

[The Lab] OnePlus 8 Pro Edition

Review by Patrick Chambers



Hello, OnePlus Community and tech enthusiasts! It's that time of year again and OnePlus has announced the latest additions to their renowned smartphone lineup: the OnePlus 8 series. Preceding the launch of the new device, the OnePlus Community brought back The Lab, an annual tradition unique to OnePlus that opens up the world of tech reviewing to enthusiasts like you and me. I am one of the lucky 10 entrants chosen to review the OnePlus 8 Pro and have had my hands on the device for a while now. But before diving into the review, I'd like to wholeheartedly thank OnePlus and The Lab for this amazing opportunity. I'd also encourage you to head over to the other reviewers' pages and see the great work they've put together for you as well!



While I've had my eye on OnePlus since the company's inception, I've never actually owned one of their phones. I either haven't been in a position to upgrade, or have found other options that better suited my wants. With this in mind, I will be presenting the OnePlus 8 Pro to you through the perspective of someone who's never used a OnePlus device and what it's like to jump into their OxygenOS environment. Whether you're a OnePlus diehard and you're reading this on a McLaren Edition 7t Pro, or you still think OnePlus is a math problem, this review will help you get a better understanding of what this device is all about and help you decide if you should give you're hard-earned money to this company. ​

[Contents]

The review will be presented in seven installments, starting with the one you're reading now:

Unboxing & Design (included in this post) Display - 6.78" 120Hz Super Fluid AMOLED Display Performance - Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 | 12gb RAM + 256gb Storage | Dolby Atmos® Camera - 48mp Main & 48mp Ultrawide Lenses | 3x Telephoto Lens | Color Filter Lens | Super Macro Battery and Charging - Warp Charge | Wireless Charging | Reverse Charging OxygenOS - Fast, Smooth, Efficient operating system based on Android 10 Summary - Final thoughts and impressions Now on to the review!



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[Unboxing]



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You've been waiting for days, maybe weeks. You keep finding excuses to look out the window. You've checked your tracking number half a dozen times and, yes! Your new phone is out for delivery! You hear the rumble of the delivery van... Footsteps outside... A knock at the door... It's here! You tear open the delivery packaging and what's inside? A red box containing your new OnePlus 8 Pro. The wait is over.



As the old adage goes, you should never judge a book by its cover. Well, between you and me, I think that's utter nonsense as that's the whole point of a book cover – to set the first impression. When your OnePlus 8 Pro introduces itself to you, it presents itself in a classy, modern-looking red box with clean, minimalist black text. My first impression is that I have something in my hands that doesn't need to be overly flashy to have good design and inside the box, this theme is continued. Let's have a look...

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I've got to admit I love the minimalist branding on both the device and the packaging. The inclusion of a case is a great touch too, that you don't see that much in other smartphones.

Inside, we have the standard assortment of literature you've all come to expect, including a quickstart guide and a letter from the founder. There's also a fun sticker pack included (note to other companies: more stickers, please!). You have a slick-looking transparent TPU case with the OnePlus slogan, "Never Settle" imprinted into the back, sim eject tool, OnePlus' iconic red charging cable, a Warp Charge 30 power brick (more on that in a future update), and of course the device itself, wrapped in a protective plastic covering.



Absent from this year's model is an included screen protector, likely due to the curved screen making a return in the 8 Series devices. In a disappointing move, OnePlus has also opted to not include a USB-C headphone adapter (that's right, there's no headphone jack on the phone). I, personally, only use bluetooth headphones, but even in 2020, this is still a point of major contention among smartphone consumers – particularly among commuters who prefer the reliability of wired heaphones and earbuds over power-hungry bluetooth sets. An adapter can be bought separately for about $13 USD, but it'd be nice if it was just included with the phone.

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The included letter from the founder, Pete Lau, is a nice touch and a reminder of the close relationship the company has with its community members.



I've exercised restraint in sifting through this material rather than jumping straight to the phone so that you don't have to. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the phone itself!



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[Design]



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My first impression: this phone is HUGE! Look, it didn't even fit in this photo!



Okay, full disclosure time: I've never been one to buy the "XL" or "Plus" or "Ultra" version of anything before. I generally prefer the one-hand-friendly nature of the standard variants of phones, so jumping up from my Pixel 4 to a phone that has a screen approaching 7" is a bit of a leap. That said, it's rounded edges feel very comfortable in the hand and the glazed finish on the glass back keeps it from being too slippery, though if you have smaller hands or are prone to drops, you may want to keep this guy in a case. The phone has a fair bit of heft to it that may turn some users off, but I like the solid, planted feeling it gives.



As you can see, the device OnePlus sent me to review is in the Ultramarine Blue color. Additionally, the Pro variant of the OnePlus 8 can be had in Onyx Black or Glacial Green (which I'm told looks stunning in person). The base model Oneplus 8 loses the Ultramarine Blue option, but gains a very unique color-shifting finish called Interstellar Glow, which if you haven't seen already, stop reading this and go give it a look.

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Props to OnePlus for the sleek, simple camera layout.

On the back of the phone, we have a central hump, housing: a 48mp wide-angle lens, a 48mp main lens, and the color filter lens. To the left of the camera hump is the 3x telephoto lens at the top, with the auto-focus sensors, microphone, and flash below. I have to give points to the OnePlus design team for their simple approach to a quad-camera layout. I find this presentation much more pleasing than the gaudy, trypophobia-inducing camera configurations offered by Apple and Google.



Aside from the camera and some simple branding, the back of the device is nice and clean, showcasing the phone's beautiful glass construction. During the official launch video, an anecdote was told about a photographer working with OnePlus who commented that the Sellar Glow model was the hardest device to photograph he'd ever worked with. I haven't seen that color in person, but even the Ultramarine Blue presented quite a challenge to photograph, with the etched logos seeming to appear and disappear depending on the angle and lighting. When held at certain angles, the back of the phone has the illusion of being concave and whether the backing behind the glass is actually shaped or this is just a trick of the eye, the phone is very appealing to look at and the blue really pops in the sunlight.

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This simple little switch makes adjusting between silent, vibrate, and ring a breeze!



The front of the phone is just about all screen and has a very thin slit of a top speaker grille. I've already managed to get a grain of sand lodged in said grille, but was able to work it free with a toothbrush. On the left edge of the phone is a volume rocker and on the right is the power button and a clever three-position slider switch that sets the notification level to either silent, vibrate, or ring. This is my new favorite feature and is a solid one-up on the iPhone's mute switch. All three of these buttons are easy to activate and have very little play in them out of the box.



Finally turning on the phone, that 6.78" super-fluid display comes to life. Once you've completed the setup process, you'll want to just scroll and swipe forever, taking in the incredibly smooth 120Hz screen. This is your first introduction to the OnePlus's core design philosophy: Fast, Smooth, Efficient.

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I was a bit wary of the in-display fingerprint reader but whatever wizardry the OnePlus engineers have put to use under the screen here is working. After setup, unlocking is fast and seamless every time.



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[First Impressions Recap]

