Thinking of going budget-conscious with the OnePlus 8? Just get the OnePlus 8 Pro instead

Among budget phone enthusiasts, the name OnePlus comes up top as a brand known for being flagship killers. That’s the Shenzhen-based company’s gimmick really — powerful, excellent smartphones that cost half the price of its bigger rivals. A good schtick to have right now, probably, given that personal finances aren’t as stable as it was before due to the pandemic. 

But that’s no longer the case this year. The new OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro has ditched the whole budget novelty and fully embraced its ‘Never Settle’ mantra, going all in its bid to stand alongside giants Samsung and Apple. 

While that may be true for the higher-specced OnePlus 8 Pro, I can’t say the same for its entry-level sibling, the regular OnePlus 8. Sure, its cost cuts just below a full $1,000, it’s hard to justify forking out that much money for something that’s not that premium. It doesn’t help that its predecessor, the OnePlus 7T, is still a very snappy phone and has the spectacular value of being under $800. 

Screen

Just to be clear, the OnePlus 8 is still a very good phone. The screen is still among one of the best displays you’ll use, especially with the 90-Hz screen refresh rate turned on. What that does is make everything you do on the phone a lot smoother — swiping around on Instagram and Facebook feels fluid and a lot more responsive than even an iPhone 11 Pro. 

Combine the smoothness with the 6.55-inch 1080 x 2400 pixels AMOLED display, playing videos and games on the phone is a joy with punchy colours and sharpness. The waterfall-style curved display edges, which used to be reserved only for OnePlus’s pro devices, are included in the vanilla OnePlus 8, creating that whole bezel-less effect. 

Processor

Thankfully, OnePlus 8 is smart enough not to pull a Samsung. Every OnePlus 8 and OnePlus8 user across the global market is equipped with the super-fast Snapdragon 865 processor. 

The speed translates to a truly impressive user experience — opening or switching between apps, games and features feel a lot snappier than any other device I’ve used before. And yes, that includes the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. 

Case in point: the phone unlocking process. The in-display fingerprint reader has been consistently quick to process my thumbprints, while its facial recognition system works so fast that it didn’t even feel like anything was happening. A click of the power button and I’m immediately on the home screen with barely any interval in between. 

Battery life

We may not appreciate it now, seeing that there’s always a power outlet within reach at home, but the respectable 4,300mAh battery packed in the OnePlus 8 will come in handy when we can go about our normal lives once again. Real-life usage barely makes a dent in the battery life, and I could go a little more than a day without charging. 

When I do need to juice it up, OnePlus includes its Warp Charge cable and brick that swiftly charges the phone from zero to 50 per cent in less than 22 minutes. No wireless charging though, which is odd, considering that the feature is standard in cheaper handsets than the OnePlus 8. 

Why you should go for the OnePlus 8 Pro instead

Think about it — you just have to fork out a few hundred more to enjoy a truly-realised premium OnePlus phone. The extra moolah matters because it’ll get you upgrades that you actually want in a smartphone: better cameras, better display, official water-resistance and wireless charging. 

Worrying about your phone’s ability to stand against water and dust is a no brainer, but the OnePlus 8 remains without an official resistance rating. OnePlus 8 Pro users can shed those fears away since only their sets have IP68 certified water and dust resistance, meaning it’s dust-tight and can survive in water up to a metre for around 30 minutes. 

OnePlus phones have typically faltered in the realm of camera quality, and the OnePlus 8 is no different. The phone has a smaller image sensor than its Pro brother and it really shows in the picture quality, especially when struggling in low-light conditions. 

A triple-lens setup sits on the rear, with a main 48MP camera, an ultra-wide 16MP camera, and a 2MP macro camera. No telephoto camera here for optical zoom, so you’ll just have the macro lens to play around with.

Which I quickly got bored of because the image quality is middling at best — and there are just so many itty bitty things you’d want to take pictures of. 

We didn’t have the bigger sibling to compare it to, but from what we’ve gathered online, the OnePlus 8 Pro’s camera system is decidedly much better, even if it doesn't stand a chance to the likes of the Pixel 4. 

Worth the extra money? I think so. Not to mention that you’ll get a higher-resolution screen with a higher refresh rate of 120-Hz with a beefier battery to support it. 

I don’t want to knock against the OnePlus 8 too much though because it still is one of the snappiest Android phones I’ve had the pleasure of using. It’s just that the phone isn’t that cheap to begin with — and we’re still forking out close to a thousand dollars for something that belongs in the mid-range category.

At that price point, you just might as well pay a couple hundred more for the OnePlus phone you deserve. Never settle, right? 

ilyas@asiaone.com