With a tagline boasting “Lead with Speed”, the OnePlus 8 boasts 90Hz fluid display, 48 MP triple cameras and the high-performance focused Snapdragon 865 with 5g processor. The looks are mind-blowing and its slim and sleek curved design is sure to impress. Coming in at just under $700, this OnePlus gizmo surely lives up to the company’s motto of creating cost-efficient flagship killers. But what compromises have been made for it to compete with phones placing way higher in the price range? In this article, we dive over this newly launched OnePlus smartphone, it’s current launch pricing and whether or not you should consider this on your wishlist.
OnePlus 8 General overview: Lead with SPEED
Sleek Design, even sleeker display:
The first thing you’d notice when you glance over the OnePlus 8 is definitely going to be the beautifully laid out screen design. The pop-up front cam setup from the OnePlus 7 Pro is nowhere to be seen, nor is the teardrop notch from the OnePlus 7T. Instead, a punch-hole notch houses OnePlus’ prized selfie snapper. While the top and bottom bezels aren’t anywhere close to gone completely, they have been greatly minimized. This makes the OnePlus 8 flaunt an 88.7% screen-to-body ratio which is pretty aesthetically pleasing to look at.
The screen boasts a 6.55″ 90Hz fluid display, which is the least you’d expect from a flagship of such a major contender in the smartphone market. It boasts 16 million colors and HDR10+ support making colors and screen animation appear vibrant and vivid. According to OnePlus, the colors are calibrated with a special algorithm to make them as naturally accurate as possible.
Top notch cameras:
The triple camera setup houses a 48 MP primary 25mm wide lens, a 16 MP 13mm (116 degrees) Ultrawide lens and a 2 MP lens for clicking detail-rich macro shots. The camera setup boasts a Nightscape feature which allows for multi-frame processing. This adds a lot of clarity, brightness, and detail to even low-light settings. SmartPet Capture allows the user to capture their pets when they run away while you try to click their photos. No, just kidding. It actually uses a software algorithm to reduce motion blur and auto-adjust optimal settings when it detects a fluffy four-legged creature. This way, the clicks are optimized to make them as detail-rich as possible and as cute as possible.
Processor setup and software:
On the hardware side of things, we have the Snapdragon 865 running things under the hood. According to reports, this variant delivers up to 25% faster performance than previous versions like the 855+. This setup consists of an octa-core Kryo CPU and Adreno 650 GPU. Needless to say, this device will run any heavy-weight game you can throw at it. It comes in two variants: 128GB internal and 8GB RAM, and 256GB internal and 12GB RAM. Unfortunately, there is no card slot you can use to mount extSD cards. As for the battery, this device holds plenty enough. A 4300 mAh LiPo battery powers this beast. The device supports USB Type C reversible connector and 30W WIRED Fast charging. According to OnePlus’s official website, the phone can charge from 1% to 50% in as little as 22 minutes.
On the software side, we have the company’s OxygenOS which is pretty comfortable and intuitive to use. The Android version as of release is Android 10.0, however its certain it might be eligible for upgrade for future versions.
OnePlus 8 full specs:
- Release date: 2020, April 21(Europe), April 29(USA)
- Screen: 6.55″ Fluid AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, ~88.7% screen-to-body ratio
- Rear camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide); 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide); 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- Selfie camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide) with AutoHDR
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585)
- GPU: Adreno 650
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
- Battery and charging: Non-removable Li-Po 4300 mAh battery, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector with 30 W fast charging (wired)
- Sensors: Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
- Color options: Onyx Black, Glacial Green (with an extra matte finish), Interstellar Glow, Polar Silver
Pricing and availability:
The OnePlus 8 is scheduled to be released on April 21st, starting from a price point of $699 for the 128/8 GB variant and $799 for the 256/12 GB variant. It’s unclear when it will actually hit the Nepali market, however, at least the normal version of the OnePlus 8 should hit the market in the next couple of months. When it does, its pricing is estimated to hit around Rs. 80,000 for the 128/8 GB variant and around Rs. 92,000 for the 256/12 GB one. There might still be more of a steep rise in price, of course, which is due to various issues like the outrageous border tax rates, and lack of cost-efficient shipping.
