favorite thing about OnePlus devices. It’s a light skin over Android 10. It’s not at all intrusive and doesn’t have too much bloatware. It enhances the 120hz display. It just flows and it’s amazing. Android has come a long way and OnePlus does a good job of enhancing the features and not bogging down the software. OnePlus does a great job of pushing updates to their devices, even older models. Since getting the device, I’ve received at least 3 updates to address certain issues.
One of my favorite features from OnePlus is still Reading Mode. I am very sensitive to light and being able to use reading mode is so helpful, especially after a long day of use. It works a lot better than Night Mode and is such a relief to my eyes. You can toggle it from the pull-down menu, which is a plus. Pair that alongside the large screen and the 8 Pro doubles greatly as a reading device.
Camera
The cameras have improved greatly!
I would call the cameras on previous OnePlus devices decent. In natural lighting, you can get some great pics, but the camera was never really OnePlus’ strong point. It was something you’d settle for. I’m glad to say that there has been a ton of improvement from the 7 Pro to the 8 Pro (there were also many updates and the OnePlus 7T Pro in between all of this). The OnePlus 8 Pro has four rear cameras. You have the main lens, a telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens, and a color filter lens. You lose some of the picture quality when using the telephoto lens, as expected. It’s not the highest quality camera setup. But it really does get the job done. Otherwise, with lots of natural lighting, you’ll get some very nice looking images.
Everyday Use
Great everyday user experience
Where the OnePlus 8 Pro shines is everyday use. Put the beautiful features together, and it makes for a great user experience. The 90 Hz screen is great. At 120Hz, it’s a nice treat, and I miss it a lot when I use another phone. The software really does optimize for seamless use. Switching between apps is so quick and smooth that it took me a bit of getting used to, in a good way. Battery life was more than decent lasting me the entire day and sometimes longer since I’ve been mostly at home due to the pandemic. At 4,150 mAh, the battery gets through the day easily. This is the first OnePlus phone to have wireless charging and they brought the warp speed along.
The OnePlus 8 Pro definitely competes with other flagship phones as it offers top-tier specs with pricing under $1000, depending on which configuration you get. If you need a phone with a fluid, vivid screen, camera options, and decent battery life, you won’t go wrong with the OnePlus 8 Pro.
