OnePlus 8 Pro is almost 75 per cent the same phone as the OnePlus 8. But the remaining 25 per cent packs an extra punch. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
There was a time when OnePlus would raise its hand when anyone said flagship killer. Now, it would be happy to see that there are others who would raise their hands when someone says OnePlus killer. That is because this newcomer has eased into the slot of the mid-level flagship and literally owns the space in many countries. But there is competition on all fronts and OnePlus knows it has to spread its wings to both sides.
The OnePlus flagship has over the years been an attempt to reach further up, a jump to see if it can reach the apple in the tree above. So there is always something in the company’s flagship that lets it do a 1 + 1 and go a bit higher, closer towards the apple above. This is where the OnePlus 8 Pro too tries to push the envelop, almost as if saying we can add a few features others are still shying away from.
OnePlus 8 Pro specs: 6.78-inch QHD+ display, 120Hx screen, Snapdragon 865 processor, up to 12GB RAM, up to 256GB of internal storage, 48MP quad rear camera, 16MP front camera, 4510mAh battery, wireless charging support.
OnePlus 8 Pro price in India: Rs 59,999 for 12GB+256GB
The QHD+ Fluid AMOLED display offers 120Hz refresh rate, which is rare in the smartphone space even now. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
What’s new in the OnePlus 8 Pro?
The OnePlus 8 Pro is almost 75 per cent the same phone as the OnePlus 8. But the remaining 25 per cent packs an extra punch.
To start with, this is a larger phone. The 6.78-inch screen also has curved edges, there are no widgets that make use of this extra screen that folds into the rear panel. But there his more to this display. The QHD+ Fluid AMOLED display offers 120Hz refresh rate, which is rare in the smartphone space even now. The large size and extra display also makes the OnePlus 8 Pro a heavier phone than the OnePlus 8.
The OnePlus 8 Pro also comes with a quad camera set up — so there is a 48M main camera, 48MP utrawide angle, an 8MP telephoto offering 3x optical zoom and a 5MP colour filter camera. The selfie camera is 16MP. This is one camera and many pixels more than what the OnePlus 8 is offering.
[Read our OnePlus 8 full review here]
The other new feature is the wireless fast charging. I remember OnePlus founder Pete Lau telling me he did not see the point of wireless charging that was slower than wired. And he’s shown that wireless fast charging can be achieved — the OnePlus 8 Pro can charge its 4510mAh battery to half in just 30 minutes of wireless charging.
A high-res image on show on the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Why would you buy the OnePlus 8 Pro
The OnePlus 8 is a pretty decent phone. So I guess anyone looking at the OnePlus 8 Pro seriously either wants to just spend more money and flaunt or wants to take advantage of all that the OnePlus 8 Pro is offering extra.
One of these could be the display. To say the QHD+ Fluid AMOLED is stunning would be an understatement. The colour accuracy of the display is visible from the moment you switch it on thanks to the live wallpapers, but it really hit me when I was trying to take photos of the bamboo plant in my home. The colours literally popped out of the screen, but with hardly any unnatural, oversaturated elements. I would say the OnePlus 8 Pro screen is among the most natural I have seen with colours looking the way they do in real life.
I clicked photos of the bamboo plant in my home. The colours literally popped out of the screen.
Also, for those looking to pick up a gaming phone, the 120Hz refresh rate will be something useful, though in real life there is not much you can do with it.
But I guess a lot of people who decide to opt for the OnePlus 8 Pro instead of the OnePlus will be lured by the camera capabilities of this phone. There is a lot here, so let us look at it one by one.
The 48MP main camera is similar to what the OnePlus 8 has. So it shoots 12MP by default and you have to switch to 48MP mode. However, this is also where the OnePlus 8 Pro is different. Once you switch to 48MP, you can shoot in both regular and ultra-wide angles and the switch is easy from one to the other. The image quality is really good and you can blow up well into the image without any reduction in quality of noise. The low light images are good and I loved the accuracy of indoor day shots.
📸 Click here to see the full 48MP image 📸
Ultra-wide shot clicked with the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Macro shot captured with the OnePlus 8 Pro.
The super macro mode seemed more effective here than on the OnePlus. Also, the new software upgrade meant the camera automatically switched to the mode when I got too close to a subject. I can live with that feature in a phone for sure.
Now, the 3X optical zoom camera is really impressive as it takes you closer to the subject and captures images without noise. And these images are good enough to be blowed up. And there is also the 30x optical zoom which takes you even closer, but with some noise thrown in. Also, the zoom camera is best used outdoors and in bright sunlight.
3X optical zoom camera is really impressive.
There is the 30x optical zoom that takes you closer, but with some noise thrown in.
The colour filter camera is not of much use with the controversial X-ray filter on the OnePlus 8 Pro disabled on the review device. Once this is back, you should be able to do more with this extra camera. For now you can play around with the vivid and B&W filters which are better than what most of the others do.
Since this phone’s innards are the same as the OnePlus 8, which we reviewed earlier, I am not going into the details. All you need to know is that this is a very capable phone with the best Android processor in town. So till you wait for 5G you can just be happy that this network from the future has given you access to the best processor of the time. There is nothing to be worried about on the performance front.
The wireless warp charge is a feature I could not test, because I had just a regular wireless charger at home. But yes, the OnePlus 8 Pro does charge wirelessly. The battery is quite large and will last you 24 hours in normal usage. Be a bit stingy with the display brightness and features if you want to squeeze out a few hours more.
OnePlus 8 Pro screen is among the most natural I have seen with colours looking the way they do in real life.
What to keep in mind while buying the OnePlus 8 Pro?
There are few things I would want buyers to keep in mind. For one, this phone has a prominent camera bump, a bit taller than the OnePlus 8. So A could that flattens this out is highly recommended.
The curved edges didn’t really add much value to me. In fact, with some of the apps, showing close buttons in these sides, it did get a bit frustrating to get things to close when I wanted.
Maybe, because of the bump, but there were times I got a hazy lens flare while using the camera. You have to work around it when you have light coming in a particular way.
Who should buy the OnePlus 8 Pro and why?
The OnePlus 8 Pro is without any doubt ones of the best Android flagships out there at the moment. It offers top of the line performance, a superior camera experience, stunning display, and unique fast wireless charging. I suggest this is a great phone for those who need the attention to detail this camera and display and bring to your life. Also, gamers and power users will love everything about this phone from the oomph in the display to the tweaks in the software. If you don’t think you want the extra features, then just go for the OnePlus 8.