Smartphones, Tablets & Wearables

OnePlus 8T – the top smartphone in test

OnePlus has built up an impressive reputation in recent years. The company has always focused on offering a lot of technology at a fair price with its smartphones. But in no way did the company have to accept restrictions in terms of quality. Instead, OnePlus always adhered to its own credo “Never Settle”. Generation after generation, the Chinese manufacturer’s smartphones improved. The next big step for OnePlus was also this year’s entry into 5G technology. In April the time had come and the manufacturer delighted us with its first lineup of 5G smartphones. Especially with the OnePlus 8 Pro, the manufacturer was able to convince us as our former test showed.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro were among the top Android-based smartphones this year.

But it was not only the modern 5G technology that convinced us at that time. The OnePlus 8 Pro also scored with an impressive display. Besides the high-contrast and colorful display, the smooth scrolling of the display made a great impression. Finally OnePlus gave the high-quality workmanship of the device a 120 Hz display. Furthermore, the then smartphone star from China delighted us with his sophisticated OxygenOS and a generally very good user experience. Now the manufacturer is entering a new round with its smartphone series. With the OnePlus 8T, the manufacturer is aiming for the throne of smartphones. Considering the almost simultaneous release of Apple’s iPhone 12 (Pro) this goal is quite ambitious. But the real competition for the OnePlus 8T is probably slumbering in a sibling device. As part of our test, we would like to check whether OnePlus can lay claim to the blocking tip of the smartphones.

Technical data

Display 16.64 cm (6.55 inches) AMOLED
Resolution: 1 080 x 2 400 pixels (402 ppi)
Gorilla Glass 6
Operating system Android 11
Interface: Oxygen OS
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Memory 8.0 GB or 12 GB RAM
128.00 GB or 256 GB memory
Dimensions 160.7 mm x 74.1 mm x 8.4 mm
Weight 188 g
Front camera 16 Megapixel
Main camera Main camera: 48 Megapixel
Ultra wide angle: 12 megapixels
Macro lens: 5 megapixels
Monochrome lens: 2 megapixels
Battery capacity 4500 mAh, Warp Charge with 65 Watt
Prices 8 GB RAM, 128 GB memory: 599 Euro
12 GB RAM, 256 GB memory: 699 Euro

The scope of delivery

In addition to the smartphone itself, the bright red packaging contains all the important accessories and a little reading. On the one hand, OnePlus once again provides a practical transparent cover to reliably protect the back of the smartphone. On top of that, the Warp Charger is included along with a red charging cable (USB-C to USB-C).

Design and workmanship

The almost borderless design is convincing even at first glance.

The OnePlus 8T convinces at first glance. Despite the large 6.55-inch display, it feels amazingly compact. This is not by chance. Thanks to the thin case and display, it is extremely handy. The extremely thin frame is of course also very attractive. The OnePlus 8T looks as if it is made of one piece, as the display merges smoothly into the frame.

If you find the colors too boring, you should take a look at the optional covers (right and left).

But also the materials and workmanship speak for themselves. There is no creaking at any point. With the OnePlus 8T, OnePlus produces one of the highest quality smartphones I have ever had the pleasure of holding in my hands. The great workmanship is rounded off by the beautiful colors. Our test model in cyan blue looks different from every angle and brings a fresh look to the dusty smartphone world. And if that’s not enough, you can get additional sleeves. Our test package included two additional cases.

Anyone who has ever held the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro in their hands will immediately feel at home when looking at the general design of the 8T. Thus the frame again relies on a combination of glass and aluminum. However, when you look at the camera, a lot has changed. Instead of the elongated camera module in the middle, OnePlus now installs a rectangular module in the upper left corner. At the latest here it becomes clear that we are holding a facelift in our hands. The sides also hold no surprises in store. At the bottom there is the USB-C port along with a SIM card slot and speakers. On the left side is the volume rocker. On the right, next to the standby button, there is a practical slider for different notification modes.

The display

Once again, OnePlus has placed great value on a high-performance display. This is already noticeable at first glance. The OnePlus 8T features a 6.55 inch Fluid AMOLED display based on 120 Hz technology. In the “standard” OnePlus 8 the 120 frames per second were reserved for the Pro model only. Thus the 8T offers 30 Hz more than its predecessor. At a closer look this becomes clear very quickly. Thanks to the 120 Hz, you can scroll through the menus of any application at lightning speed. In addition, one enjoys vivid and natural colors and impressive contrasts. In terms of resolution, the Chinese remain true to the OnePlus 8’s 2,400 x 1080 pixels.

The OnePlus 8T shines in vivid colors and scores with high contrasts.

Rapid fast scrolling

Anyone who has never before held a smartphone with such a fast display in their hands will be thrilled right away. Nothing jerks here. Everything runs smoothly, incredibly fast and razor-sharp across the display. But the 120 Hz can be seen as positive not only in the general user experience. One can profit from the fluid display in many ways. Just a glance at the social media area is enough to show the added value of the 120 Hz. You can scroll through feeds without having to cope with a single blur effect. Also in the area of gaming, the display acts gratifyingly fast. Especially games that require a fast reaction time benefit from this. Anyone who has held a 120 Hz display in their hands for a longer period of time will only want to return to the standard with a heavy heart.

Anyone who chooses the blazingly fast 120 Hz display will have to live with slightly less battery life.

Display is 28 percent thinner

But the display also scores in other disciplines. Thanks to its FHD+ resolution it is razor sharp. You won’t find single pixels here. The workmanship of the display has also made a quantum leap compared to its predecessor. OnePlus has managed to make the 8T display 28% thinner. Thanks to the in-house Flowscape technology, you can virtually glide your fingers over the surface. This makes operation really fun! The OnePlus 8T is also convincing in terms of brightness. Even in bright sunshine, the screen contents of the smartphone can be seen clearly. This is ensured by the impressive brightness of up to 893 cd/m². While OnePlus has increased the brightness of its smartphone compared to its predecessor, the manufacturer is reducing it elsewhere. However, it should not be our disadvantage. After all, the Chinese company has opted for 40% less blue light emission with the 8T. As we now know, this can be harmful to human health.

Great color display

In addition, the display impresses with impressive contrasts and a grandiose color rendition, just as it should for AMOLED. It is above all the naturalness of the colors that convinced me throughout. In its test, the smartphone also scored well with HDR content. This is not by chance. The device completely covers the DCI-P3 color space. With sRGB, the OnePlus 8T even goes a step further with 142 percent.

Manufacturer OnePlus states that the so-called Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD) is below the value of 0.55. The smartphone thus provides a great multimedia experience. Thanks to the sheer size of the display, it’s a great way to start the odd series marathon.

Warp Charge 65: Fast charge redefined

OnePlus has made fast charging socially acceptable in the world of smartphones. So not only the other manufacturers, but first and foremost the users themselves owe a lot to the Chinese company. Whereas it used to take time and leisure to charge your smartphone, thanks to this technology, it can now be fully charged within minutes. But with Warp Charge 65, the Chinese company is apparently pushing it to the limit. As the name suggests, the OnePlus 8T can be charged with a proud 65 watts thanks to the included power supply.

Thanks to Warp Charge 65, the OnePlus 8T’s battery can be fully charged in just 39 minutes. Even if you only have half an hour to charge, the smartphone is still happy to have a nearly full battery with 90% charged capacity. Thus OnePlus would like to replace the meanwhile naturalized “cell phone loading over night” according to own data. In order to refresh the battery one should be able to use the morning time in the bathroom or the lunch break at work in the future. But how does the 4500 mAh large battery of the OnePlus 8T survive this sheer power? Too much heat damages finally as is well-known an accumulator. In order to avoid damage to the battery, the manufacturer uses a so-called twin-battery technology. As the name suggests, OnePlus does not rely on a single battery. The experts for quick charging divide the battery power into two single batteries. This prevents overheating. To control the battery temperatures, OnePlus also relies on a total of 12 temperature gauges located in the charger. These are designed to ensure that the battery never gets too hot.

With the “Warp Charge” technology OnePlus prevents overheating by dividing the battery in two.

In our runtime test, the OnePlus 8T lasted for about 12 hours and 17 minutes with a fully charged battery at 60 Hz refresh rate. If you want 120 Hz, you have to live with just under an hour less. What is especially pleasing, however, is that you can use the 65 watts of the power supply not only for the OnePlus 8T itself. Manufacturer OnePlus states that you can also charge compatible devices using the Warp Charge power plug. These should also be able to benefit from a Turbo Charge. Especially users of compatible tablets or notebooks will be pleased.

Performance

Like its predecessor, the OnePlus 8T has a Snapdragon 865 inside, and the eight-core processor is supposed to provide not only 5G with 2.84 GHz clock rate, but also a decent performance. In our test, it turned out that the OnePlus 8T, as not to be expected otherwise, virtually ran. Applications were opened and closed at lightning speed. Multitasking also ran smoothly. The smartphone also left nothing to be desired in terms of gaming performance. This is not only due to Qualcomm’s processor, which can also be found on other flagships with Android OS. But what you rarely see with the competition is such a large amount of memory. The Snapdragon 865 is supported by either 8 GB or 12 GB RAM. In our test device with 12 GB RAM, it always seemed to have done the best work. At least we never had to cope with jerks or the like. In the Snapdragon 865, Qualcomm integrates an X55 5G modem. So the OnePlus 8T, like its predecessors, is ready for the future.

As with its predecessor, the OnePlus 8T is also equipped with the Snapdragon 865, which is popular among Android flagships.

But the OnePlus 8T is not only fast on the road. Thanks to WiFi 6, it also offers high speeds and reliable connection quality in your home WLAN. The Snapdragon 865 also ensures blazing fast performance when gaming. To ensure that the OnePlus 8T does not get too hot, the manufacturer relies on a promising cooling system. A large steam chamber is used here. This consists mainly of graphite and silicone, which is supposed to ensure good thermal conductivity. And you can feel that. Even during elaborate games, the OnePlus 8T always stays pleasantly cool. Considering the specs and speed of the OnePlus 8T, we expected impressive results in our benchmark test as well. But in the stress test with PCMark the flagship scored “only” 9,369 points. Thus, it achieves a good value, but one can expect better results with a Snapdragon 865 and 12 GB RAM.

The camera

At the beginning of its success story, the Chinese company did not necessarily stand for impressive camera results. But since the release of last year’s OnePlus, the manufacturer has finally made it clear that they too can install a high-performance camera. The rear of the OnePlus 8T can accommodate a quad camera system. In particular, the manufacturer has installed an ultra-wide angle camera with 12 megapixels, a macro camera with 5 megapixels and a monochrome camera with 2 megapixels in addition to the main camera with 48 megapixels.

OnePlus has done some things differently in the arrangement of the camera. While the cameras of the OnePlus 8 (Pro) were still placed in the middle of the back, the new module is placed in the upper left corner. The manufacturer hopes that this will provide better heat distribution and a tidier design.

Nightscape: Good pictures even in the dark

Thanks to the once again improved Nightscape technology, the OnePlus 8T allows you to conjure up convincing images even at night. Behind the Nightscape mode is a low-light algorithm that adapts to dark environments. Even in auto mode, the algorithm works reliably. In dark situations, the AI superimposes several images on top of each other to create the perfect image. We already know this from the Google Pixel. In this way, the OnePlus 8T achieves vivid colors despite low illumination and avoids unpleasant image noise. Unfortunately, editing in nightscape mode seems a bit exaggerated in places. So the picture can quickly look unnatural. But that is grumbling on a high level. All in all, the Nightscape mode surprised me positively, because it produces very detailed photos.

Thanks to ultra wide angle lens everything in view

In the test, the ultra-wide-angle lens produced impressive images. The 123-degree wide-angle lens lives up to its name. This makes the OnePlus 8T not only suitable for great landscape shots, but also for skilfully setting wide buildings in scene. The ultra-wide angle scores with great results even in low light conditions. In general, the interaction of the main camera and the three other lenses ensures impressive image quality.

Thanks to the macro function, very sharp pictures can be taken.

The macro function was also convincing in the test. So the lens created beautiful effects. You can’t expect miracles from the front camera with 16 megapixels. After all, no image stabilizer is used here. Nevertheless, occasional selfies and the odd video call are possible without any problems.

High-quality videos

The new OnePlus can also score points when it comes to moving images. This is due not least to the greatly revised image stabilizer. It always did a good job during my test shootings. At no time could I notice any disturbing wobbles. Of course, the image stabilizer also has its limits. OnePlus itself says that you can shoot wobble-free videos even in action-packed moments, but this must be put into perspective. If the movements are too excited, the final result is by no means free of jerking. Nevertheless, OnePlus must be praised here as well.

The bokeh effect of the 16 megapixel front camera is quite impressive.

The OnePlus 8T can record video at 240 frames per second (fps) in Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). If 720p is enough for you, you can even record at an impressive 480 frames per second. For the maximum resolution of 4K, however, you can “only” shoot at 60 frames per second. With this you can make impressive movies. Also with the front camera you can capture beautiful moments. Here the OnePlus 8T can score with a nice Video Portrait Mode. Thanks to a natural bokeh effect, this makes for lively videos. The AI reliably detects faces and then fades in the background.

OxygenOS and reliable features

The OnePlus 8T is rolled out with brand new Android 11. The Chinese company does not rely on Stock Android. Instead, OnePlus now places great value on its own signature. With the operating system OxygenOS comes a clearly arranged user interface. Here you can always navigate through Android clearly and with the necessary amount of customization options. For example, the Always On Display can be redesigned according to your own wishes. To unlock the OnePlus 8T you can choose between different options just like its predecessor. In addition to the classic pin or pattern input, the flagship again offers a fingerprint sensor and face recognition. The fingerprint sensor is once again located under the display and acts at breakneck speed. Face recognition is also fast. Whether their security can keep up with Apple’s Face ID technology in view of the small front camera is more than questionable.

Whoever has the choice…

With the OnePlus 8T you can choose between different versions. First of all, you have to choose the right color. Here, in addition to the shiny green of our test device, an elegant silver is also possible. After choosing the desired color, it’s up to the specs. The cheapest OnePlus 8T costs 599 Euro and offers 8 GB RAM and 128 GB disk space. The maximally equipped model with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage space strikes with 699 Euro. However, this variant is only available in the color Aquamarine Green. In view of the prices, it may well be worth taking a look at the still slightly stronger OnePlus 8 Pro. This is up-to-date for for scarcely 779 Euro to have.

Conclusion

The OnePlus 8T is a very good smartphone. However, if you were hoping for progress in speed from the Chinese flagship, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. But do you really need even more speed than the OnePlus 8 (Pro) already offered six months ago? I think not. With its 120 Hz it offers 30 Hz more than the normal OnePlus 8 and is on par with the Pro model from April. The most outstanding feature of the OnePlus 8T is without question Warp Charge. It is impressive how fast you can fully charge a 4.500 mAh battery. Here the Chinese company is doing groundbreaking work.

The camera quality of the smartphone is also pleasing. Especially the Nightscape Mode impressed me despite the sometimes exaggerated lighting. The most important question for owners of a OnePlus 8 is certainly whether a new purchase is worthwhile. Here the answer is clearly no. Since the OnePlus 8T offers fewer features than the OnePlus 8 Pro, it is better to switch to the model from April. Finally, the Pro model scored with additional features such as an impressive optical zoom, wireless charging, and a waterproof case. This makes the OnePlus 8 Pro the release of the new flagship model and its biggest competitor.

OnePlus 8T

Workmanship
Hardware
Multimedia
Performance
Battery
Value for money

90/100

With the OnePlus 8T, the manufacturer has made minimal improvements to the already very good OnePlus 8 from the spring. Especially the camera and the practical Warp Charge convince us. Great Smartphone at a fair price!

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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