OnePlus finally offers wireless charging with the 8 Pro

Both the OnePlus 8 ($699) and 8 Pro ($899) are flagship worthy

The OnePlus 8
The OnePlus 8

After much leaks, rumors and teasers, OnePlus has officially announced both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, you can read our in-depth review of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 here. The company has come a long way since it first launched the OnePlus One in 2014 and has gone on to release wildly successful phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro, along with some stunning 5G phones, like the OnePlus 7T McLaren, and even a concept phone with a disappearing camera. Unsurprisingly, both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro phones are equipped with premium specs that both deliver flagship-level performance.

Display and performance

OnePlus 8 Pro in green
OnePlus 8 Pro in green

The OnePlus 8 houses a 6.55-inch Fluid display that supports HDR10+ and features a 90 Hz refresh rate. The screen is also manufactured with luminescent materials that help the display’s visibility and clarity in bright sunlight. OnePlus has also taken into consideration its user’s eye health with a built-in filter for blue light.

The more premium OnePlus 8 Pro carries a slightly larger 6.78-inch, edge-to-edge screen with the same Fluid display technology and HDR10+ support. It however, has an upgraded QHD+ screen that’s capable of a larger 3168×1440 resolution. Additionally, the refresh rate is increased from 90Hz to 120Hz for an even more responsive screen with seamless motion. It also boasts of a 10-bit color display that’s able to produce 60x more colors than the standard smartphone display.

Furthermore, MEMC algorithms on the OnePlus 8 Pro allow its software to transform videos to 24fps to perform even better on its 120Hz screen. These algorithms are able to reduce motion blur, stuttering and ghosting for a better viewing experience.

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro carry similar high-end specs internally. They’re powered by the latest Snapdragon 865 coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of storage. RAM Boost allows the phone to intelligently analyze usage patterns to be able to allocate resources efficiently. Both phones also have support for 5G for connections with up to 7.5Gbps transfer speeds.

Camera

OnePlus 8 Pro in blue
OnePlus 8 Pro in blue

If you’re wondering where else the difference lies between the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro, it’s, of course, their camera systems. The OnePlus 8 carries a simpler three-camera system that’s compromised of a 48MP main camera, 15MP Ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2MP macro camera. The more premium OnePlus 8 Pro carries a quad-camera system that has the same 48MP main camera but an improved 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera. It also replaces the OnePlus 8’s macro camera in favor of an 8MP 3X Telephoto camera and adds an additional 5MP color filter camera to complete its system.

Both phones’ 48MP main camera carries similar features such as on-board OIS and EIS stabilization. These specs allow for brighter and sharper photos even in low-light. The OnePlus Pro’s secondary ultra-wide-angle bodes of the same megapixel count as its main. This means photos are taken with the same quality and clarity and are capable of being zoomed in and cropped should there be a need. The OnePlus 8 Pro also has an additional super Macro Mode for its wide-angle lens to make up for the loss of a dedicated macro camera. Both phones’ wide-angle cameras also support Nightscape mode to capture brighter photos at night.

The OnePlus 8 Pro also carries a 3X Telephoto camera that allows for up to 30X digital zoom with optical image stabilization to keep things sharp when shooting. The last camera on its system, the Color Filter, is a new addition that allows users to express themselves with “artistic lighting effects and filters.”

OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8

As for video, both phones are capable of shooting up to 4K at 30 and 60fps as well as slow motion up to 480fps. They also have hybrid stabilization that works with the built-in OIS and EIS technologies that, as the company says, produce “gimbal-like” stability.

The OnePlus 8 Pro has an additional Singe Frame 3-HDR feature which enhances the dynamic range of its cameras. With it, the device’s camera will be able to evenly expose high contrast scenes.

The Smart Pet Capture is also available on both models. This new feature is able to recognize the face of both dogs and cats so that users are easily able to take photos and videos of their furry friends.

Both phones carry 16MP front-facing cameras and additional camera features such as Portrait mode, Pro mode, Panorama, AI Scene detection, and support for RAW images.

Battery

The OnePlus 8 carries a 4300mAh battery while the OnePlus 8 Pro carries a slightly bigger 4510mAh battery. In terms of wired charging, both phones are equipped with Warp Charge 30T. Charing to 50% from nothing will take the OnePlus 8 a mere 22 minutes while the OnePlus 8 Pro just a tiny bit slower at 23 minutes. Both phones come with Smart Charging optimization which is a technology that learns its user’s schedule. From the information it gathers, it will learn to space out it’s charging time so that it will only reach a full charge just before the user wakes up. This promotes a healthier charging routine which, in turn, should churn out a longer battery life.

OnePlus Warp charge wireless charger
OnePlus Warp charge wireless charger

For the first time ever, OnePlus has ported its Warp Charge technology to a wireless format. However, the OnePlus 8 Pro will be the only model to support wireless charging. Users will be able to wirelessly charge from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes. The 8 Pro is also capable of reverse wireless charging, meaning it can be used to charge other devices like headphones or even other smartphones.

Software and additional features

OnePlus 8

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will use the latest Oxygen OS that is based on Android 10. Notable improvements include the new Dark Theme 2.0 which now supports more apps and has support for Dynamic wallpapers which subtly shift colors depending on the current temperature conditions.

Additional features that are found in both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro include an in-display fingerprint sensor, Type-c connector for charging and earphones, dual nano sim slot, face unlock, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, and Wi-Fi 6.

Pricing and availability

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will be available in North America, Europe, China, Hong Kong, and India. There will be 3 colors available for both variants: Onyx Black, Glacial Green, and Ultramarine Blue. Price and actual release date have yet to be released.

The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro will go on sale on April 29th. The OnePlus 8 pro will be available unlocked from OnePlus and Amazon for $899 ( 8GB RAM / 128GB storage) and $999 (12GB RAM 256GB storage). The more affordable OnePlus 8 is priced at $699 ( 8GB RAM / 128GB storage) and $799 (12GB RAM 256GB storage). The OnePlus 8 will be available at Amazon, OnePlus, T-Mobile and Verizon. The Verizon model supports sub-6 and mmwave support.

You can read our in-depth review of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 here.