OnePlus is here to stay and since the first smartphone they made back in 2014, the company which was thought of as being the flagship killer is now becoming a flagship itself and maybe needed to be killed by other smaller companies coming right after it such as RealMe and RedMi all coming out with full force and making really interesting smartphone which are though inexpensive but offering competitive values.

But that’s not the case. OnePlus 8 was released some two weeks back and since then has been a popular device. While we’re unable to really take the device out for a long-term spin in the wild due to the lockdown, one thing obviously is that the device offer some really cool features to it especially in the camera department which is what we’re mostly going to be talking about in this post.

If anything, the camera department on every “Pro” series are usually better than the “non-pro” versions and you’ll of course have to pay top dollars for those features which is what makes the OnePlus 8 Pro somehow an interesting device with numerous interesting perks for it’s price-tag of $990 (including all the accessories)

But if you may ask “what’s so special about the OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro” that would require you switch to the recent and more pricier model. The answer to that can be tricky.

Considering the current state of the economy, some of us are really having it hard right now due to the pandemic that had caused numerous job loss as well as economy meltdown because nobody is working but the virus continues to spread across the globe like a wildfire.

Smartphone sales has therefore been plummeting and that’s really bad for business. Even Samsung made it known that the second quarter of the year will be tougher on its smartphone business as well as Apple saying the same.

So why should you even consider changing your phone in the first place despite so much turmoil the answer to that lies in many factors. And a good example of that would be the upgrade interval of OnePlus devices which is usually between 6 months. Now, concerning the OnePlus 7T, it was sort of like the fixes for the previous OnePlus 7 series which was released earlier on last year.

And for a fact, the “T-Versions” are usually like the fixes for the normal versions released earlier in the year. Which is why the OnePlus 7T was an interesting smartphone that had interesting features such as the 90Hz refresh rate on it OLED display as well as a triple rear camera setup. All of these were available on the 7t Pro, but the 7t was cheaper and had similar specs. We were only missing the high screen resolution and battery capacity.

And comparing the 7T and 7T Pro, you might wonder just like any other tech product review out there as to why you should buy the more pricier version despite having no significant difference from the normal version…unless you’re addicted to “Pros”

Which is why there is probably a big difference with the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro this time around as the normal version is well stripped-out that there is nearly nothing really exciting about the device if you compare it to the “Pro” version or so do I see it. The processor might be the same, but the difference between the 8 and 8 Pro are so great, I’m left wondering if OnePlus wants to sell any 8’s at all.

Speaking of OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro

The OnePlus 8 Pro features a much larger display measuring 6.78-inch and I guess most Android smartphone users prefer it big (and classy) while the display resolution is about 3168 x 1440 with 513 PPI. The OnePlus 8 on the other hand is much smaller measuring with a resolution of just 1080 x 2400 (403 PPI) almost the same thing with the OnePlus 7T which has the same display specs.

Though both devices have 90Hz refresh rates and curved screens which is obviously not well done since you always accidentally touch something you’re not meant to which makes the device hard for people with big hands like me to use. Getting the curves scratched out is more easy because OnePlus probably forgot to add a screen guard with the device and requires you either buy it separately….at least be nice guys.

The OnePlus 8 is though cool because its small but I prefer the larger variant because my hands say so. I have used the gigantic 7.2-inch Huawei Mate 20X at some point in my life which I fell really in love with because of the flat display and the comfort of holding it.

Then the cameras

The phones have completely different camera set ups, the 8 Pro’s triple camera set up has a 48MP standard lens, 8MP telephoto with OIS, and an Ultra Wide Angle with 48MP. The 8 seems to have a camera straight out of 2017, 48MP main camera with OIS f1.75 aperture a 16MP wide angle and a 2MP macro lens with no OIS

And then the 7T on the other hand features a triple rear setup with a 48MP main sensor that has all the perks you’d expect including OIS. It’s as if OnePlus just slapped OnePlus 8 on the older OnePlus 7T after 6 months and make us believe its a newer device right.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a macro camera, but the 7T and many other phones, proved that you can take a good macro photo with the ultra-wide lens. It seems they ditched the telephoto camera to save a few pennies rather adding it to improve photo quality.

Looking closer to the cameras on the 8 and 8 Pro, one can tell there is a big difference as to the newness of both primary sensors. For example, the 8 Pro uses the latest Sony IMX689 sensor while the 8 uses the older IMX586 which might be technical for an average user to wrap around since what we all care about is a device that shoots great photos and record nice videos right?

That’s why the 8 Pro excels right above both the 7T and 8 in many aspects including low-light photography, portraits and so forth all due to the responsibilities of the newer sensors on the device.

The auto focus on the 8 Pro is noticeably faster and more accurate. Checking the spec sheet the 8Pro has All pixel omni-directional PDAF+LAF+CAF. The 8 has MultiAutofocus with PDAD+CAF. When trying to take these photos I had to tap multiple times, raise and lower the phone to try to reset the focus to it would take the photo and the difference between the two is massive!

I guess OnePlus wasn’t trying to make both devices “Premium” but rather the 8 a “Mid-ranger” while the 8 Pro remains right above the other including the 7T.

Finally the wireless charging

Wireless charging is like the new norm for most smartphones and devices that lacks this functionality should be dubbed “Entry-level” because the new iPhone SE had disrupted what a “Mid range” smartphone should be priced at.

But we can’t just label a OnePlus device as “Entry level” just because they lack Wireless charging right. Or maybe their Product Designer researched and found their target market don’t need one who knows.

But obviously, wireless charging are really important for every aspect as it is convenient and easy to use anytime and whenever. The inclusion of the technology on the OnePlus 8 Pro came as a surprise though because I thought they’ll be adamant again this time around.

OnePlus held off adding this feature because what was on the market wasn’t fast enough. Warp Charge 30 Wireless gives you 50% in 30min compared to Warp Charge 30T that gets you to 50% in 23minutes….so you get the point about why the “T-Versions” are always the fixes to issues of the normal versions.

Premium pricing for the devices

The OnePlus 7 was released last year with a US$669 price tag and then the 7T was later on released US$799 (All prices are subjected to retail sales and we might not be accurate about the price) but then comes the newer upgrade which cells for $899 with accessories making the device peak US$990 which I’m sure the next model will definitely be a US$999.99 smartphone because they don’t want to call it US$1K.

But you get some interesting upgrades such as a better camera, 5G, a faster processor and anything 2020 has to offer except for Coronavirus.

But then you always keep wondering if the India is the only place OnePlus wants to sell its device or maybe they’re just both romantically involved with one another as the company sells aggressively abroad, it sells much cheaper in the Southern Asian country but it’s probably because the devices are made there…maybe!

But I’d rather you stick to your good old OnePlus 7T unless you want a much faster processor and 5G technology along with wireless charging, so might you think about upgrading but without that, the current state of the economy is too bad to blow nearly a thousand bucks on a piece of device that will get an upgrade in a matter of months to come….so maybe WAIT!