OnePlus 8 Pro hands-on review

Introduction

Amidst a global health crisis, OnePlus was forced to delay its launch event three times before it finally decided to set a date for a digital launch event for April. Today, OnePlus has finally announced the OnePlus 8 Pro, which confirmed rumors of a fourth camera and the 120Hz display that the phone maker has been teasing since January.

Along with the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, the company is also debuting its subtle change in its branding. The OnePlus logo has a new font, and the ONEPLUS tramp stamp on the back is in all-CAPS typeface. The 8 Pro looks like its predecessors (7 Pro and 7T Pro), but the most notable (visual) differences are the extra camera on the back, and the lack of a pop-up selfie camera in favor of a punch-hole version.

Most of the changes to the 8 Pro are internal and in the camera system. In addition to the Snapdragon 865 and built-in support for 5G, RAM has been updated to LPDDR5, the display is now a tad taller, brighter, and supports a higher 120Hz display mode, and wireless charging is finally a feature on a OnePlus phone with support for reverse wireless charging as well!

OnePlus 8 Pro at a glance:

• Body: 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5 mm; 199g; metal frame; "3D Corning" Gorilla Glass 5 back
• Screen: 6.78" 120Hz Fluid AMOLED display: QHD+ (3168 x 1440 px) ~513 ppi; 1.07 billion colors; 19.8:9 aspect ratio; protected by "3D Corning" Gorilla Glass
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 Gold & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585 Silver) + X55 5G modem; Adreno 650 GPU; X55 5G modem
• Memory: 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM; 128GB or 256GB non-expandable UFS 3.0 storage
• OS/Software: Oxygen OS 10.5 based on Android 10
• Rear camera: Quad-camera setup; Wide (main): Sony IMX689 48MP sensor, 1.12 µm pixels, OIS, EIS, f/1.78 aperture, all-pixel omnidirectional autofocus; Ultrawide: 48MP IMX586, f/2.2 aperture, 0.8 µm pixels, 119.7-degree field-of-view; Telephoto: 8MP sensor, f/2.44 aperture, 1.0 µm pixels, OIS; Color Filter camera: 5MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture
• Front camera: 16MP Sony IMX471 (same as 7 Pro/7T Pro), fixed focus, 1.0 µm pixels, f/2.45
• Battery: 4510 mAh, Warp Charge 30T, Warp Charge 30 Wireless, reverse wireless charging
• Misc: Dual, stereo speakers; Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1; Dual nanoSIM support; optical in-display fingerprint scanner; physical notification switch;

The camera sees a tweaked setup this year. The main camera gets an all-new Sony-made IMX 689 sensor with all-pixel omnidirectional autofocus and 40% larger pixels. The 8 Pro gets a fourth "Color filter" camera and the ultrawide lens is now sitting in front of a 48MP sensor too.

So far, we like the improvements that we're seeing on paper. Whether those will translate into a superior product are yet to be seen. We're most concerned with a couple of changes in the camera setup - namely the dimmer apertures on both the main and selfie cameras.

Let's go ahead and pop into the OnePlus 8 Pro's retail box and see what it includes.

Unboxing

We always praise OnePlus for its packaging materials and this year is no different. The lusciously red box is well-constructed and feels soft to the touch - a great first impression of any device is its packaging. The package is longer than most, and lifting the box's lid is the phone itself - wrapped in a matte plastic film.

The wrapper itself has a warning that folks should not install third-party screen protectors that may not be compatible with the 8 Pro's in-display fingerprint scanner.

The cardboard cradle is a flat box itself, containing the phone's documentation including a quick-start guide, safety information, a set of OnePlus stickers, and invitation letter with an ejector SIM tool attached.

Other included accessories are a clear case with the OnePlus tagline "Never Settle" along the backside, a bright red Warp Charge cable, and the Warp Charge 30T power adapter. The retail packaging will also have a pre-installed screen protector from the factory.

Now let's get better acquainted with the phone itself.