As each year passes something becomes apparent; OnePlus is no longer a brand to ignore. With the high-end hardware and specs on par with the big boys, yet with a lower price, the OnePlus has built a large following. With the latest OnePlus 8 Pro it becomes even more evident as to why.

Design

  • Dimensions: 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5mm / Weight: 199g
  • Colours: Onyx Black and Glacial Green
  • In-display fingerprint sensor
  • Curved glass both sides
  • IP68 waterproofing

Say goodbye to the pop of camera as the OnePlus 8 Pro follows the trend of having a Punch-hole camera in the top left corner. That isn’t the only noticeable difference from last years model. Gone too is the curved display giving us a bit of a Samsung Galaxy vibe.

What remains is the centre camera at the rear end of the phone. But unlike its older sibling, the OnePlus 7 Pro, it has an extra LED flash and a fourth camera which has a flush look behind glass. On looks alone, it doesn’t look great but it isn’t the worst you will see.

Display

  • 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED display (120Hz refresh rate)
  • QuadHD+ resolution (3168 x 1440)
  • MEMC motion graphics smoothing
  • Punch-hole camera cut-out

As you can expect the display on the front of the phone screams “look at me!”. With the 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLE display it would be hard not to. With clear backs and colours that pop, the Oneplus 8 Pro is a phone you would find hard to put down.

With a great display, the only thing that can count as an immediate flaw ( if you can call it that) is the Punch-hole camera. Unlike the previous model you no longer enjoy the full display in all its glory, as the camera is on the left hand corner of the phone. Not to worry, the camera isn’t that visible especially if you’re watching a movie or playing a game, as your fingers naturally cover that area.

Naturally, the OnePlus 8 Pro is set to Full HD+ resolution at 60Hz. However, by going into the settings you can change this to Quad HD+ at 120Hz. The difference would be a smoother interface when switching or scrolling through apps and screens respectively. But as always, be careful as it can drain your battery.

Whether it is Full HD+ and Quad HD+ one thing is perfectly clear, the 8 Pro’s screen is one of the best this year. A clear upgrade from the previous model, its sharper, brighter and colours pop like never before without being oversaturated.

Camera

  • Four camera system:
    • Main: 48-megapixels, Sony IMX689 sensor, f/1.78 aperture, optical stabilisation (OIS)
    • Wide: 48MP, Sony IMX586 sensor, f/2.4, 119.7-degree angle of view
    • Zoom: 8MP, 3x optical, f/2.4, OIS
    • Colour filter: 5MP, f/2.4
  • 16MP front-facing camera
  • Ultra-HD (4K) video at 60fps
  • Slow-mo to 460fps

When it comes to the camera the OnePlus is a manufacture that can and always improves and this isn’t any different. With the main and wide both home to a 48-megapixel camera, you can imagine the clarity the images are at high a level.

The low light performance continues to outdo its rivals, just make sure you’ve switched to Nightscape mode as you will be better of. With popping colours, sharper details and better shadows, this is one of the best low light performances out there.

For all the image quality does it take four cameras to produce? Definitely not. In fact you can get by by using 3 cameras with the third being the 3x zoom. Want to take a picture far away? No problems, with the 3x zoom you’ll be able to do that with ease but the quality may not be what you expect.

Standalone the phone camera of the OnePlus 8 Pro is great. Comparing it to last years module and it is clearly a winner and is one of the best mobile cameras out this year.

Internal

  • Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB or 12GB RAM (LPDDR5)
  • 4,510mAh battery, 30W charging (wireless and wired)
  • 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.0 storage
  • 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity

Unlike other mobile manufactures, the OnePlus range always has the best internal specs throughout its range and that trend has continued. Everything underneath is the latest and greatest making sure your phone experience is the best it can be.

Scrolling through socials or switching between apps is fast and zippy and with a software that is close to the Android experience that is bound to be expected.

Feel free to have all your connections on and watch countless hours of video on it, after all, you do have the benefit of a 4,510mah battery which is sure to last for a while. And if it doesn’t, then put it on charge and get your phone back from 0-50 percent in 23 minutes, which is standard of the OnePlus experience. Thank you fast charging.

Verdict

The OnePlus 8 Pro takes the OnePlus experience up a notch and continues to cement its place as one of the best phone makers out there. From the big display, fast charging and smoothness packaged in the brilliant camera setup, there’s no denying that the list of what is great about the OnePlus is at a high level.

Yet there are things that raises questions. Could they have done with 3 cameras instead of four? Yes. Are we going to see the benefit of the 120Hz screen? Probably not. Beside those question there isn’t anything negative to say about the phone.

The OnePlus 8 Pro continues to deliver on its already impressive resume. A flagship experience that shows why this phone is a flagship without the “flagship price”.