OnePlus 8 Pro Review

With the 8 Pro OnePlus finally shipped a complete flagship: an IP68 rating, 30W Warp Charge Wireless on a fan-cooled stand that was quicker than the wireless charging on anything sold in the US, a 6.78-inch 3168 x 1440 Fluid AMOLED at 120Hz that DisplayMate rated A+, and a Snapdragon 865 with 5G, 8 or 12GB of RAM and a 4510 mAh battery. The main camera moved to the 48MP Sony IMX689 on a 1/1.43-inch sensor with OIS, and it was the first OnePlus camera that could be recommended without an asterisk, with real dynamic range and clean night shots. The 8MP 3x telephoto was weak and the fourth camera, a 5MP colour filter sensor for Photochrom effects, was a stunt that briefly saw through thin black plastic and was restricted by an update once that made headlines.

The problem was the panel lottery. A large share of units showed a green tint and black crush at low brightness, OnePlus acknowledged it, and software reduced it without curing it. Years later the 8 series became known for a green vertical line appearing on ageing displays, common enough that OnePlus extended warranties for it in India. Those two faults sit on a phone that otherwise aged well: three Android updates, ending on 13, and the 120Hz screen kept it feeling current. At $899, though, it was priced against the Galaxy S20 and the value argument that built the brand was gone.