OnePlus 8 Pro review 2020

One of The Best Smartphone of 2020

==== A lengthy & brutally honest review. It's worth the read if you plan on purchasing this device. ====

I am a Design Specialist by Profession & also into Mobile Photography, 
OnePlus 8 Pro is only an incremental  over it's predecessor OnePlus 8 Pro.

===== What has been improved over the 8 Pro? ====
+ Faster Processor. Snapdragon 865 Plus.5 G mobile phone.
+ Adreno 640. Better Gaming Performance.
+ Better Haptic Moto.
+ Fast Charging. Warp 30T Technology.
+ Brighter Nits (Upto 1000 compared to 800 of 8 Pro)
+ Super Macro Mode, Night reading Modes, Android 10 out of the box.

==== What's in the Box? ====
OnePlus 8 Pro Device.
User Manual.
Transparent Silicon Case.
SIM Ejector Tool.
Warp 30T Charging Brick.
Type C USB Cable.
And some cool OnePlus Stickers.

==== Display ====
Firstly, OnePlus 8 Pro has a stunning display over its predecessors. I'm personally not a fan of notches nor do I click a lot of selfies, so I prefer the OnePlus 8 Pro's Fluid Display. Feels more luxurious over the 8. It's marginally bigger to hold as well. I would recommend using a case so that the edges don't feel slippery. However, you should also note that in different lighting conditions, 8Pro has glares at the curves due to the rounder corners which I believe is negligible. 90Hz is smoooooth. You would never want to get back to 120Hz once you're used to this.

==== Performance ====
Snapdragon 865 Plus is one of the best CPUs out there (at the time of writing this review) and with Adrena 640, it takes gaming and multi-tasking to another league. COD & PUB-G juices out at their best with 60FPS & is indeed smooth than imagined. 865 Plus is at par with the A13 Bionic from Apple. Haven't experienced any drops in frames. RAM Management is splendid & 8GB RAM is recommended unless you want to get the 12 Gig McLaren Edition to save on a few seconds everyday.

==== Camera ====
I honestly have to admit that it's not the best out there as I was expecting a leap from it's predecessors. It still uses the Sony IMX 586 (48 MP) for it's main sensor and it's Telephoto at 2.2X optical (3X lossless) and is at par with iPhone. But when compared with the GCam Mod, the OnePlus Camera seems to have improved a lot from it's previous versions. The Wide Angle is fairly okayish with some distortions being present at the edges. Nightscape is now available for Wide Angle shots too.

==== Video ====
If you're into Video Recording, then be a bit disappointed to hear this as it isn't the best while it can still take average videos without much shake utilizing the OIS and EIS at 1080P and just OIS at 4K 60FPS. It still doesn't shoot 4K in wide angle. Apple iPhone 11 takes the lead here. OIS and EIS combined together has a lot of warping and rolling shutter which is a turn off for video producers. It's still not an alternate for a Gimbal. The videos look oversaturated too which can be fixed by shooting on a Third Party app like Filmic Pro.

==== Software ====
This is one of the biggest features for you to switch to the OnePlus. Stock Android was butter smooth while I missed out on a lot of simple gestures like Longer Screenshots, Silence Button, Customized Navigational elements & much more which lacked on the Stock OS from Google. I would say Oxygen OS should be set as a benchmark for Google to include these incremental features on their upcoming flagships. Oxygen OS has presently the best OS Experience for Android.

==== Battery ====
Warp T30 is super fast. It helps you charge from 0-100 in lesser time than an episode on Netflix. Although not the fastest charger in the industry, it still gets through a day on heavy usage.

==== What could've been improved ====
- Minor improvements on Camera.
- No ToF sensor
- No Wireless Charging.
- IP Rating.
- Better silicon case should be included in their future upgrades.

==== Verdict ====
No doubt that the ASUS Fans would recommend the ROG 2. ROG 2 is hands down the best gaming phone with 120 HZ Display but lacks majorly on other aspects like software updates, Telephoto Camera, Splash Proof, Build Quality and security patches which are very essential for business professionals or regular consumers. ASUS is also not known to provide regular updates to it's consumers over the OnePlus which has a closely knit community among the developers and has more Brand Value than ASUS & nevertheless to mention that the OnePlus 8 Pro feels premium out of the box.

If you're planning to upgrade from a device almost 2 years old then this would be the best upgrade in case you require a phone with no-notch and curved screen. 8 Pro feels very slippery when compared to the 8. I wish they made smaller devices. Otherwise I would still recommend the 8 which is the best bang for your buck.

If you still wish to own this but cannot afford the extra rupee on incremental updates (Fast Charging, 865 Plus) , my suggestion would be is to go for the OnePlus 8 Pro. It's still one of the best devices out there.

Thanks for reading reviews.4. 6 star rating