OnePlus 8T review: More power, smaller phone
Our full review of the OnePlus 8T.
Video Transcript
RICHARD LAI: Even though OnePlus has returned to its budget roots with the Nord, it doesn't mean that the company has stopped making mid-cycle flagship smartphones. Today, we'll be taking a look at the brand new OnePlus 8T, which is a blend of goodies taken from the earlier OnePlus 8 Pro and the OnePlus 8, along with some new hardware and software features to sweeten the deal.
As you've probably guessed, the OnePlus 8T is largely based on the OnePlus 8, so it's almost just as light and compact. The 8T carries the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, a 6.55 inch fhd+ amoled display, but the latter has a couple of subtle differences. For one, OnePlus took a page out of Samsung's book and flattened this screen. This actually makes it easier to watch videos or play games on the phone. And it's also less prone to accidental tabs along the edges.
Another change here is that the refresh rate has been bumped up from 90 Hertz to 120 Hertz, matching that of the OnePlus 8 Pro. This makes scrolling on the already slick Oxygen OS even more effortless. The changes are more obvious on the back of the phone. What used to be OnePlus' this iconic camera column in the middle is now just a rectangular Island placed at the top left corner.
Now, I'm not saying this is ugly, but it's just a shame to see OnePlus giving up its unique look, as this reminds me of the Galaxy S20 Plus and some of its cheaper cousins. What I do like, however, is this aquamarine green glossy finish that mimics ceramic glazing. OnePlus claims that this coating can render fingerprints almost invisible using optical tricks. But I find that it only works well if you look directly at the surface, not that it matters anyway because I like to keep my phones in their cases just like this cyborg cyan case, which you can buy separately.
In terms of photography, it's the same 48 megapixel main camera as the OnePlus 8 here, which isn't the best in class, especially with its dynamic range in low light conditions. Likewise, the 16 megapixel punch hole selfie camera suffers from washed-out colors. But we already saw that on the 8 Pro. Luckily, 8T makes up with a brand new 16 megapixel ultra-wide camera and a new 5 megapixel macro camera, both of which performed surprisingly well.
The remaining changes are mostly on the inside. Thanks to the new flat screen, OnePlus was able to increase the battery size to 4,500 mAh, which is about the same as the 8 Pro's. This gives me around 13 to 15 hours of general usage per charge. Now, speaking of which, OnePlus is finally able to offer the 65 Watt version of dash charge, meaning you can go from 0% to 42% in just 10 minutes, or to full charge in just 39 minutes.
I've actually used this tech on OPPO and Realme phones before. They are cross compatible. And trust me, it's hard to go back once you are accustomed to this rapid charging speed. Sadly, there is no wireless charging on the 8T. If you really need this feature, then you may have to consider the 8 Pro instead for now. But do bear in mind that it is a bit heavier and more expensive.
As for software, the 8T is the first OnePlus phone to ship with Oxygen OS 11, which is based on Android 11. Duh. The general interface is pretty much the same as before. It's just as clean and slick, which is the way I like it. And I haven't seen any bugs. So far even the in-display fingerprint reader performed reliably on the get go. Now, there are some new features, with my favorite one being the insight always on display, which is a collaboration between OnePlus and Parsons School of Design to visualize a user's digital being in a stylish manner.
It comes in the form of a thin gradient column. And each time you unlock the phone, you create a gap on the bar. So it's basically shaming you for ruining this otherwise beautiful piece of artwork. If you do want to do something about your mobile addiction, there's Zen Mode 2.0, which offers a new group Zen Mode so that you can encourage your friends to also lock themselves out of their phones at, say, dinner parties or just regular meetings. All they have to do is to install the Zen Mode app, which is now available to non-OnePlus phones as well.
One-handed control has always been a focus of Oxygen OS. In this version, OnePlus took one step further with a new little addition in the camera app. Say you want to instantly share the photo you just took. So simply long press the thumbnail at the bottom right, and this will bring up a quick share dial. Then you just drag a little thumb to one of the recently used social apps and, boom, you are already creating a post with the photo attached. This should save you a few taps. Though, I wish I'll be able to customize these shortcuts in the future so that I can quickly edit photos from there.
More features will arrive in a November update. These include live speech to text conversion for voice notes, straighten document tool in the camera, plus a couple other always on display modes, one of which will feature your Snapchat bitmoji, which will somehow change throughout the day depending on your activity. Sounds interesting. The OnePlus 8T will be headed to the US with just a single model, featuring 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of storage.
This is asking for $750, which is a little more than the Galaxy S20 FE, but you are getting twice as much RAM and storage, not to mention the awesome 65 Watt fast charging as well. If you have any other thoughts about the OnePlus 8T, feel free to leave a comment. As always, do hit subscribe. And stay tuned for more smartphone videos on Engadget.