The OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE - Which is right for you - Android

The OnePlus 8T is the latest affordable flagship phone from OnePlus. It packs a ton of high-end hardware and software, despite its relatively affordable price tag of just $749. Of course, there are a lot of great affordable flagships out there these days, including the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition). The newly launched S20 variant has much in common with the Galaxy S20 but makes a few concessions to reach the low price of $699. The real question comes down to this: which phone should you buy?

We’ve already reviewed the S20 FE and OnePlus 8T, but let’s take a closer look at how the two phones compare. Here is our early look at the OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

See also: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review | OnePlus 8T review

OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Specs

Design

The OnePlus 8T features a design that’s not terribly different from its predecessor, though there are some obvious differences, like a new camera setup found in the upper left corner. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE looks very similar to the original Galaxy S20, though it swaps out the glass rear for a plastic material with a glass-like finish, held together by an aluminum frame.

While both manufacturers have very distinct design languages, they have several things in common too. Both handsets have AMOLED displays, with the S20 FE sporting a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. The OnePlus 8T has a slightly larger 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED display, with the same resolution and refresh rate. Punch holes are the name of the game here, though the S20 FE centers the punch hole, while the OnePlus 8T pushes it off to the upper left corner.  As you’d expect, neither phone has a headphone jack.

Both phones offer very iterative designs, though there are a few notable improvements.

There are just two color choices for the OnePlus 8T: Lunar Silver and Aquamarine Green. Samsung takes a different approach, offering quite a few colorways. You can choose from Cloud Navy, Cloud Red, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, or Cloud Orange.

If water and dust resistance are important to you, you’ll be pleased to know the Galaxy S20 FE has an IP68 rating. There’s no such rating for the regular unlocked OnePlus 8T. However, T-Mobile users will be able to pick up the so-called OnePlus 8T Plus, which offers the same overall features but does have an IP68 rating.

Hardware

You’ll find plenty of power regardless of which phone you choose. Both devices feature the same Qualcomm 865 chipset with 5G support. For those outside the US, there’s also an optional 4G-only version of the Galaxy S20 FE with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 990 chip. If 5G does matter to you, the Galaxy S20 FE is the more robust choice, offering sub-6 and mmwave support. The 8T only supports sub-6, meaning it won’t work with certain carriers like Verizon.

Turning to the rest of the specs, you’ll find several differences. For starters, the OnePlus 8T has two configurations: 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Galaxy S20 FE comes with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB onboard storage. While there isn’t a model with more RAM or storage, you also can add up to 1TB of additional storage via microSD.

See also: Best camera phones

Both phones have a 4,500mAh battery inside and support for quick charging. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has 15W wired charging out of the box but supports 25W with an optional adapter. The OnePlus 8T ups the ante with its included Warp Charge 65 charger, capable of charging the 8T to 100% in just 39 minutes. The 8T even can quick charge other devices with speeds up to 45W.

Only the Galaxy S20 FE supports wireless charging, with speeds up to 15W. There’s even support for reverse wireless charging of other devices.

Camera

The OnePlus 8T has a Sony IMX586 48MP main rear camera, along with a 16MP 123-degree ultra-wide camera. There’s a third 5MP macro sensor as well, along with a 2MP monochrome camera. Finally, there’s a 16MP camera in the front.

OnePlus says the 8T includes some special AI-driven camera features. One of them will automatically detect if the phone is in a low light setting, so it can switch to the camera’s Nightscape mode immediately. In our review of the phone, we noted that we were disappointed in the overall image quality of the photos taken with the cameras.

In contrast, the Galaxy S20 FE has three camera sensors in the back: a 12MP standard camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto cam