Josh Hendrickson
OnePlus took the wraps off its latest phones today and, in the case of the 8 Pro, confirmed the most important additions we wanted. The OnePlus 8 Pro will get 30-watt wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and water resistance certification, all firsts for the OnePlus series. Both the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro also see improvements to the cameras and processors, though obviously, the Pro gets the better spec bump of the two.
Let’s start with the OnePlus 8 Pro, the more exciting and expensive of the two options. You can buy the phone in three colors—Ultramarine Blue, Onyx Black, and Glacial Green. The phone itself will feature a Snapdragon 865 5G processor, your choice of 8 or 12 GB LPDDR5 (seriously fast) RAM, and 128 or 256 GB storage. The 120 HZ Super AMOLED display is also another spec bump, we’ll have to go eyes-on to see the difference.
The inclusion of 30-watt wireless charging is exciting, as all OnePlus phones have done without up to this point. You’ll also get fast charging (dubbed Warp Charging), and an array of cameras, including dual 48-megapixel sensors (one main and one ultrawide), an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. Of course, the camera hardware isn’t the whole story, so we’ll have to see how they perform in the real world.
The OnePlus 8 Pro also is the first phone from the company to get water resistance—it nets an IP68 rating. And you’ll get a big battery, at 4510 mAh, the biggest battery in an OnePlus phone yet.
If you want to save a few dollars, though, you can step down to the OnePlus 8. You’ll get the same Snapdragon 865 5G processor, but you’ll lose Wireless charging and water resistance certification.
You can choose between a 128 or 256 GB hard drive. You’ll get slower RAM as well—either 8 or 12 GB LPDDR4X depending on your storage choice. The OnePlus 8 comes in “Interstellar Glow” which seems to color shift as you look at the phone from different angles. It’s odd that the 8 Pro doesn’t have that color choice, as it looks very pretty in pictures.
But you’ll still get warp charging, and you’ll get a 90 HZ display, which, while lower than the 8 Pro, is still a step-up from many other phones on the market. As for cameras, the 8 sees a spec bump over the previous generation, though it differs from the 8 Pro. You’ll get a 48-megapixel primary lens, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a macro lens.
Both phones support 5G, assuming you’re using it with a carrier that supports 5G in your area. And in the realm of future-proofing, the phones support Wi-Fi 6.
OnePlus also mentioned some new accessories, including new $50 headphones. Dubbed the Bullet Wireless Z, they’re wireless headphones that come in four colors, black, blue, mint, and oat. The company also announced new case colors, in addition to the classic sandstone black, you can also pick cyan or smokey purple.
The OnePlus 8 Pro 128 GB model goes for $899, while the 256 GB model will cost $999. The OnePlus 8 will cost $699 for the 128 GB Glacial Green model and the 256 GB Interseller Glow model goes for $799. Pre-orders start April 14th, and full sales start on April 21st.
We’re already working on getting review units in, and we’ll let you know how the phones stack up soon.
