OnePlus 8 Pro hands-on review

Oxygen OS 10.5 based on Android 10

Oxygen OS 10.5 is slightly refreshed for the OnePlus 8 Pro with new system icons and dynamic wallpapers. OnePlus also introduces Dark Mode 2.0 - a more universal Dark Mode that's compatible for more third-party apps.

Some new usability features have been added like pocket detection, always-on display, and adaptive display tone has been added to the OnePlus 8 Pro. The latter feature uses a new RGB sensor for detecting the temperature of ambient light. In addition, now that there's a hole-punch cutout, you're given the option of hiding it by blacking out the status bar.

Now that the display supports 120Hz refresh rates, the software needed to be optimized for the added frames needed to show all system transitions and animations. As a result, the OnePlus 8 Pro is the smoothest OnePlus device to date.

Some new charging settings have been added to the battery menu. Aside from Reverse Charge and a new "Bedtime mode" for silencing the Warp Wireless Charger, the new Optimized charging option makes it so the battery charges around your usage habits. This is an interesting feature so we're excited to see exactly how it works.

Other than what was mentioned, not much else has changed. This is an incremental Oxygen OS update since the 7T launched with Oxygen OS 10.

First impressions

Aside from the new display, wireless charging, and additional camera, the overall experience is about the same as last year. Make no mistake, we can tell that OnePlus has worked hard on the updates it did add. However, our verdict as to whether the 8 Pro is a worthy upgrade will be determined in our full review.

OnePlus wisely waited to add wireless charging and the wait paid off. Although it does require OnePlus' proprietary Warp Wireless charger, it delivers on the promise that wireless charging can be almost as fast and convenient as the Warp 30T wired charger.

The verdict is still out on the camera, but our initial impressions are positive - especially if the Oppo Find X2 Pro is anything to go by. It's got solid levels of detail from the larger sensor, and Nightscape for the ultrawide is a welcome addition along with the higher-res sensor. We received an update during our time testing the phones so far, so you can expect new camera samples for the review.

In the past year, OnePlus has proven that it knows how to build a smartphone and the experience has improved with ever incremental update - even the half-cycle "T" models.

OnePlus 8 Pro starts at $899 - which matches the specs almost exactly to the LG V60 ThinQ 5G. If you want to go for the deep-blue Ultramarine color, this one only comes in the $999 tier with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of non-expandable storage.

With this iteration, the OnePlus 8 Pro is the most expensive OnePlus device to date. Over the last few years, it's slowly crept up in price and with 5G now a standard feature, its cost needed to go up as a result, further driving the company away from its original image of high power at ridiculously low cost. Once called the "Flagship killer" the OnePlus 8 has become what the company initially tried to beat.

The release of this phone thrusts OnePlus into the high-end category of smartphones. It is now competing in the same space as the top-league players like the Galaxy S20, iPhone 11 Pro, and the LG V60 ThinQ 5G. Although OnePlus remains a worthy alternative to Samsung, Apple, and LG smartphones, it will now be held under more scrutiny than ever before. Stay tuned for the full review of both the OnePlus 8 Pro and the vanilla-flavored OnePlus 8.