OnePlus has launched its newest 8 series consisting of the 8 and 8 Pro and the official sale of these phones have started in India(READ MORE HERE). If you’re looking for a OnePlus device around the Rs. 40,000 to 50,000 range, chances are that you’ll find yourself confused in the plethora of options available to you. Should you buy the newer devices from the 8 series? Should you get the 7T that is way cheaper than the bunch? Should you get the OnePlus 7T Pro or the 7 Pro and have the “Pro” bezel-less device that gives you an eyegasm? Read along as we help you clear out your doubts and get what you want.
The Rising Dilemma Created by Close-Range Pricing
All of the brand’s devices today are packed in a very tight price bracket. This can make it extremely difficult for anyone with a variable budget to choose the device for themselves. We feel it’s about time we mention the prices for all these phones below:
- OnePlus 8 Pro – ₹59999(12/256), ₹54999(8/128)
- OnePlus 8 – ₹41999(6/128), ₹44999(8/128), ₹49999(12/256)
- OnePlus 7T Pro – ₹47999(8/256)
- OnePlus 7 Pro – ₹48999(12/256), ₹42999(8/256), ₹39999(6/128)
- OnePlus 7T – ₹37999(8/256), ₹34999(8/128)
You can probably see now, why getting a OnePlus phone can be really tough if you’re in the market with around ₹45000 in your pocket. Since there are multiple variants of each phone available in India, we take a level standard for the phone to have at least 8GB RAM and 128GB storage for our comparison, though none of the phones in this article would give you any issues in day-to-day usage in either of their configurations.
Also Read: Xiaomi to launch Mi 10 to Rival OnePlus’s 8 Series in India.
Specification Overview
| OnePlus 8 Pro | OnePlus 8 | OnePlus 7 Pro | OnePlus 7T | OnePlus 7T Pro | |
| Display size, resolution | 6.78-inch AMOLED; 3,168 x 1,440 pixels | 6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400 x 1,080 pixels | 6.67-inch AMOLED; 3,120 x 1,440-pixels | 6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400 x 1,080-pixels | 6.67-inch AMOLED; 3,120 x 1,440-pixels |
| Pixel density | 513ppi | 402ppi | 516ppi | 402ppi | 516ppi |
| Camera | 48-megapixel main, 8-megapixel telephoto, 48-megapixel ultra-wide, 5-megapixel “color filter” | 48-megapixel main, 2-megapixel macro lens, 16-megapixel ultra-wide | 48-megapixel (standard), 8-megapixel (telephoto), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle) | 48-megapixel (standard), 12-megapixel (telephoto), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle) | 48-megapixel (standard), 8-megapixel (telephoto), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle) |
| Front-facing camera | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel (popup) | 16-megapixel | 16-megapixel (popup) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 @ 2.84GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ @ 2.96GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ @ 2.96GHz |
| Battery | 4,510 mAh | 4,300 mAh | 4,000 mAh | 3,800 mAh | 4,085 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen |
| Special features | 5G enabled, fast wireless charging, UFS 3.0 Storage, LPDDR5 RAM | 5G enabled, fast charging, 90Hz display, UFS 3.0 Storage | Pop-up selfie camera, UFS 3.0 Storage | 90Hz refresh rate, Warp Charge 30T, UFS 3.0 Storage | Pop-up selfie camera, 90Hz refresh rate, UFS 3.0 Storage |
OnePlus 8 Pro is OnePlus’s Flagship Killer
OnePlus 8 Pro is by far the best phone ever made by the brand, and for any reason, if your budget can stretch up to ₹ 55,000, just get it without a second thought. It is THE phone to get if that’s the range you’re looking for and there’s no reason to get something else, especially in India where it’s priced quite competitively. It’s even got high value for money prospect to it. You may argue, “₹ 55000 is not a value segment!”, but considering the other brands which make phones in this segment, or even those which are priced higher, the 8 Pro offers too much at a lower price.
IP68, check. Wireless charging, check. AMAZING cameras, check. 120Hz @ QHD resolution, CHECK CHECK CHECK. If you need the best android experience in this price, the OnePlus 8 Pro gets you everything you could’ve asked for. Trust us, it deserves it.
OnePlus 7T Gets the You the Bang for Your Buck
If you need a phone with a 90Hz smooth AMOLED panel, close to Stock Android experience and great value for each penny you spend, OnePlus 7T will settle you under the 40k mark even if you go for the 8/256GB variant. It offers all of the above-mentioned features with a Snapdragon 855+ chip that’s gonna last you years. The Snapdragon 865 is a great chip, but it doesn’t offer so much over the 6-month-old Snapdragon 865 that you would notice a difference in day-to-day usage. The 7T even shipped with Android 10 out of the box, hence it should get as many updates as the latest 8 series devices. The 7T is our choice for the OnePlus phone to buy, even over the newer OnePlus 8, due to a lot of reasons, which we mention as we come to the OnePlus 8.
The OnePlus 7T gets you a flagship experience at a comparatively lower cost than the other phones in this comparison. If you don’t care about 5G(You shouldn’t either at this point in India), or getting some extra juice out of the more recent Snapdragon 865, then skip the OnePlus 8 and get the 7T.
OnePlus 8 is the Flagship Killer You Won’t Remember
Don’t get us wrong, the OnePlus 8 is a great device by itself and we do recommend having a look at it too. It’s just that the price tag doesn’t justify it’s existence when there are so many of the brand’s own devices that fair better than it. The OnePlus 8 is essentially a cleaner, more modern-looking 7T with a bumped up processor, battery and 5G. The dark clouds settle in when you notice that the 7T costs ₹10,000 less for the 8/128GB variant and comes with a telephoto camera which the OP8 exchanges to a sub-par macro camera. The 8T’s macro camera quality even fairs worse to 7T’s macro mode, which it performs with a specialised macro motor in its ultra-wide-angle lens.
The OnePlus 8 would be a great phone, but we would either recommend you to get the 8 Pro if you could extend ₹10,000 higher, or if you get the 7T which would perform almost similarly and will save you quite a hefty amount of cash. If you do not mind missing a telephoto camera, or spending a little more for a recent device, this phone is still is a great choice.
OnePlus 7T Pro for the Love of Displays
The OnePlus 7T is priced for about ₹47999 for the 256GB variant, making it an excellent choice if you want, what we believe is the most beautiful smartphone display ever! The phone bumps up a few specs over the 7 Pro, even if it mostly feels the same. It’s got slightly faster charging, a macro mode-enabled camera, Snapdragon 855+ and will get one more update than the 7 Pro as the 7T Pro shipped with Android 10 out of the box. The OnePlus 7T Pro is not essentially value for money as the 7T offers almost similar specs with a less impressive screen and slightly smaller battery, so there’s only the screen why you should be looking at this device.
The OnePlus 7T Pro is a beautiful device that gets as many updates as the brand’s latest 8 series. If you want a bezel-less, QuadHD, disturbance-free display, this is the phone to go for! If possible though, try avoiding it as it is still quite expensive, and still half a year old.
OnePlus 7 Pro for the Love of Displays and Your Pocket
It’s about a year since the 7 Pro was launched, but the phone has aged quite well! We don’t feel it even aged at all. With a QuadHD + 90Hz display, Snapdragon 855, 30W fast charging and UFS 3.0 storage, it still beats out a LARGE number of phones from other brands in its segment. The Snapdragon 855 maybe a year old, but still handles anything you throw at it. Unless you game professionally on your phone, you should be considering this as a viable option. It doesn’t lose much over the 7T Pro and costs way lesser. Just a caveat, it will receive one less major Android update as compared to the other phones here, so take that with a grain of salt.
If you want a beautiful 90Hz display experience and don’t mind losing out on the latest gen processor, this is the phone to go for. At it’s the price, it really is a compelling option if you need to have that screen!
Conclusion
Though we hope to have cleared out your confusion, if you still feel there’s anything left, here are our final thoughts, summed up:
1. OnePlus 7T:
The OnePlus 7T starting from just ₹34999, is a spec monster. Being a few months old, it offers the best value right now and has almost everything else that the phones below it in this list do. It’s got everything that a person would need to get through their day and the experience is smooth and fast. From a flagship processor to a high refresh rate screen and ultra-fast charging. And oh, a telephoto lens that its successor forgot to include. For the love of your wallet, get the OnePlus 7T.
2. OnePlus 8 Pro:
If you have a budget that can somehow accommodate the OnePlus 8 Pro, just close your eyes and embrace it. It is the best phone OnePlus has ever made. It doesn’t have anything negative about it compared to the other devices in this competition and offers the Best Android Experience in our view. If you need the best OnePlus phone with one of the best cameraphones in the market right now, shell some extra cash over the 8 Pro and you’ll be happy for a few years.
3. OnePlus 7 Pro:
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes in at third place for offering close to flagship experience for ₹42,999. This is almost ₹10,000 less than for what it was launched initially! If you don’t mind missing one extra Android update but want a slick phone that you can show off, the OnePlus 7 Pro is still a compelling option. But for us, we’ll give it a pass since Android updates are essential and we do value them a lot. But for the general user, who is not a tech enthusiast and just needs a great phone without much focus on software, it’s a steal deal.
4. OnePlus 8:
The OnePlus 8 comes in next in this list. Surprised after how much we bashed it all along? Well, if you don’t mind missing a telephoto camera and want an up-to-date looking phone with a hole-punch display and latest specifications, the OnePlus 8 offers all of that. In that case, we would rate it at the third place in this list but for the general user, the 7 Pro fairs in better. For the OnePlus 8, we recommend getting it only if you don’t get the highest variant, as that just doesn’t sink in well for ₹49,999 considering the prices of all the other phones here. It also lacks a lot of features that we expect OnePlus to give in this price (Read More HERE) range, so prefer skipping it or wait for the OnePlus 8T instead.
5. OnePlus 7T Pro:
It ranks in last for offering the least value for the money you spend for it. It still offers a flagship experience at a sub-50k price but it just can’t undercut its predecessor, the OnePlus 7 Pro that’s now priced ₹5,000 lesser. It does miss out on an IP rating and wireless charging, but the overall experience using it is much better than the other phones in this list, except the OnePlus 8 Pro. It sneaks in really close to that, but the 8 Pro is just better, being a newer phone and so is the OnePlus 8. More importantly, it’s quite hard to justify the price, as the 7 Pro and 7T cost much lesser than it does and offer a similar experience.
