OnePlus 8 buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know

OnePlus has been steadily climbing the ranks of the best smartphone makers. The OnePlus 8 series is the company’s latest release and, without doubt, it’s the best one yet.

In this OnePlus 8 buyer’s guide, we bring together all the best resources on the OnePlus and OnePlus 8 Pro. You’ll find purchase advice if you’re just considering buying the OnePlus 8, but also tips and in-depth resources for OnePlus 8 series owners. In short, welcome to your one-stop-shop OnePlus 8 resource.

Editor’s note: This OnePlus 8 buyer’s guide is current as of May 2020. We will update it with new content regularly.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro at a glance

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro were launched on April 14, 2020 and released on April 29 in markets from around the world.

The OnePlus 8 (launch price: $699 in the US) is the phone you’ll want if you’re primarily interested in smooth performance on a budget. It lacks some bells and whistles, like a 120Hz display and wireless charging, but it’s one of the most affordable ways to get a Snapdragon 865 processor, 5G, and a high-quality screen.

The OnePlus 8 Pro (launch price: $899 in the US) is the best choice for those who want a true flagship in 2020. It gets the fast core specs and smooth interface OnePlus is known for, and it ups the ante with fast wireless charging, water resistance, a super-smooth 120Hz display, and a superior camera. It’s not cheap, but it’s not supposed to be, so OnePlus cut no corners here.

Read more: OnePlus 8 Pro vs OnePlus 8: Which one should you buy?

Are the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro worth buying?

As always, only you can make that call, but we think you should definitely consider the OnePlus 8 series.

If you’re coming from an older OnePlus phone, you may find the new OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro expensive. Here’s the thing though: A lot of phones this year are more expensive than their predecessors. That’s the cost we need to pay for a fast, 5G-enabled phone in 2020. In other words, there are not a lot of alternatives.

If you can’t stomach the price of the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro, you can look at the OnePlus 7T, which now costs only $499. It’s less than a year old and will give you a very similar experience. We asked our readers about it, and out of 16,500 votes, a whopping 75% think the OnePlus 7T is a better deal than the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.

If you’re already in love with the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro and your budget allows it, these phones are definitely great choices, especially since they are cheaper than competitors with similar features.

What experts are saying about the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro

First, here’s what Android Authority’s David Imel and Eric Zeman had to say about the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8.

David loved most things about the OnePlus 8 Pro, including that smooth and accurate OLED display, excellent software, versatile cameras, and great battery life. He noted the OnePlus 8 Pro is still cheaper than the Galaxy S20 Plus or the Huawei P40 Pro, while delivering superior performance in some areas. On the downside, the phone doesn’t have true optical zoom and the Color filter camera is a gimmick.

Eric thought the OnePlus 8 is “watered down” in our review, but he still found it a very compelling device. If you don’t compare it to the more expensive Pro version, the OnePlus 8 stands on its own, thanks to the great display, gorgeous design, and formidable battery life. The biggest flaw that Eric noted is the camera, which he called “middling.”

What other reviewers from around the web think

To give you the best picture, we looked at what reviewers from other publications had to say about the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro.

• Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo noted the OnePlus 8 Pro is the best Android flagship on the market right now, even if “it’s not the slam-dunk value champion that past OnePlus smartphones have been.” Ron loved the display, the mostly stock Android software, and addition of long-requested features like wireless charging and water resistance.
• Marques Brownlee of MKBHD checked out the OnePlus 8 and loved its high-refresh display (even if it’s only 90Hz), but found the camera lacking; overall, he thought the $699 OnePlus 8 “is not special anymore.” Meanwhile, Marques said the OnePlus 8 Pro is “a bona fide, complete-feeling flagship” that finally includes a great camera. Not to mention, it’s his new daily driver.
• The Verge’s Dieter Bohn commented on the OnePlus 8 Pro’s price, saying it’s “simultaneously high and low. Nine hundred bucks is a lot for a OnePlus phone, but it’s still less expensive than its direct competition.” Dieter complained about the “huge” size of the device and the addition of the “pointless gimmick” Color filter camera.
• GSMArena’s team put it like this: “OnePlus is a perfect example of the notion: ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,’ and this is exactly what the company has done with the 8 Pro.” The website praised OnePlus’ attention to detail, but decried some of the weaker aspects of the camera system. As for the OnePlus 8, GSMArena said it’s a great phone in a vacuum, but pricing is its Achilles’ heel.
• Ryne Hager from Android Police calls the OnePlus 8 Pro “one of the best overall smartphone experiences you can buy” despite some small issues with the camera and the display. In terms of the obvious comparison with the Galaxy S20 Plus, Ryne couldn’t find a good reason to buy Samsung’s flagship over the OnePlus 8 Pro, and that says a lot.

What people like you think of the OnePlus 8 series

We asked our readers how they feel about the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.

In a head-to-head poll against the Galaxy S20 Plus, the OnePlus 8 Pro pulled ahead by an impressive 15%. That’s from 10,000 votes, so quite a large sample.

The OnePlus 8 Pro fared worse against OnePlus’ own 7T, though (from 16,500 votes). Three quarters of respondents thought last year’s phone is a better deal.

Meanwhile, when asked what score they would assign to the OnePlus 8 Pro, 33% of respondents gave it a five-star rating. Another 29% gave it four stars, and only 6% thought the OnePlus 8 is a terrible, one-star phone.

How good is the OnePlus 8 Pro camera?

Cameras have always been the big weakness of OnePlus devices. That changes with the OnePlus 8 Pro, which we (and other reviewers) found to be really good.

You can read more about it in our OnePlus 8 Pro review, and we also recommend you check out this camera comparison between the OnePlus 8 Pro, the Galaxy S20 Plus, and the Huawei P40 Pro. If you just want the conclusion, the OnePlus 8 Pro came in second, behind the more hardware-heavy P40 Pro, but ahead of the Galaxy S20 Plus. That’s a big deal for OnePlus.

One thing we weren’t impressed with is the Color filter camera, which changes the color of objects in the scene to ethereal sepia tones. We called it “little more than a gimmick” in our analysis. It’s quite puzzling why OnePlus opted to include a dedicated camera just for this feature.

The standard OnePlus 8 is a bit of a different story – it’s not that good, though it’s certainly useable. More details in our review.

Does the OnePlus 8 have good battery life?

Both the OnePlus 8 (4,300mAh) and the OnePlus 8 Pro (4,510mAh) have solid battery life, despite their high-refresh rate screens. Based on our testing, both phones can last about a day and a half of normal use. The smaller OnePlus 8 actually has better battery life, consistently pushing towards one day and three-quarters of use.

While neither model is the best phone around when it comes to batteries, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro have solid battery life.

OnePlus 8 series: Competition and alternatives

It’s clear the OnePlus 8 Pro targets the Galaxy S20 Plus and that makes sense – it’s the Android flagship to beat. The good news is the OnePlus 8 Pro came on top in comparison with the Galaxy S20 Plus, thanks to the comparable user experience and similar set of features, offered at a lower price.

When it comes to OnePlus 8 Pro vs Huawei P40 Pro, the OnePlus device has the clear upper hand thanks to the preloaded Google apps and services. The P40 Pro has the better camera by some margin though.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is the same price as the LG V60. If the price is one of your main concerns, you won’t get better bang for your buck with these two devices. The V60 offers a headphone jack and quad-DAC audio, a microSD slot, and a bigger battery, at the cost of clunkier software.

If you’re in a market where it’s sold, the cheaper Realme X50 Pro is a decent OnePlus 8 Pro alternative – it has blazing-fast performance, great build quality, and super-fast 65W charging, though the camera will probably disappoint.

But the biggest competitor to the OnePlus 8 Pro is last year’s batch of OnePlus phones. We checked out the OnePlus 8 Pro vs OnePlus 7T. The older phones might offer better value for money, but you can’t argue with the addition of features like wireless charging and water resistance.

Other potential OnePlus 8 series alternatives: These 6 flagship killers are the best alternatives to the OnePlus 8 series

Moving on to OnePlus 8, this one is a bit trickier. The value for money is less clear, simply because there are not a lot of phones in this price range to compare it with. Besides OnePlus’ older devices, you could check out other phones released last year, that can be now had for much cheaper, including the Galaxy S10 series, the Huawei P30 Pro, and the LG G8X.

Known OnePlus 8 issues

Relatively few OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro issues have surfaced so far. The biggest one is a problem that causes green tints or black crush artefacts when the screen is set to low brightness. According to OnePlus, the issue is software-related, so it should be fixable through an update. As of the time of this writing, some users still report this green tint issue, and OnePlus says it’s working on the problem.

A minor issue that we spotted in our OnePlus 8 Pro review is a small amount of jitter during multitasking. Given the strong specs, this software-related issue will likely be patched, if it hasn’t been already.

This isn’t a defect per se, but you should know that Verizon-branded OnePlus 8 models are physically different from all the other models. A minor change in the alignment of the buttons means OnePlus 8 cases designed for the unlocked model will not fit the Verizon model properly.

We’ll update this section as we hear of more OnePlus 8 issues.

OnePlus 8 software updates

OnePlus is known for frequent and regular Android updates. We don’t expect that to change with the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, which have already received three updates since their launch. The updates added Google’s Live Caption feature, improved system stability, and brought other optimizations.

In terms of long-term updates, we expect that the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will receive the Android 11 update sometime in September 2020 and Android 12 in 2021.

OnePlus could do better when it comes to security patches – the company currently releases security patches every other month, as opposed to monthly like other manufacturers. It’s not a huge issue, but this is a true flagship now, so we expect the best.

OnePlus 8 cases and accessories

If you want to protect your new phone, you’ll want to check out our roundups of the best cases and screen protectors for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. We’ve selected the best products, not just from OnePlus, but also from top third-party manufacturers like Spigen, Dbrand, Ringke, and more.

• The best cases and covers for the OnePlus 8 Pro
• The best OnePlus 8 cases you can buy
• The best OnePlus 8 Pro screen protectors you can get
• The best OnePlus 8 screen protectors available

If you’re interested in original OnePlus accessories, you should check out the Cases & Protection section of the OnePlus store. You’ll find a great variety of quality cases.

Note that that the Verizon OnePlus 8 model is slightly different from other versions, meaning you’ll need to buy a special case for it.

You may also want to check out other OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro accessories, including chargers, cables, and the OnePlus Bullets Z wireless earbuds. If you want more options, here’s a roundup of the best headphones for the OnePlus 8 series.

Also check out OnePlus’ accessories bundles, which let you shave a few dollars off your purchase.

Finally, if you want fast wireless, you’ll need to pay a bit extra (currently, $69.95 at OnePlus.com) for the Warp Charge 30 Wireless charger. We tested the Warp Charge 30 charger out, and it’s indeed very fast. The catch is, if you use the OnePlus 8 Pro with any third-party wireless charger, you won’t get the full 30W charging speed.

Top OnePlus 8 series questions and answers

• Is the OnePlus 8 Pro water resistant? The OnePlus 8 Pro is rated IP68, so you can safely submerge in water. Read more about IP68 and the limitations of IP ratings here.
• Is the OnePlus 8 water resistant? Only the US carrier versions (T-Mobile and Verizon) are rated IP68 for water resistance. Unlocked versions and all international models are not officially water resistant. It’s likely they could still survive some water contact, but it’s best to avoid it.
• Does the OnePlus 8 have a headphone jack? Neither the OnePlus 8 or the OnePlus 8 Pro feature a headphone jack.
• Does the OnePlus 8 support a memory card? Neither the OnePlus 8 or the OnePlus 8 Pro have a microSD card slot.
• Does the OnePlus 8 support 5G? Yes, both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro support sub-6GHz 5G connectivity. However, only Verizon’s OnePlus 8 5G UW supports mmWave spectrum.
• Does the OnePlus 8 Pro run at 120Hz at all times? Yes, unlike other devices, the OnePlus 8 Pro’s display runs at 120Hz at all times. However, you’ll also need the app to be compatible. For example, not all games are optimized for high-refresh-rate screens. Read more 120Hz screens here.
• What colors are the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro available in? The OnePlus 8 is available in Glacial Green and Interstellar Glow (color gradient). If you buy it from Verizon, you’ll also be able to get it in Onyx Black and an exclusive Polar Silver. The OnePlus 8 Pro is available in Onyx Black, Glacial Green, and Ultramarine Blue. The Interstellar Glow and Ultramarine Blue are only available on the versions with 12GB of storage. Finally, OnePlus tends to release new color versions a few months after the initial launch, so you might want to wait for that if you don’t like the colors available right now. More details about OnePlus 8 colors here.

Which OnePlus 8 version should you get?

The OnePlus 8 Pro is currently available in a variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and one with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you don’t have high storage requirements (usually for downloading lots of media on your phone), we recommend you pick the 8GB/128GB version, which costs $899. We think 12GB of RAM is overkill in 2020.

Unfortunately, the only way to get the Ultramarine Blue model is to pony up for a 12GB/256GB version.

It’s the same story for the OnePlus 8. The $699 model, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage should be enough for most people. If you want the fancy, but fingerprint-prone, Interstellar Glow colorway, you’ll need to get the 12GB/256GB model for $799.

If you’re in the US on T-Mobile or Verizon, you should check out your carrier deals on the OnePlus 8. Both let you get the phone for cheaper, with some strings attached.

Read: Full details on OnePlus 8’s price and availability

Where to buy the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro

USA

• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked, from OnePlus
• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked from Amazon
• Carrier-branded OnePlus 5G UW from Verizon
• Carrier-branded OnePlus 5G from T-Mobile

UK

• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked from OnePlus
• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked from Amazon

India

• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked from OnePlus (pre-book)
• OnePlus 8 Pro unlocked and OnePlus 8 unlocked from Amazon (pre-book)

Key OnePlus 8 specs

What about the “OnePlus 8 Lite”?

It won’t be called “OnePlus 8 Lite,” but rumors suggest OnePlus is working on a more accessible phone called OnePlus Z. This mid-range OnePlus phone is expected to arrive sometime in the next few months. Read our full OnePlus Z rumor roundup to know what to expect.

More OnePlus 8 coverage

• The OnePlus 8 Pro has the best display we’ve ever tested
• OnePlus 8 Pro comes out a winner in torture test
• The OnePlus 8 series will tout Google Stadia support, more devices coming soon
• The new OnePlus 8 wallpapers are here — Download them now
• Which color OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro should I get?

Help other readers out

Do you own the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro? Do you plan buying them? Then make your voice heard in our polls below and then go ahead and post your own mini-review in the comments!

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