The brand OnePlus is known for introducing masterpiece smartphones, and now we will discuss the OnePlus 8T review, which was launched earlier this year. It is known that the brand usually launches one of the ‘T’ series smartphones at this time of the year. The features and designing concept of these models are remarkable, which is improvised according to the customers’ feedback and applicable until the next generation arrives. The model was launched earlier this year with upgraded designing and specifications, which will not suppress the non-pro version. Let’s find out about the qualities and how much it has covered on your expectation in this OnePlus 8T review.
Review on OnePlus 8T designing: OnePlus 8T review
There is one thing in continuation and that is an aluminum frame with a glass back. The design of this model is totally different in comparison to OnePlus 8. The sides of the display used to have a curved design, but not anymore. It made the front of the phone look less attractive, but it is absolutely appropriate. With the content at the edges of the display, it gets easier to interact and see. In addition, there is no vignette effect which is seen in almost every curved edge display. The phone is built with a heavier weight, which measures 188g and thicker 8.4mm in comparison to model 8.
One can be easily tired if used single-handed for a long time. It gets new aquamarine green color brightens up the model, and has a glossy finishing on the back that does not have any fingerprint problems. The new model is also available in Lunar Silver color, which is supposed to have a matte frosted finish. The camera designing is fixed on the left side, and its round corners match the soft contours of the phone. The brand has improvised some of the content of the display. The size and the resolution are the same as the model 8, which is 6.55 inches, full HD+, but with the added feature of a 120 Hz refresh rate like the model 8 Pro.
The brand also told that touch sampling is also improved to 240 Hz for a better touch response. The display of the smartphone is also certified with HDR10+ with a JNCD color accuracy rating of under 0.55 and a brightness of 1,100 units. The phone also gets a slimmer chin, as the display connector can blend behind the panel. Well, I did not notice much difference (if there was any) while comparing both 8 and 8T model in the OnePlus 8T review. But there is another feature of a cutout in the upper-left corner for the front (selfie) camera.
If you are an OnePlus user, then the button layout will be familiar to you. The power and volume button is designed on opposite sides of the frame. There is also a USB 3.1 Type-C port on the bottom, and an alert slider to switch between ringer profiles, but no headphone jack. The phone has the facility of a dual SIM tray, but there is no way available to increase the storage. The phone is shipped with accessories, which is usual with charger, a data cable, SIM eject tool, silicon case, user guides, and a charger with a big change of 65W, which the company claims to be Warp Charge 65.
The phone is designed with a new body and display, which makes the model 8T look attractive and the refresh rate of 120 Hz, adds up the positivity. The smartphone still does not support wireless charging and an IP address is also missing, which pretty much says that it is disappointing.
OnePlus 8T review on Software:
The software included in this phone is OxygenOS 11, which is the latest version of the brand and runs on Android 11. This software consists of a new ‘bold’ design, which is the cue taken from Samsung’s One UI. The names of the application appear in big bold letters but shrink once you start scrolling down. And they can be seen from stock applications like settings, clock, recorder, gallery, notes, and others, except file manager for some unknown reason.
With the help of one quick swipe down, the OnePlus shelf appears and shows contextual information from applications and recently launched applications. This feature can be changed by pulling down the notification shade. It has a dark mode setting, which can be easily scheduled and works independently with the theme that has been set. It has added Always-On-Display in the feature as well. This feature is pretty exciting; as it shows how many times a person has unlocked their phone. The company claims that there will be more features in the stock apps and AOD with a software update in November.
It features a message application and Google’s stock dialler, which is the same as OnePlus Nord. It has refreshed the Zen mode with a wellness feature that provides themes with soothing effects, and you can also share your digital detox experience with users of OnePlus.
OnePlus 8T review on Performance:
Well, the company has usually utilized Qualcomm speedier ‘+’ SoC variant for refreshes, but unfortunately, there is no such feature in 8T. The brand has included Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC in continuation. The phone will feature tow configurations 128 GB of storage and 8 GB RAM for Rs. 42,999, and for Rs. 45,999 it will feature 256 GB of storage and 12 GB RAM. For this OnePlus 8T review, I was carrying the higher-variant.
This smartphone utilizes UFS 3.1 flash storage in comparison to UFS 3.0 in model 8. This variant still utilizes the DDR5 RAM and LPDDR4X RAM same as 8 Pro. There are other features that include stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, face recognition, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. It also supports the suite of sensors, multiple satellite navigation systems, and a flicker detection sensor in the camera of the phone.
To experience it closely, I have been using this model for a week, and the outcome of the performance is remarkable. You will get used to the weight of the phone but will become bulky if used any kind of case for the phone. The display of the phone is amazing with better coloration and has a lot of options for you to explore. The 120 Hz refresh rate will make the animation system more responsive. While reviewing, the 120 Hz refresh rate was not applicable to the advantage of gaming time, but the company claims to upgrade the 90 fps support for Fortnite.
The games including Asphalt 9 Legends to Battle prime responded pretty well with consistent and smooth frame rates. Above the earpiece, the top of the frame gets hot while gaming, but the rest of the part does not create any problem. The stereo speakers are also loud and clear. HDR10 videos appeared great when played locally or from YouTube. Well, Netflix did not catch up with the HDR feature, but it is possible with an update. The feature of face recognition and fingerprint scanner worked pretty smoothly while unlocking the phone. The in-display fingerprint sensor was quick and responsive without any misread information. It is backed with a 4,500 mAh battery capacity, which is better in comparison to 8’s 4,300 mAh. It is the first model to support Warp Charge 65, which is the company’s trademark. The charging support covered from zero to 72 in half an hour, as it USB supports the power delivery standard with power output. Generally, the battery capacity is great but got down in the battery loop test, which only ran for 15 hours and 51 minutes.
Camera Quality Review: OnePlus 8T review
The phone provided good camera performance and has four rear lenses, but the functionality is pretty much the same. It continues to include Sony IMX586 48-megapixel optical stabilized sensor for the primary camera, which is also seen in 7 series, Nord, and Redmi Note 7 Pro. It is responsive and good, but the expectation was higher than this.
It has a 5-megapixel macro camera, 2-megapixel monochrome camera, and 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 123-degree field of view. The front camera functions the same as the model 8. The top of the camera has a white circle, which is known as the flicker sensor, and it is expected to be useful for the prevention of strobing while shooting under artificial lighting. It captured the pictures well on a bright and sunny day. The HDR is also applicable very well, and the colors are striking, but not inappropriate. The ultra-wide camera responded well with good colors, but with a bit of weaker details. Autofocus is responding quickly and provides a soothing background blur effect.
The macro camera has improved in comparison to 8, but still weaker than 8 Pro. The portrait mode needs much improvisation, as the skin tone’s outcome was completely off. While reviewing the monochrome camera was not so much needed, unless you needed to check out black and white photography. The selfie in daylight looks good with natural skin tones and detailed pictures. The portrait mode might blur the background behind you, but the outcome is not perfect always. There is nightscape missing, but the screen flash is available. But the screen flash will generate a heavy yellow tone if you have turned on the OxygenOS blue light filter feature, and the outcome of the selfie will be red skin tone. To get a natural skin tone, you have to disable the feature.
The rear camera works well in low light. Even without the nightscape feature, the main camera provides a detailed picture and also suppresses the negative point. This is obvious that the camera would respond detailed and sharp in daylight, but the picture will be only detectable only if magnify the image. The nightscape helps to clear the object in darker areas, which is more effective than a wide-angle camera. This smartphone also has a remarkable video recording quality. It can record 4K 30 fps and switch between an ultra-wide-angle camera and a primary one. It can record up to 4K 60 fps, but at this frame rate, you cannot switch. The front (selfie) camera has a 1080p limitation but works well with stabilization.
It has added new features such as video portrait, video nightscape, and video focus tracking. According to my experience, the first one certainly focuses tracking. It is also able to get the object back in the frame, even if it drops. The video portrait quality adds the depth effect, but it is only applicable to humans. The nightscape provides bright exposure in low light in comparison to standard video mode with 1080p limited resolution. The ultra-wide camera did not impress enough at night time, as it created some useless footage.
Conclusion: OnePlus 8T review
People have been waiting for 8T, as model 8 has many shortcomings. Well, the model 8T has added some extra and exciting features but does not include all. The ‘T’ series is not what we have expected in the context of the refresh, and if it was 8T Pro, then we might have seen an upgraded version in camera and SoC. With the offered features, it stands solid on the ground and provides everything that a mid-tier flagship should offer, as it has been mentioned in OnePlus 8T review. The camera quality is decent; battery capacity is solid with an attractive display, and the super-fast 65W charging is also additionally nice. In comparison to the OnePlus 8 variants, the OnePlus 8T offers better features and specifications for Rs. 45,999. At this price, the features and quality are acceptable. With the higher level of competition, the choice fits according to your budget estimate too.