The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are officially out and we even have the Indian pricing, which is a lot better than what they cost in other markets. Many of you have been telling us that you’re very happy with the pricing and feature set for both these phones, and I couldn’t agree more. The OnePlus 8 is probably going to be the more popular one, as it starts at Rs. 41,999 for the 6GB model. But is it the best choice, considering the 8GB variant of the 7T is available at just Rs. 34,999? It’s an even bigger price difference if you were to compare the 8GB model of the OnePlus 8, which costs Rs. 44,999.
This begs the question — Is the OnePlus 8 a big enough upgrade over the OnePlus 7T to justify a big jump in price? And, if you recently bought the 7T, does it make sense to upgrade?
Now before we go ahead, I just want to make it very clear that we haven’t reviewed the OnePlus 8 yet, so this is just a preliminary comparison based on the specifications and features alone. I also want to hear what you think about rising prices of OnePlus devices and which smartphone you’d pick between the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus 8. Let us know with a comment.
First, let’s talk about some of the things that the OnePlus 8 does better than the 7T and this broadly falls into three main areas — the processor, the design and the battery capacity.
Snapdragon 865 on OnePlus 8
Like most Android flagships in 2020, the OnePlus 8 ships with the Snapdragon 865 SoC, which is faster than last years 855+ chip, more power efficient and supports 5G. These are all nice things to have for sure but I don’t think it’s going to make a huge impact in your daily life. The increased power will let you get higher benchmark scores than those on your friends’ smartphones, but even the most demanding apps and games ran just fine even on the 855+, so I don’t think you’ll notice much, if any, difference in the way apps and games run. Having 5G is nice to brag about but it’s actual launch in India is currently unknown and is not likely to arrive in the near future.
OnePlus 8 Design
The design of the OnePlus 8 definitely seems nicer, especially from the front as the hole-punch display looks premium and the bezels around the screen seem narrower too. From the back, it’s not all that ground-breaking as it looks exactly like the OnePlus 7 Pro, but it is different from the circular camera module of the 7T.
Going by the dimensions on paper, the width of the OnePlus 8 is lesser and it’s 10g lighter than the 7T, so it should be more comfortable to hold. It’s also a hair slimmer but not by much. However, I’m really excited to see the new colours, my favourite so far is definitely the Interstellar Glow.
OnePlus 8 Battery
The third big change is the battery. It’s now 4,300mAh, compared to 3,800mAh on the 7T. The fact that the capacity has increased and the weight has decreased is a job well done by OnePlus.
We’re sure there would be other minor improvements here and there but other than these main ones, the rest of the features are very similar or the same even as the 7T.
Should you pay more for OnePlus 8?
The OnePlus 8 doesn’t support wireless charging, nor does it have an official IP rating for dust and water resistance — just like the 7T.
Both phones have the same size and resolution AMOLED displays, with in-display fingerprint sensors, 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support.
Both use LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 3.0 type storage and also support the same Warp Charge 30T fast charging tech. You even get stereo speakers on both, with support for Dolby Atmos.
The camera systems haven’t changed much either. The OnePlus 8 and the 7T use the same Sony IMX586 image sensor for the main rear camera, and a Sony IMX471 sensor for the selfie camera. In fact, the 7T has a more rounded camera setup, packing in a telephoto camera and a wide-angle lens with autofocus for super macro shot. The OnPlus 8 on the other hand uses a dedicated 2-megapixel macro camera, which we’re not too happy about, in place of the telephoto camera.
Video capabilities seem identical on both phones too, with rear cameras topping out at 4K 60fps, while the selfie camera is still restricted to 1080p.
It’s human nature to want the latest and greatest of anything, especially when it comes to gadgets. In this case, yes, the OnePlus 8 has some notable improvements over the 7T on paper, but are they worth the premium you’ll be paying? I’m not entirely convinced about that.
Had OnePlus kept the wireless charging and waterproofing for the OnePlus 8, it would have made a stronger case for itself, but as it stands, I still think the 7T would offer much better value for money without having to sacrifice a whole lot.
Of course, we will be re-visiting this argument once we’ve reviewed the OnePlus 8 but till then, let us know what you think. Would you be willing to spend over 40,000 rupees for it, or settle for the 7T at a much lower price?
Will OnePlus 8 series be able to take on iPhone SE (2020), Samsung Galaxy S20 in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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