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Techilicious by Rajiv Makhni: 8 things about the OnePlus 8 twins
Everything you wanted to know about the much awaited (and delayed) phone launch is here!
This column is being written purely on demand. And when I say demand, I mean serious stuff (including some threats). The OnePlus 8 phones were announced on April 14, 2020. And after creating quite a sensation with them, lockdowns and Covid 19 made sure that they didn’t show up on Indian shores. Since April 14, I’ve been inundated with more questions about these two phones than anything else. But I decided I wouldn’t write this column until I had both phones physically in my hand. That time is now.
1. So are they finally available in India?
Yes.
2. Is the OnePlus 8 Pro actually as good as people say?
I don’t know about ‘people,’ but I can tell you what I think. The 8 Pro is the phone that OnePlus has got just right in the flagship market. Great design, a mind bending 6.78-in 120Hz Quad HD+display (3,168 x 1,440 and the only phone where you can go full resolution and keep 120Hz), Corning Gorilla Glass, HDR10+, an in-display fingerprint reader, big 4,510mAh battery with 30 Watt fast charging (and the fast charger comes in the box), 30W wireless charging (very unusual to get 30W wireless) and an official IP Rating IP68, water and dust resistance rating. Now let’s talk about the cameras because I really liked the results. In its quad camera setup (including a 3X telephoto) at the back, it has two 48MP lens.
But the one I really like is the Sony IMX689 as its main sensor. The sensor on this is huge at 1/1.43-inches and gives great images, including low light and night mode stuff. Great front camera too. It also has 4K video and optical image stabilisation. Rounds it off with a Snapdragon 865 processor with 5G and up to 12GB RAM. Also, Oxygen OS 10 is pretty clean, minimal with no bloatware. If some of this flew over your head, suffice to say this is a major flagship phone at the top of its game at ₹54,999.
3. What about the OnePlus 8?
Also a good phone. The predominant differences are in screen (slightly lower resolution and refresh rate), camera (triple camera), no IP rating, a slightly smaller battery and a lower price at ₹41,999 for the base model.
4. Which one should I buy?
How much money do you have? Okay, jokes apart, both phones are great, built like a tank and have serious specs. As you can see from the number of words I’ve dedicated to each, the One Plus 8 Pro is my favourite and is a serious bang for buck machine. At 55K, it’s better than phones almost twice its price. If you have the extra 10K, the Pro is the way to go.
5. What about other flagship phones? Is the OnePlus 8 Pro better than anything else?
Two ways to answer this. Is the OP8 Pro better than similarly-priced phones? Short answer, yes it is. But is it better than any other phone right now? That’s a tough one, as so many other things come into play like operating system and other features. I have partly answered that though, by saying the Pro 8 is great and better value for money than more expensive phones.
6. What about the global statement OnePlus made about getting into lower priced categories? Should I wait for an economy OnePlus phone?
An economy OnePlus phone would be a bit of stretch as that isn’t the market OnePlus wants. The term OnePlus uses is ‘Premium Accessible.’ Thus there will now be phones from OnePlus that are still premium, but playing in categories that are a little lower priced. The much rumoured OnePlus Z phone is slated for release. Think of it as OnePlus’s answer to the iPhone SE.
7. I’ve also heard that there will be more OnePlus TVs that aren’t as expensive as the previous ones. Is that true?
Yes, as you’re reading this, those TVs should be about to be released.
8. Anything else?
No, that pretty much sums up almost all the questions I’ve been flooded with since the last two months.
So the much-awaited OnePlus 8 twins are here. One Plus has done a good job to bring out two phones, with each aiming to dominate in its price category. The interesting thing to look out for will be how the competition reacts. Maybe I’ll cover that in another column called ‘8 Things the Competition Did to Take on the OnePlus 8.’
Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3
Techilicious appears every fortnight
From HT Brunch, June 21, 2020
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