OnePlus 8 review: An extravagant affair

How does the OnePlus 8 fare with an exorbitant price tag and top-notch competitors in the market? We find out.
The OnePlus 8, although comfortable to hold, is slightly large for anyone with smaller hands.
The OnePlus 8, although comfortable to hold, is slightly large for anyone with smaller hands.The Bridge Chronicle

For loyal OnePlus users, the wait after OnePlus 7T was a long one, indeed. However, OnePlus 8 with its higher resolution, refresh-rate display and better cameras didn't take much to make it a hit in the market -- right before the anti-Chinese sentiments kicked in! Shortly before the lockdown was announced in Pune, we had a chance to get our hands on the OnePlus 8, giving us enough quality time with the handset and it's promised features. Here's a detailed report of our experience:

What's new in the OnePlus 8?

A powerful competitor at present, the OnePlus 8 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset with inbuilt 5G modem. The phone's 90Hz refresh rate makes sure that your animation and graphics are crystal clear, allowing you to enjoy the experience thoroughly.

Look & Feel

The launch of this phone created a massive buzz on the internet, owing to the lucid colours that the OnePlus 8 promised to deliver. While Onyx Black was your regular black colour, Glacial Green and Interstellar Glow were an instant hit with for their glossy, pastel appearance. The phone comes in a stunning 6.55 mm AMOLED display, and the front camera is punched in neatly on the top left corner of the screen. The display is attractive, and the curved edges help in getting a more panoramic view of your screen.

The OnePlus 8, although comfortable to hold, is slightly large for anyone with smaller hands. However, in the age of larger phones and bigger displays, the OnePlus 8 makes its mark and delivers a fresh look for those expecting something new out of it. We reviewed the interstellar glow and found ourselves ogling over the back panel. However, as expected, the back is too reflective for its own good -- apart from being difficult to maintain (yes, we're very vocal about our displeasure with fingerprints!).

The slider and volume buttons on the side can be reached easily, and the bottom of the phone, surprisingly uncluttered, has only the C-Type port and the sim card panel.

The display talk

The OnePlus 8 delivers a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel, with sloping sides, and of course, a wide colour gamut. The curved screen is great until you find yourself accidentally clicking on things that you did not intend to. The OnePlus 8 comes with the Oxygen OS and higher refresh rate, and in general, you will find the interface speedy and fluid while using.

There's a fingerprint unlock sensor on the screen, which although not very comfortable to use, is convenient. You can opt for your face recognition as well, which ensures a swift unlock procedure. The colours tend to stay bright while you play a video on Netflix or YouTube and go back to normal once you're done watching. The OnePlus 8 also had a crisp audio quality, that impressed us, so you might have to say goodbye to your Bluetooth speakers if you have this in hand!

Battery life

Perhaps the most important feature in question is the battery life of this phone! The OnePlus 8 has an impressive 4,300 mAh, and its 30-watt WARP charger takes a little less than 50 minutes to charge completely. On regular usage, you will find that the phone surpasses the 24-hour mark and can go without a charge for long periods. But you may find your The OnePlus 8 heating up a tad bit when you're using your tethering/hotspot, something that we found surprising for a phone of this range.

The camera factor

Several critics have been brutal with the OnePlus 8's camera, and we could see why. The price at which the mobile phone is delivered, the substandard quality of its camera can be a bit disappointing. The OnePlus 8 comes with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor, that provides you with optical stabilisation. The triple camera feature (48-16-2 megapixels) is attractive but doesn't live up to the expectations, especially if you're purchasing the the OnePlus 8 for its camera.

The strangely saturated photos may appear unnatural to you, but you can switch to a natural mode if you prefer your photos to be that way. We tried using the macro mode and weren't impressed with the low-light detailing. However, the portrait and selfie modes deliver the right results, but still not quite a reason enough to spend on the phone.

The verdict

Should you buy the OnePlus 8? The short answer would be, yes, you should. The OnePlus 8 does come off as overpriced, and at first, you may not even think of it as a huge upgrade. However, if you're someone who's not using an OnePlus 7T, you can definitely invest in OnePlus 8.

Considering the availability of the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus Nord in the market, there's a good chance of this phone fizzling out soon. That being said, Realme X50 Pro and the iQOO 3 are some of the alternatives which fall in the same price bracket. You may choose to opt for that instead of the OnePlus 8; however, with an IP of 68, refresh rate, five and wireless charging, the phone becomes an all-inclusive package for you to have for yourself.

OnePlus 8: Key specs

Display: 6.55 Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) Fluid AMOLED display with 90 Hz refresh rate and 3D Corning Gorilla Glass

Camera: 48MP (main) + 16MP (ultra-wide) + 2MP (macro); 16MP (wide) selfie camera

Battery: 4,300 mAh, 30-watt fast charger

Android version: Oxygen OS 10

Storage: 6 GB, 8 GB, 12 GB RAM options; 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 3.0 internal storage

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

Other specs: 5G compliant; Bluetooth 5.1; Dual band WiFi

Price in India: Rs 41,999 for 6 GB Ram with 128 GB internal storage

Rs 44,999 for 8 GB Ram with 128 GB internal storage

Rs 49,999 for 12 GB Ram with 256 GB internal storage

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