OnePlus 8 Pro in the test

tl; dr: With OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus addresses the latest reviews from previous smartphones, including wireless charging and IP68 certification. In parallel, the OLED display has been accelerated to 120 Hz and 5G is introduced through the new Snapdragon 865. The latter also ensures that prices rise.

OnePlus 7T (trial) and OnePlus 7T Pro are now followed by OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro at the usual pace of more than half a year. It is the first series from the smartphone manufacturer belonging to BBK Electronics, which is only offered with 5G support, after a special model was required for OnePlus 7 Pro (trial).

Compatibility with the new cellular standard goes hand in hand with the use of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, to which the Snapdragon X55 modem is attached. With 5G, however, there is also a price increase, as OnePlus has to install additional components like the modem that is no longer built into the processor and other antennas.

Prices, availability and colors.

Pre-orders for the OnePlus 8 series are available starting at 7:00 p.m. from today. Sales begin in Germany on April 21 at prices starting at 699 euros, while the base price of the OnePlus 7T was 599 euros. For the OnePlus 8 Pro, the manufacturer asks for at least 899 euros, last year the Pro model was 759 euros. To get more RAM and memory, another 100 euros must be added. The OnePlus 8 Pro available for testing with the maximum configuration of 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage costs 999 euros. OnePlus has now hit the (almost) four-digit price club.

The colors of the OnePlus 8 are matte “Glacial Green” and glossy “Onyx Black”. In the later availability course, “Interstellar Glow” should follow a pattern with a colorful gradient similar to that of the Instagram app logo. Green and black are also available for the OnePlus 8 Pro, which is also available in “Ultramarine Blue”, a deep blue with a satin finish. The editorial team had a test device in “Glacier Green”.

Summary of technical data

Elegant design in matte green.

A green smartphone? Apple can’t just do that with the iPhone 11 (Pro) (test), OnePlus probably thought and offers a “Glacier Green” spot that’s great for the smartphone. The satin finish supports the high-quality appearance which, thanks to the very good workmanship, is without criticism. The sandwich construction made of Gorilla Glass for the front and rear and a full aluminum frame have not been new for a long time, but the structure still looks noble, especially with the matte glass.

For the first time with IP68 certification

But one thing is new: For the first time, the OnePlus 8 Pro is officially protected against ingress of dust and water according to IP68. The sealing rubbers required for this were already installed in the last generation, but until now OnePlus had kept the certification due to the associated costs.

The handy “Alert Slider” is located on the right side of the frame, allowing a quick switch to silent or vibratory only mode. In addition to Apple, OnePlus is the only major smartphone manufacturer that relies on a physical switch. This is corrugated and marks each step with a full click. Overall, the keys and sockets are convincing with a precise fit and clean milling.

Lighter than last year

The OnePlus 8 Pro measures 74.4 × 165.3 × 8.50mm (W × H × D) and is therefore narrower and thinner than its predecessor, but 3.7mm taller because OnePlus extends the screen even further. At 199-206g, the weight could be reduced despite a larger screen and battery, which is primarily due to the lack of an extendable motorized front camera, as the manufacturer explained in an interview.

The new OLED screen is extremely bright.

The screen measures 6.78 instead of 6.67 inches with an aspect ratio of 19.8: 9 instead of 19.5: 9. This is reflected in a resolution increased to 1,440 × 3,168 pixels. The OLED panel again comes from Samsung Display and is in no way inferior to the displays supplied to Samsung. First off, the very high brightness should be emphasized in auto mode, which is at eye level with the Galaxy S20 Ultra (test) at 773 cd / m² with a white screen (100 percent average image level – APL ).

Selective up to 1,200 cd / m²

OnePlus advertises with a maximum brightness of 1,300 cd / m², which however refers to a reduced APL. With a 20 percent white and a black screen, 1,119 cd / m² were possible in the test, with a 10 percent APL it was 1,187 cd / m². If the APL is further reduced, but this can no longer be measured with the publishers’ measuring device, the values ​​of 1,300 cd / m² are quite realistic. OnePlus doesn’t promise too much. With the brightness values ​​achieved, the company shows that it receives the same generation of OLEDs as Samsung’s smartphone division.

In addition to the extremely high brightness, the panel impresses with an accurate display, but not from the factory. Because OnePlus delivers the smartphone in “Lively” color mode, which increases the white point to 7,400 Kelvin and increases the color saturation. This makes the OLED panel look good thanks to modern colors, but the screen is more realistic in “Natural” mode. In the third “Extended” mode with “Wide AMOLED color spectrum” there is an option with an even more intense display than with “Lively”. There are also two calibrated settings for the sRGB and Apple display s3 color space (not to be confused with DCI-P3).

120 Hz at full QHD + resolution

The second major change to the display is a further increase in the maximum refresh rate to 120Hz after 90Hz was introduced with the OnePlus 7 (Pro). 90Hz is not available as an intermediate stage for OnePlus 8 Pro, so you can only choose between 60Hz and 120Hz. Both settings are available with the factory default resolution of FHD + at 1,080 × 2,376 pixels and with QHD + at 1,440. × 3,168 full pixels. OnePlus stands out from Samsung, which only offers 120 Hz with a reduced resolution, and is incorporated with the Oppo Find X2 Pro (test). The influence of different modes on battery life is explained on the next page of the corresponding section, but the differences are minor.

The “Fluid Screen” is another highlight of the smartphone. Once activated, which is the case at the factory, you don’t want to go back to 60Hz or even 90Hz from last year. The device gains more perceived speed than switching to a faster SoC. Whether the Snapdragon 855 (Plus) or the new Snapdragon 865 is installed, 95 percent of all everyday apps have far less impact on the operating experience than the faster screen.

MEMC engine for intermediate image calculation

The default 120 Hz is not noticeable in video applications, so there is no soap opera effect, as can be seen especially on televisions with its interframe calculation, which is often turned on at the factory, the source material with 24 FPS, 25 FPS or 30 FPS at 60 FPS or 120 FPS. However, OnePlus offers a corresponding option.

The manufacturer uses its own Find X2 Pro Oppo chip for “Motion Estimation / Motion Compensation” (MEMC), which is available in the Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube apps and in the OnePlus gallery for its own Calculation of Videos. intermediate image at 60 FPS and 120 FPS, as well as with Hotstar, in MX Player (Pro) and with VLC up to a maximum of 60 FPS.

HDR10 + and a new HDR Boost

In addition to the SDR display, the OLED display can also be used for HDR10 and HDR10 + video content. For SDR material, “HDR Boost” can be activated to increase color saturation and contrast, but this does not result in genuine HDR of the source material. In the display settings, the function is not found as “HDR Boost”, but as “Vivid Color Effect Pro”.

Optical fingerprint sensor on the screen

In the bottom quarter of the screen, OnePlus has re-integrated the optical fingerprint sensor, which offers a larger contact area than Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S20 series. In the test, there were no problems with the sensor during setup or daily use.

If you switch from a smartphone with a face scanner to the OnePlus 8 Pro, you can use this unlock method via the front camera built into the screen, but please note that only a 2D scan is performed and the system does not guarantee the security from Face ID (Apple), Face Unlock (Google) or Huawei Mate Pro series 3D facial scanner. The perforated notch on the 16-megapixel sensor is pleasantly small. Huawei had recently shown a negative example with a big “pill” on the P40 Pro (test).

On the next page: performance, acceleration, 5G and software.