Review: The OnePlus 8T

Is the OnePlus's latest offering worth its price?
Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com answers that question for you.

The 8T is the latest phone to come out of the OnePlus stable.

Its fast charging capability is its main USP; the phone charges from 0 to 100 per cent in just 35 minutes (when the phone is off).

Let's find out what else the OnePlus 8T has to offer.

Design

The OnePlus 8T follows the standard design language seen in most midrange flagship phones.

It has a curved glass back and a flat front, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

Unlike its predecessors, the 8T does not have a curved display. As a result, the phone looks slimmer, is easier to hold and avoids accidental tap inputs through the curved edges of the screen.

Display

With its 120Hz refresh rate for smooth animation, the OnePlus 8T's display is a gamer's delight.

It also has good outdoor visibility.

There is a small punch hole smartly placed at the top left corner of the display for its front camera; the location ensures there isn't any distraction while playing games or watching videos.

Camera

If we compare the camera with its predecessor, the OnePlus 8, there no substantial upgrade.

OnePlus has, however, added a 5MP macro camera and a dedicated 2MP monochrome camera for depth sensing while shooting portraits with the background blur (bokeh effect).

I dearly missed the OnePlus 7T Pro's 2x zoom in macro mode, as it allowed one to get closer to the subject and produced superb macro photographs.

The 48MP sensor camera does a good job both during the day and in well-lit night conditions.

Low-light, however, does affect the quality of the picture.

Photos taken in the Nightscape mode also produce good pictures. But the wide angle (16MP sensor) supported in the Nightscape mode does not produce pictures as good as the 1x mode (48MP sensor).

You can even try the Pro mode, which gives more control over light sensitivity, white balance, shutter speed and focus.

In Portrait mode, the camera does a good job in isolating the subject in both 1x zoom and wide angle.

Now you can access the Nightscape and Portrait mode in video as well.

It also supports colour filters.

The Nightscape mode enhances the light in the video, but not to an impressive level.

The Portrait mode in video is adequate at best; it isolates the subject from the background very well when the subject is still but loses the effect when the subject is moving fast.

Hardware

The phone runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 SoC; not the latest but not inferior either.

By combining its LPDDR4X RAM memory, UFS 3.1 ROM storage and Adreno 650 GPU, the OnePlus 8T gives a super-smooth gaming experience and lag-free multitasking.

Gaming

We tested games like Sky, Asphalt 9, Shadow Fight 3, PES 2021, Dead Target, Alto's Adventure, Cover Fire Mortal Kombat, Temple Run 2, Ace Force and 1945 Air Force. We could play all of them smoothly.

I could get a 120Hz refresh rate acceptance in Temple Run 2 game.

The phone got little warm but was not uncomfortable to hold.

Sound

It is good to have stereo speakers backed by Dolby ATMOS. They are louder than their predecessors.

There is no 3.5mm audio port so you have to rely on the Type-C to 3.5mm audio adapter or Bluetooth earphones.

Battery

The 4,500 mAh battery is more than sufficient to carry out your daily tasks without recharging your phone.

Even though heavy gaming and multimedia consumption drains the phone's battery quickly, the Warp Charge 65 fast charger comes to rescue; it charges the phone from dead to 100 per cent in just 35 minutes.

I liked the shape of the charger; it fits well in the electric socket.

This time, there is no standard USB port on the charger. Instead, there is a Type-C port so you will have to use the Type-C to Type-C cable provided.

Software

The phone comes loaded with Oxygen OS 11 based on the latest Android 11.

The Oxygen OS UI has changed its look and feels more like Samsung's One UI instead of the usual stock android.

The experience is very smooth and responsive, with no lag.

The unboxing

Verdict

If you are looking for a phone that supports high-end games, has a good camera, supports fast charging and is not as expensive as flagship phones, then the OnePlus 8T won't disappoint.

It's a good bargain for 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage at Rs 42,999 and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage at Rs 45,999.