OnePlus 8 Pro review - What the 7T Pro should have been (Update - On sale!) - Android

OnePlus 7 Pro (left) vs OnePlus 8 Pro (right)

The design of the OnePlus 8 Pro is what the OnePlus 7T Pro should have been. While they share the same core design ethos, there are subtle differences that make the OnePlus 8 series feel more refined and modern than the 7T Pro. It would have been nice to see this update last October; regardless, it’s nice to see a new design.

The OnePlus 8 Pro uses a familiar soft-touch glass back and an aluminum frame and the main camera array looks almost identical to the 7 Pro. On the 8 Pro, though, you’ll find a couple of extra cameras and sensors to the left of the array. Otherwise, the body is a bit less rounded, and the camera bump is more pronounced than last year. The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro also feature the new OnePlus wordmark.

OnePlus 7 Pro (left) vs OnePlus 8 Pro (right)

The front of the phone is where the 8 series starts to diverge from the 7T Pro. Gone is the pop-up selfie camera. This time, we’ve got a hole-punch selfie shooter, positioned in the top left of the display. The screen is less rounded and has a more narrow 19.8:9 aspect ratio. If you’ve seen the Oppo Find X2 Pro, this panel is effectively the same, albeit with some different color tuning. That’s not a bad thing, as they both look great.

You’ve also got stereo speakers in this device, with the earpiece in the front acting as the second speaker. On the bottom, you’ll find a USB-C port, speaker, and SIM card tray, which does not support microSD cards. On the left, you’ll find the volume rocker, and on the right, you’ll find the power button and signature OnePlus notification slider.

The stereo speakers get fairly loud and don’t sound distorted at high volumes. They tend to lack low-end punch, but that is common for smartphones.

I’m personally a fan of this design. I like narrower phones, and this iteration feels like it cleans up all the things a lot of people didn’t like about the OnePlus 7 Pro. Palm rejection still seems to be an issue here though, and I often found the phone scrolling up or down just because my finger was lightly touching the edge display while holding it.

There are subtle differences that make the OnePlus 8 series feel more refined and modern than the 7T Pro.

OnePlus has finally added IP68 water and dust resistance, long after its competitors did. You’ll pay for the upgrade, though, as the company inferred the certification added roughly a decent amount of cash per unit. The smaller OnePlus 8 has an IP68 certification, but only if you buy it through carriers. It doesn’t have one if you buy it through OnePlus itself. We reached out for comment and got this response.

The OnePlus 8 in our wireless provider channels have an IP rating due to their guidelines and preference. However, all OnePlus 8 Series phones globally are tested thoroughly for everyday water resistance even if they don’t have an official rating.

Pro really means pro specs and performance