ONEPLUS 8 test: should you buy it?

OnePlus is no longer the little start-up that was trying less than 10 years ago to upset the smartphones market.For the past two or three years, the Chinese company has gradually changed CAP and has now been attacking the podium.With prices that climb constantly, does OnePlus always dream?This is what we are going to see now with this Test of the OnePlus 8, the latest of the Asian brand.

Like every six months, OnePlus renews its smartphones.It is now two by two that Chinese devices come out, with a high -end model that wants to be affordable and another more premium really dedicated to the very high end.Today we are testing the OnePlus 8, successor to the OnePlus 7T and the cheapest of the two flagships of the brand.With an upward price of € 100, is the quality still there?Should you really separate from your OnePlus 7T?We tell you everything here.

OnePlus 8: Technical specifications

This is undeniable, the OnePlus 8 has as an asset a solid technical sheet.It improves several points of the OnePlus 7T and brings some new features such as 5G compatibility or Wi-Fi 6.

Here is what this Android smartphone has under the hood:

You can see that it is rather complete.As always, OnePlus plays its va-all on pure performance with the best SOC of the moment and components offering an optimal experience.This smartphone is one of the first on the market to be compatible with the 5G telephone standard.

Despite everything, a few small details tarnish this nice painting: no headphone jack in sight, or even a micro-SD port and even less recharge by induction.We also observe a "limited" screen refresh at 90 Hz.To take advantage of the joys of the 120 Hz, you will have to invest in the OnePlus 8 Pro.As for the photo part, it is almost identical to that of last year's OnePlus 7, but we will come back to this test.Too bad also that the smartphone has no resistance to water and particles.

All these little gaps, even if they are minimal, may put out certain users.Especially since the price does not fail to climb it ...

Price

We are now going to the bad news: the price.It has an increase of € 100 compared to the 2019 OnePlus 7T, officially amounting to € 699 for OP8.The time when the young Chinese brand offered smartphones two or three times cheaper than high -end seems to be over for good.Flagship-Killer, we go to flagship.

This price orientation will not clearly please everyone.It nevertheless seems to succeed in OnePlus which approaches each year a little more of the fateful threshold of the € 1000.The most muscular OP8 Pro is thus marketed at € 999…

To compensate, the brand offers a pair of Wireless Z bubble headphones worth € 50.You will not have the quality of real intras Chifi, but that's always taken.Note that many promotions make the OnePlus 8 more affordable, allowing it to be acquired around € 600.

Handling video

Design and finishes

It is undeniable, OnePlus perfectly masters the design of its smartphones.The OnePlus 8 is a very beautiful device, both sober and elegant.

Although it has a large screen of 6.55 ″ in 20: 9 format, our thief is rather compact once in hand.It must be said that the slab covers 92% of the surface, which leaves very few visible edges in the end.With dimensions of 160.2 x 72.9 x 8 mm For a weight of 180 grams, the OP8 is a very comfortable smartphone capable of passing through all the pockets.

The Chinese brand also improves the overall look of its Android terminal in a beautiful way.The drop -shaped notch thus gives way to a very discreet punch at the top left of the screen.The said notch is thus replaced by a speaker in order to offer a stereo rendering during games or video streaming sessions.

Buttons

The buttons are also rather well placed.Food switch and Alert Slider are located on the right side, just to fall under the thumb.

Those dedicated to volume are placed on the left.However, they are a little too high and are therefore sometimes difficult to reach.Nothing unacceptable, however.

Just like on its predecessors, the OnePlus 8 hides the fingerprint sensor under its screen.The latter is perfectly placed.It is also very precise and relatively fast.

The space thus recovered allows OnePlus to improve the back of its smartphone.The big unsightly and prominent Circle of OP7T bows out.It gives way to an vertical alignment of the APNs.Although they stand out strongly, they are much more discreet - and elegant - than before.To avoid damaging them, I recommend that you install the silicone shell provided in the pack.

Connection

For the connection part, the Chinese brand goes to the essentials.We just have a USB-C socket.The double-Sim port is placed next to it, in a hatch.For the rest, you will have to ignore the micro-SD port or the headphone jack.If like me you like to have your music library of several hundred Go on your smartphone, you will have to go to the competition ...

Screen

Let's be honest: the OnePlus 8 screen is a real wonder!

Although it does not use a definition as high as on the Samsung galaxy, it is perfectly suited to all situations.Just like on the OP7T, it benefits from a refreshment of 90 Hz.Therefore, the display is super fluid.

Colorimetry is not to be outdone, as always with the Amoled tiles.The colors are bright, perfectly contrasting and balanced.Several settings are also available for a more natural rendering or on the contrary more lively.

But the whole would not be complete without suitable brightness.Again, OnePlus strikes hard.The screen remains visible even in broad daylight.It is certainly a little less bright than on the Samsung smartphones, but is still placed at the top of the basket.Is it beautiful, brilliant and adaptable: what more could you ask for?

Oxygenos interface

What would a OnePlus smartphone without oxygenos be?It would be a bit like a cake without its cherry!

The famous homemade overlay is still as pleasant to use.It takes up the Android codes, opposite the overlay of Xiaomi or Huawei to name a few.So unless you want a purely Android Stock experience as on pixel, you will not find better than Oxygenos.

The house overlay of OnePlus nevertheless brings some advantages in its sleeve.You can customize the interface visual and animations.Oxygenos even allows you to take advantage of the dark mode on applications that are devoid of it.There is also a Zen mode which allows you to block all the functions of the smartphone - except emergency calls - in order to detoxify.

If I appreciate Uuuui de Samsung, I must admit that the overlay of OnePlus strikes hard.It brilliantly mixes the aesthetics of Android Stock with many advanced functions.A real favorite !

Photo quality

We take the same and start again.For the photo part of its OnePlus 8, the Chinese manufacturer does not make a lot of effort by re -using a configuration very close to its previous models.The smartphone is thus equipped with the following objectives:

The Télé-Objective bows for the benefit of a 2 MP macro sensor.Lovers of pictures with a great distance will therefore have to eat their brakes since the OnePlus 8 offers only an X2 and digital X10 optical zoom.

We quickly see that the macro lens is far from being a champion, struggling to reproduce the details with accuracy.It's a shame, because the rest is pretty good, at least in broad daylight.The main sensor and the Grand Angle make beautiful shots, well balanced.The portrait mode is also good, even if the vague effect sometimes lacks precision.

In night conditions, the whole loses quickly from its superb.Without screaming in disaster, we quickly see loss of detail and balance, even using the night landscape mode of the smartphone.The OnePlus 8 is struggling to keep the distance from competition from the same price.

It is all the more unfortunate that the video management is at the top, the OP8 making very good sockets stabilized in 4K at 60 fps.Ultimately, people who want a solid photophone may be disappointed.We will have to turn to the pro model or competition, for example at Huawei and Samsung.

Performance

If there is one area in which OnePlus shines, it is always that of performance.The latest addition to the Chinese brand is no exception.It must be said that he has solid arguments with his SOC Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and 8 to 12 GB of RAM under the hood.With such a carrying, nothing can resist him.Add the 90 Hz screen to that and you will never undergo the slightest slowdown!

This smartphone is therefore a real little bomb that will be able to run all your games without any concern.The most recent titles like Fortnite or Call of Duty Mobile will thus be able to express their full potential, graphic settings.The OnePlus 8 even offers a mode of optimization of the games named Fnatic which blocks the applications in the background and the SIM card in order to have the maximum power available for gaming.

The audio part is not overlooked either.With its two stereo speakers, the OnePlus 8 is very pleasant to watch movies.The sound produced is rather clean - for a smartphone - and does not distort unless you push the volume thoroughly.It is still a shame that the Chinese brand leaves aside the headphone jack ...

And let's not forget Wi-Fi 6 or 5G.These technologies are not yet widespread in France, but the manufacturer takes the lead.In my opinion, it is not really useful because it will take a long time before you enjoy it.Most users will probably have changed their smartphone before…

Autonomy

Battery management is also an area that OnePlus masters.Besides, the manufacturer puts the small dishes in the big ones with the OP8.This one has a 4300 mAh battery against 3800 mAh on the OP7T.

This leap forward allows the Chinese smartphone to enjoy a good autonomy.Even with the 90 -Hz screen refreshment, it is without problem two good days of use.By being moderate in your uses, favoring the 60 Hz and the dark mode, there is no doubt that the battery will last you at least three days.This smartphone is a real camel!

And if you ever broke up at the wrong time, know that a 30 -minute load is enough to return to OnePlus 8 about 50% of its autonomy.It is indeed compatible with recharge at 30W.It is certainly not the fastest on the market, but it is already very good.

In the end, this OP8 is not lacking much, except induction charging and reversed wireless recharge.Two options that are only found on the pro version at almost € 1000 ...

OnePlus 8: our opinion

It seems that the era of the famous flagship-killers of OnePlus is over.The OnePlus 8 is now a "simple" flagship, this kind of high -end smartphone that flirts with tenors of the genre that are Samsung and Apple.

Very well designed, efficient and enduring, this OP8 has something to make us crack.It is a real pleasure to use it on a daily basis, OnePlus now having a perfect mastery of Android and oxygenos.

It is still a shame to note that a device at almost € 700 makes as many concessions on the photo part and leaves aside important elements such as wireless recharge or IP certification.These are just details, but put end to end it emerges a smartphone "very good" rather than "perfect".

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