However, both phones offer top-class specifications on paper and if budget is no bar for you, you’re probably confused about whether to pick up the OnePlus 8 and save some money or go all-in and get the OnePlus 8 Pro. Is it worth the extra $200? We’re going to help you with exactly that by pointing out all the similarities and differences between the newly launched OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro and help you decide which one is better for you.
Design and Build
Unlike last year where the OnePlus 7 and 7T had flat displays and the Pro models got curved panels, the OnePlus 8 series unifies that with curved displays on both the OnePlus 8 as well as the OnePlus 8 Pro. The dew-drop notch from the OnePlus 7T and the pop-up camera from the 7T Pro is now gone and has been replaced by punch-hole cameras on both the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. This again gives a more unified look and both phones look equally premium due to this. Of course, both phones get a glass back along with a metallic frame along with similar color options except that the Interstellar Glow on the OnePlus 8 is replaced with the Ultramarine Blue on the OnePlus 8 Pro so you can pick the one that you find the most attractive. From a design and looks standpoint, there’s very little to tell the two phones apart especially when looking at them from the front, other than the physical footprint which we’ll address in the display section. The OnePlus 8 Pro gets an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, something that consumers have been asking for a really long time.
Display
This is where we see the first major difference between both phones. The OnePlus 8 gets a smaller 6.55-inch Full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate while the OnePlus 8 Pro gets a larger 6.78-inch display with a Quad HD+ resolution and a higher 120Hz refresh rate. Both are AMOLED panels with punch-hole cutouts and curved edges. Speaking about punch-hole cameras, the one on the OnePlus 8 Pro is slightly smaller than the OnePlus 8 but it’s not something that would be very noticeable in everyday usage. As far as the refresh rate is concerned, there’s not a huge difference between 90Hz and 120Hz, at least not as drastic as 60Hz to 90Hz, so you won’t be missing out on a lot.
Performance
OnePlus smartphones are known to be performance powerhouses and the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are no different. Both smartphones come with the latest Snapdragon 865 mobile platform along with 5G capabilities and have UFS 3.0 storage. The OnePlus 8 has up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM whereas the 8 Pro goes a notch higher with LPDDR5 RAM. Both phones will, of course, run on OxygenOS based on Android 10. It would be interesting to see how both phones perform when compared to each other because while they’re using the same chip, the SoC on the OnePlus 8 has lesser pixels to push along with a lower refresh rate which might actually give it a slight edge over the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Cameras
The cameras are another area where the OnePlus 8 Pro seems to provide a lot more when compared to the OnePlus 8. The OnePlus 8 uses the 48MP IMX 586 for the primary camera with an f/1.75 aperture. The ultra-wide camera is 16MP and has a 116-degree field of view. The third camera is a dedicated 2MP macro lens.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 8 Pro uses the 48MP IMX 689 as its primary sensor and uses the 48MP IMX 586 which is the primary shooter on the OnePlus 8 as the ultra-wide shooter which is expected to produce some great results with a higher 120-degree field of view. The third camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro is more useful than the OnePlus 8’s with an 8MP 3X telephoto lens. There’s an additional 5MP color filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro. The OnePlus 8 Pro surely has an upper hand. The front-facing camera on both the OnePlus 8 as well as the OnePlus 8 Pro is the same 16MP IMX471, so selfies are going to be the same.
Battery and Charging
The OnePlus 8 has a 4300mAh battery along with support for Warp Charge 30T whereas the OnePlus 8 Pro gets a slightly beefier battery at 4510mAh. There’s support for the same Warp Charge 30T on the OnePlus 8 Pro too, but you also get the additional support for Warp Charge 30 Wireless which is OnePlus’ wireless charging solution rated at a massive 30W. You will have to purchase the charger separately though.
OnePlus 8 vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Which one to buy?
If you want a bigger, sharper and smoother display to consume content on, along with a better set of cameras, the OnePlus 8 Pro is clearly the way to go. However, if you want a more compact phone with the same performance and similar overall experience while compromising slightly in the camera department, you can save yourself a few bucks by getting the OnePlus 8 and you will not be disappointed.
