OnePlus Nord – New 5G Middle-class Smartphone

As one of the competitive mobile phone manufacturers in China, OnePlus had new 5G phone OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro for high-end smartphones, which gained good reputation based on good performance and design. Recently, OnePlus presented a new 5G cell phone to the public and the model number is OnePlus Nord. The smartphone with 5G is targeted in the middle class, which is in cheaper price than the OnePlus 8.

Upscale equipment at an affordable price

The OnePlus Nord offers upscale features despite an affordable retail price. The chipset of OnePlus Nord is the Snapdragon 765G 5G from Qualcomm, ie the tuned Snapdragon 765. Thanks to the integrated 5G modem, this also works in the 5G network (n1, n3, n7, n28, n78). Depending on the version, the SoC is supported by 8 or 12 GB RAM. There are also 128 or 256 GB of storage space.

 

 

The display of the OnePlus Nord is 6.44 inches in size, uses AMOLED technology and has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels. The aspect ratio is 20: 9, the refresh rate at a high 90 Hz. This ensures a smoother scrolling, especially when scrolling. The battery of the device is 4,115 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the OnePlus 5G phone should charge 70 percent within 30 minutes, so that the phone is quickly ready for use again.

 

 

A total of six cameras

The manufacturer uses a quad camera with four lenses on the back of the OnePlus Nord. The main sensor used is the Sony IMX586 chip with a 48 MP sensor and an aperture of f/1.75. This also has optical and electronic image stabilization. There are also an 8 MP ultra wide angle, a 2 MP macro and a 5 MP depth sensor. There is also a dual selfie camera in the front. The main sensor has a resolution of 32 MP and supports 4K videos with up to 60 fps. There is also an 8 MP ultra-wide angle sensor with a field of view of 105 degrees.

 

 

 

The OnePlus Nord is available in the two colors Blue Marble and Gray Onyx. Official sales start on August 4th in the OnePlus online shop. But it is also available at Amazon and other shops and can be pre-ordered. The price for the small version with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage is 450USD. The large version with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage costs 600 USD.

OnePlus 8 Pro 5G Cell Phone Test

OnePlus presented the OnePlus 8 Pro a few days ago and now it’s available for order. According to the pre-order quantity, we can see the OnePlus 8 Pro gained a very very good reputation in the potential users even the price is in high-end range.

 

The OnePlus 8 Pro has high-end configuration like IP certification, wireless charging and there are stereo speakers. There are also things like the best display on the market. We will test this new 5G smartphone to see whether it’s worth the high price and a recommendation. First, let’s have a check of the OnePlus 8 Pro specifications:

OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 Specifications

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro Specifications
OnePlus 8 Pro OnePlus 8
Display 6.78-inch AMOLED 6.55-inch AMOLED
3,168 x 1,440 (19.8:9) 2,400 x 1,080 (20:9)
120Hz refresh rate 90Hz refresh rate
In-display fingerprint sensor In-display fingerprint sensor
3D Corning Gorilla Glass 3D Corning Gorilla Glass
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
RAM 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X
Storage 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.0 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.0 2-LANE
Cameras Rear: Rear:
48MP, f/1.78, 1.12µm, OIS, EIS 48MP, f/1.78, 0.8µm, OIS, EIS
8MP 3x telephoto, f/2.44, 1.0µm, OIS 2MP macro, f/2.4, 1.75µm
48MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 119.7° 16MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 116°
5MP color filter, f/2.4
Front:
Front: 16MP, f/2.0, 1.0µm, EIS, fixed focus
16MP, f/2.45, 1.0µm, EIS, fixed focus
Battery 4,510mAh 4,300mAh
Warp Charge 30T (5V/6A) Warp Charge 30T (5V/6A)
Warp Charge 30 Wireless
IP Rating IP68 None
Software Oxygen OS Oxygen OS
Android 10 Android 10
Dimensions 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5mm 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.0mm
Weight 199g 180g

These are not all specifications of the OnePlus 8 Pro. On the official OnePlus website, you can get more information about the OnePlus 5G phone.

 

OnePlus 8 Pro Design and Feel

The OnePlus 8 Pro is a large smartphone, whose dimensions are similar to the latest the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Oppo Find X2 Pro. We find the more compact OnePlus 8 here would be enough in the size.

 

However, the workmanship is great and it lies very well in the hand with the slightly rounded sides. We like the feel of the matt surface, and we suppose every manufacturer should have a matt version in their new product.

You can see the color of my test device in the pictures, but it is difficult to capture it there. It always looks a little different depending on the time of day and the light, but basically we find the color very nice. We just don’t know if it would be too colorful in the long run, but you can’t argue about taste.

 

Visually, not much has changed compared to last year and the camera is still in the same position. Actually there is only the hole in the display, but apart from that and the color, you could quickly confuse the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro. Of all the current Android flagships, the OnePlus 8 Pro has so far been the best one, apart from the silver version of the Huawei P40 Pro (also matt).

OnePlus 8 Pro Display

OnePlus has placed increasing emphasis on the display in recent years and for the 2020 Pro model, they have even given themselves the latest Samsung panel, which can also be found in the other brands such as Oppo Find X2 Pro.

The display is available in the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Oppo Find X2 Pro and we can conclude there is no better panel on the market. High resolution, great colors, good viewing angles are very high-lighted, if necessary very bright and 120 Hz are optimal.

Someone would have liked to have avoided the curved sides, because the bend offers no added value, sometimes leads to incorrect entries and it reflects in some situations. Apart from the size, but that’s very subjective, there’s nothing else to complain about.

 

OnePlus 8 Pro Camera

OnePlus got the same sensor as the Oppo Find X2 Pro, which BBK probably bought exclusively from Sony (Sony IMX689, 48 megapixels).

This provides great photos in good light and you can see that OnePlus has been working on the software since the OnePlus 7 Pro. In some areas, the OnePlus 8 Pro does not come close to other models, especially when compared to the Huawei P40 Pro you can sometimes see larger differences (e.g. in terms of sharpness).

The ultra-wide-angle sensor also has a resolution of 48 megapixels, but here too it is not at the level of Huawei or Samsung. The results are similar in good light and outdoors, but you can no longer excel with them today, it’s about details and difficult conditions.

The difference in zoom is even greater, because there is “only” a tele-sensor with 8 megapixels. Competitors are already opting for significantly better periscope cameras that offer much more sharpness when zoomed. Even the Oppo Find X2 Pro is clearly superior to the OnePlus 8 Pro when zooming.

The fourth camera is a color filter with 5 megapixels, which comes with something like Instagram filters. We tried it once, but it’s such a feature that we don’t need it. To be honest, it also does good software for image editing. This place could have been used better.

 

For example with a ToF sensor that can better analyze the distance or directly with a periscope camera, we would classify the color filter as a gimmick, because as we said, this function can be replaced quite well with software.

The front camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels and delivers solid results. It is also used for Face Unlock, which is extremely fast with OnePlus. But it is still a 2D scan of the face and the camera takes longer in bad light (Face Unlock can sometimes fail in very bad light).

OnePlus 8 Pro Battery

It is the largest battery that OnePlus has built into a smartphone so far and you can also feel this in the battery life. If you use the device very intensively with high brightness and 120 Hz, you can quickly bring the battery to your knees, but we still got through the day very well.

What we also noticed: The OnePlus 8 Pro is roughly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and has a smaller battery, but lasts longer for me (just over an hour or two). Only the Huawei P40 Pro is more efficient, but its display is not as bright and has “only” 90 Hz.

By the way, fast charging takes place with 30 watts, both with cable (so there is no progress here), but finally also wirelessly. To be honest, I waited a long time for this moment at OnePlus and if you want to have the details about the OnePlus Wireless Charging Dock, check out this one.

There is also reverse charging here, so you can charge other Qi devices. In summary, we can say that the OnePlus 8 Pro had a very good battery life in the first week, it finally has Qi and we therefore no longer have any criticism in this category. The step was long overdue.

OnePlus 8 Pro Software

The software is one of the highlights at OnePlus because it is minimalist and damn fast. Coming from Samsung and Huawei in particular, it is violent how much liquid OxygenOS is. The combination of the new hardware with the 120 Hz and OxygenOS is fun, even more than “pure” Android.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is of course delivered with Android 10 and shortly before the weekend there was a major update with some optimizations and the device should be delivered with the March patch. OnePlus guarantees two years of major updates and three years of security updates.

New are a few animated wallpapers, which also look quite good, but the always-on display is not yet available and should be submitted later. OnePlus has also optimized the dark theme and there is actually not much more to say. Nice, slim and fast user interface.

OnePlus 8 Pro other features

  • The fingerprint sensor is again under the display and is very fast. As a fan of Face Unlock, we have now activated this because the camera no longer moves out of the body.
  • The vibration motor is very pleasant and comes close to Apple’s haptic engine. In my opinion, no Android manufacturer was as good as an iPhone yet, but the days when uncomfortably strong and hardly adjusted vibration motors were the standard are over.
  • What surprised me about the stereo speakers: The upper one sounds really good and even better than the lower one. In addition, the top speaker is aimed directly at one and often dominates the other very strongly. The stereo sound is good, but the lower speaker should have liked a bit more power.
  • OnePlus includes a transparent case in the scope of delivery. We don’t like these cheap TPU cases, but at least that’s how you see the color of the device and you don’t have to go looking for a case. Such a color should honestly be used without a case.
  • OnePlus has finally submitted and received their smartphone for IP certification. If we understood that correctly in the briefing, nothing has changed in terms of construction, but with the now significantly higher price, there is finally the IP68 standard. Fun fact: The OnePlus 8 was built the same way, but was not submitted for a test. Both should be waterproof.

OnePlus 8 Pro Conclusion

We have to say that the OnePlus 8 Pro has been the best of the current Android flagships so far. But it is a shame that this model has also become quite large and heavy. The normal OnePlus 8 would be enough in size.

But due to the price increase and the rapid fall in price of the competition, OnePlus is now right at the top. But now it deliver what the competition offers. Only in the camera you cannot play at the top in my opinion, which is probably also due to the software.

The OnePlus 8 Pro does not take bad photos now, but while the display, battery life, performance and software shine and some are left behind. The OnePlus 8 Pro has become a flagship like any other, in some respects like the display and the performance it trumps most, but you could still work on the camera for a possible estate model. It’s not bad, but not at the level of competitors like Huawei.

Conclusion: Despite the “only” good camera and the now “normal” price, the OnePlus 8 Pro is one of the best Android smartphones in this year.

OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro 5G Phone Officially Launched

Yesterday, OnePlus launched two new flagship 5G smartphones, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Like other cell phone manufacuturers, OnePlus also launches two models, one basic model and the other Pro version.

On the new models for 2020, OnePlus wants to finally remove the criticisms and there are many current standard configurations for flagship models such as wireless charging and an IP certification, which has also been given to the Pro model. However, the prices of OnePlus 8 and 8 PRO have now reached the very top and costs up to 1000 USD.

But before we get to the prices and the date for the market launch, there is an overview of the specifications for you again. Most of the specs for One+ 8 and 8 pro have been known for weeks, but not everyone has followed the rumor mill.

OnePlus 8 Specifications:

  • 55 inch Fluid AMOLED display with FHD+ and 90 Hz
  • Snapdragon 865 for 5G modem
  • 8 or 12 GB of RAM
  • 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage
  • Main camera: 48 MP (Sony IMX586)
  • Ultra wide camera: 16 MP
  • Macro camera: 2 MP
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • Battery: 4300 mAh
  • Charging: 30 watts with cable
  • Size: 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.0 mm
  • Weight: 180 g

OnePlus 8 Pro Specifications:

  • 78 inch Fluid AMOLED display with QHD + and 120 Hz
  • Snapdragon 865 for 5G modem
  • 8 or 12 GB of RAM
  • 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage
  • Main camera: 48 MP (Sony IMX689)
  • Ultra wide camera: 48 MP
  • Telephoto camera: 8 MP
  • Color filter: 5 MP
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • Battery: 4510 mAh
  • Charging: 30 watts with cable and wireless
  • IP68 certification
  • Size: 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5 mm
  • Weight: 199 g

 

OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro Prices

The OnePlus 8 starts at 800USD with 8/128 GB in the colors Onyx Black and Glacial Green. For 12/256 GB you have to put 8700USD on the table, there are Glacial Green and Interstellar Glow (but comes a little later).

The OnePlus 8 Pro starts at 900 USD with 8/128 GB in Onyx Black, if you want 12/256 GB and one color, you have to put 1000USD on the table, here you get Glacial Green and Ultramarine Blue. Market launch (apart from Interstellar Glow) is April 21st, more details are available on the OnePlus website.

In addition to its own online shop, the new OnePlus 5G phone models will be available from others online stores. Not every partner will have every version available.