OnePlus, a company known for producing its "flagship killers", was always a competition, but never really a substitute for the Ultra Premium Smartphones like The Galaxy S and Note series of smartphones. All that has changed with the OnePlus 8 pro, the price of which, puts it right in the flagship territory, ready to take on the big boys of the phone industry. Here we shall see how the OnePlus 8 pro competes against the beastly Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Design and build: Both these phones are supremely premium, with beautiful glass designs, protected with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and back. However, at 199 g, the 8 pro is lighter than the S20 Ultra, at 222 g. It is also a tad bit smaller, coming in at 6.78 inches versus the 6.9 inches on the S20 Ultra. Both these factors lead to a more ergonomic, palm friendly design on the 8 pro, with incredible weight balance. Adding to this, it comes with more punchy and attractive colors like Glacial Green, Ultramarine Blue and Onyx Black, whereas the Ultra only comes in Cosmic Grey or Cosmic Black, pretty generic colors in my opinion. Both these phones come with an official IP 68 water and dust resistance rating, so no complaints there. In addition to this, the S20 Ultra is a dual sim smartphone, with a hybrid slot, so you can use a single sim along with a Micro SD card. The 8 pro on the other hand comes without support for SD cards, however, it is a dual sim phone. On the memory front, the 8 pro comes with a max of 12Gb ram + 256Gb internal storage, whereas the top variant of the S20 ultra comes with 16Gb ram + 512Gb internal storage.
Display: Both these phones come with the best in class Super Amoled QHD+ displays, with great color accuracy and dynamic range. Both these screens are infact made by Samung. Both the screens come with the fluid 120Hz refresh rate, however, with the 8 pro, you can continue to use 120Hz with Fhd+ resolution, whereas on the S20 Ultra, it switches down to FHD+ while the refresh has been set to 120Hz, in an attempt to save battery life. Both screens also come with the punch hole design, although it is pushed to the side on the 8 pro, which in my opinion is a better alternative when talking about media consumption on these screens. Also, interestingly, various comparisons have shown that the screen on the 8 pro is brighter than the s20 ultra and this calls for better outdoor visibility. Again, a win for OnePlus in terms of display performance.
OS: Both these phones run on the latest version of android, Android 10 out of the box, the 8 pro running Oxygen OS, while the S20 Ultra running One UI 2.0. Both the phones offer a great software experience, the 8 pro giving a more close to stock android performance whereas the OneUI 2.0 having subtle optimizations, which make for a smooth and comfortable experience. I personally prefer the One UI 2.0, however, in no way is the Oxygen OS inferior to it. One thing to note, is that OnePlus has always been very streamlined with their Software updates, so the 8 pro will be the one of the first phones in the world to receive the next version of android, and will most likely keep receiving updates for a pretty long time. So not really a win for either of the companies, as this is a very subjective decision.
Performance: Both these phones ship with the latest and greatest Snapdragon 865, however, in markets such as India, the S20 comes with its own Exynos 990. As you may have heard, the 990 has some issues with regards to prolonged usage, and especially noticeable while gaming. So for the Indian market, the 8 pro is a clear winner in terms of performance, however in markets where the s20 ships with the Snapdragon 865, you can expect to see similar performance from these phones. Other than this, both the phones come with fast UFS 3.0 storage, which provides faster read/write speeds on both the phones.
Cameras: This has been one area where OnePlus has always compromised, but this time around, things seem different. The 8 pro, comes with a 48Mp f1.8 primary camera, along with a 48Mp ultra-wide, an 8Mp telephoto(3x optical) and a 5Mp depth sensor. The primary camera is a significant improvement over the previous models, and it captures some beautiful images in various lighting conditions. The ultra-wide lens too received an upgrade, with the new 48Mp lens, being able to capture crisp and super sharp images. Even on the video front, the phone does not disappoint, and is able to capture beautiful and steady 4k video recordings at 60fps. However, the S20 still remains the camera beast, with a 108Mp, f1.8 primary camera, a 48Mp periscope telephoto camera, with a 10 hybrid zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, a 12Mp ultra-wide and a 0.5Mp TOF 3D Depth sensor. On the video front, it is able to record upto 8k video at 24fps, and 4k at 60fps. All of these point to a clear win for the S20 Ultra in terms of camera performance, which the OnePlus fails to compete against.
Battery and Charging: The 8 pro comes with a 4510 mAh battery, with a 30W charger provided, which is able to charge the phone to 50% in under half an hour. However, the S20 Ultra comes with a 5000 mAh battery and with a 45 W charger, which amounts to better battery life and also slightly faster charging speeds. But, if you are one of those people who prefer wireless charging, the 8 pro is capable of 30W wireless charging, whereas the S20 Ultra only supports up to 15W. So there is a significant difference between these two wireless charging speeds. A point to be noted, is that even at 4510 mAh, the 8 pro offers incredible battery life, and will easily last over a day's heavy usage. The S20, with the 5000mAh battery, will of course, last longer.
Price: Here is where the OnePlus leads the way, and by a huge margin. Although the official prices in India are not yet announced, the speculated price is supposed to be a little under Rs.60,000 for the base model of the 8 pro. Compare this to the insane Rs.92,000 starting price of the S20 Ultra, and it is evident that in terms of value, the OnePlus is miles ahead of Samsung.
The Verdict: The OnePlus 8 pro, is an amazing smartphone. Now, with wireless charging and an official IP Rating, the differences between it and the s20 Ultra are narrowing down. In many ways, it is even much better than the much more expensive S20 Ultra. Of-course, for the best camera experience, and an amazing battery performance, the ultra is better than the 8 pro, but the differences are not a deal breaker in my opinion. You still get incredible camera performance from the 8 pro, and a more than enough battery capacity. The difference in price though, is really staggering, and it doesn't justify the improvements that the S20 Ultra brings.
So Yes, we do have a new Ultimate Android Smartphone, which is the OnePlus 8 pro.
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Thoughts, Opinions, Reviews.
Read about an interesting take on the OnePlus 8 here.
The contents of this post are purely opinions of the writer and are in no way targeted to undermine or promote any particular company. These are his thoughts on this topic, and a means to spread information.
images:opensource, link provided on clicking an image.
specifications and product information: here
Design and build: Both these phones are supremely premium, with beautiful glass designs, protected with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and back. However, at 199 g, the 8 pro is lighter than the S20 Ultra, at 222 g. It is also a tad bit smaller, coming in at 6.78 inches versus the 6.9 inches on the S20 Ultra. Both these factors lead to a more ergonomic, palm friendly design on the 8 pro, with incredible weight balance. Adding to this, it comes with more punchy and attractive colors like Glacial Green, Ultramarine Blue and Onyx Black, whereas the Ultra only comes in Cosmic Grey or Cosmic Black, pretty generic colors in my opinion. Both these phones come with an official IP 68 water and dust resistance rating, so no complaints there. In addition to this, the S20 Ultra is a dual sim smartphone, with a hybrid slot, so you can use a single sim along with a Micro SD card. The 8 pro on the other hand comes without support for SD cards, however, it is a dual sim phone. On the memory front, the 8 pro comes with a max of 12Gb ram + 256Gb internal storage, whereas the top variant of the S20 ultra comes with 16Gb ram + 512Gb internal storage.
Display: Both these phones come with the best in class Super Amoled QHD+ displays, with great color accuracy and dynamic range. Both these screens are infact made by Samung. Both the screens come with the fluid 120Hz refresh rate, however, with the 8 pro, you can continue to use 120Hz with Fhd+ resolution, whereas on the S20 Ultra, it switches down to FHD+ while the refresh has been set to 120Hz, in an attempt to save battery life. Both screens also come with the punch hole design, although it is pushed to the side on the 8 pro, which in my opinion is a better alternative when talking about media consumption on these screens. Also, interestingly, various comparisons have shown that the screen on the 8 pro is brighter than the s20 ultra and this calls for better outdoor visibility. Again, a win for OnePlus in terms of display performance.
OS: Both these phones run on the latest version of android, Android 10 out of the box, the 8 pro running Oxygen OS, while the S20 Ultra running One UI 2.0. Both the phones offer a great software experience, the 8 pro giving a more close to stock android performance whereas the OneUI 2.0 having subtle optimizations, which make for a smooth and comfortable experience. I personally prefer the One UI 2.0, however, in no way is the Oxygen OS inferior to it. One thing to note, is that OnePlus has always been very streamlined with their Software updates, so the 8 pro will be the one of the first phones in the world to receive the next version of android, and will most likely keep receiving updates for a pretty long time. So not really a win for either of the companies, as this is a very subjective decision.
Cameras: This has been one area where OnePlus has always compromised, but this time around, things seem different. The 8 pro, comes with a 48Mp f1.8 primary camera, along with a 48Mp ultra-wide, an 8Mp telephoto(3x optical) and a 5Mp depth sensor. The primary camera is a significant improvement over the previous models, and it captures some beautiful images in various lighting conditions. The ultra-wide lens too received an upgrade, with the new 48Mp lens, being able to capture crisp and super sharp images. Even on the video front, the phone does not disappoint, and is able to capture beautiful and steady 4k video recordings at 60fps. However, the S20 still remains the camera beast, with a 108Mp, f1.8 primary camera, a 48Mp periscope telephoto camera, with a 10 hybrid zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, a 12Mp ultra-wide and a 0.5Mp TOF 3D Depth sensor. On the video front, it is able to record upto 8k video at 24fps, and 4k at 60fps. All of these point to a clear win for the S20 Ultra in terms of camera performance, which the OnePlus fails to compete against.
Battery and Charging: The 8 pro comes with a 4510 mAh battery, with a 30W charger provided, which is able to charge the phone to 50% in under half an hour. However, the S20 Ultra comes with a 5000 mAh battery and with a 45 W charger, which amounts to better battery life and also slightly faster charging speeds. But, if you are one of those people who prefer wireless charging, the 8 pro is capable of 30W wireless charging, whereas the S20 Ultra only supports up to 15W. So there is a significant difference between these two wireless charging speeds. A point to be noted, is that even at 4510 mAh, the 8 pro offers incredible battery life, and will easily last over a day's heavy usage. The S20, with the 5000mAh battery, will of course, last longer.
Price: Here is where the OnePlus leads the way, and by a huge margin. Although the official prices in India are not yet announced, the speculated price is supposed to be a little under Rs.60,000 for the base model of the 8 pro. Compare this to the insane Rs.92,000 starting price of the S20 Ultra, and it is evident that in terms of value, the OnePlus is miles ahead of Samsung.
The Verdict: The OnePlus 8 pro, is an amazing smartphone. Now, with wireless charging and an official IP Rating, the differences between it and the s20 Ultra are narrowing down. In many ways, it is even much better than the much more expensive S20 Ultra. Of-course, for the best camera experience, and an amazing battery performance, the ultra is better than the 8 pro, but the differences are not a deal breaker in my opinion. You still get incredible camera performance from the 8 pro, and a more than enough battery capacity. The difference in price though, is really staggering, and it doesn't justify the improvements that the S20 Ultra brings.
So Yes, we do have a new Ultimate Android Smartphone, which is the OnePlus 8 pro.
Share this post with your friends.
Leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions.
Subscribe to The Phone Shrink, to never miss another update, when we post detailed analysis, comparisons, our thoughts and reviews of the latest developments in the smartphone world.
-The Phone Shrink
Thoughts, Opinions, Reviews.
Read about an interesting take on the OnePlus 8 here.
The contents of this post are purely opinions of the writer and are in no way targeted to undermine or promote any particular company. These are his thoughts on this topic, and a means to spread information.
images:opensource, link provided on clicking an image.
specifications and product information: here
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