Review: OnePlus 8T

OnePlus has been synonymous with value for years. It's the Android phone brand to buy if you want the same performance as a top-tier Samsung model for hundreds of dollars less. (Usually, with sacrifices in other areas.) But as the company began producing more well-rounded phones, prices have jumped. Earlier this year, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro became its priciest phones yet, with the latter being only $100 cheaper than Samsung's Galaxy S20. Now it's coming out with an updated 8T model.

These days, there are a lot of good phones vying for your attention in the price window OnePlus once reigned. Samsung's stripped-down Galaxy S20 Fan Edition and Google's Pixel 5, for example, are $700—$50 less than the new OnePlus 8T. I used to wonder how OnePlus phones were priced so affordably. I don't feel that sense of amazement anymore.

OnePlus is also competing with itself. It used to only sell one device at a time but now you can buy phones that came before at discounted prices. That puts the new OnePlus 8T in an awkward spot. It hardly adds anything new over the OnePlus 8, but costs $150 more.

The 8T has the same processor, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865, with 8 gigabytes of RAM. It runs amazingly well, speedily opening my apps and powering long sessions of games like Genshin Impact with zero hiccups. I expected to see the slightly buffed Snapdragon 865+ chip (the same one in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra), but the best you get is the use of Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.1 over 3.0 for an extra edge. The faster read/write speeds it provides should mean better 4K video recording and playback, and small improvements elsewhere. Realistically, you probably won't notice a difference.

Photograph: OnePlus

It has the same 6.6-inch AMOLED screen and identical pixel resolution as the OnePlus 8. It's bright, colorful, and sharp, though the sheer size of the phone does make it tough to use one handed. The company did bring the 120 Hz refresh rate from the OnePlus 8 Pro, though. It's great, making every interaction with the phone feel as fluid as this guy painting a tennis court. But it's not really a huge improvement over the 90-Hz screen on the OnePlus 8.

I do like the speakers; they get loud and have a little more depth than those on Samsung's S20 Fan Edition. And battery life is pretty great. The 4,500 mAh cell lasts me a full day with heavy use—which totally does not involve me watching eight episodes of The Legend of Korra in a row before bed. It'll extend into a second day if you, um, don't do that.

One big new feature is Warp Charge 65, OnePlus' proprietary charging adapter that promises a full recharge in 39 minutes. It works! It took me about 42 minutes—close enough. Rather than recharging it overnight, I can plug it in while I shower in the morning, and it's always ready by the time I sit down in front of the computer with a cup of coffee. My only qualm is that I really don't need my phone to recharge that fast. I'm not going anywhere these days. I'd rather have the convenience of plopping it down on a wireless charger. Still, Warp Charge is a genuine boon for those moments when you need to revive your phone immediately.

There's also no IP rating for water resistance, but this isn't as much of an issue because the T-Mobile OnePlus 8T has an IP68 rating, and there are no differences between the models. That means it can withstand being submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes—you just can't hold OnePlus accountable if it dies. (Most phone warranties don't cover water damage even if they are IP-rated anyway.)

Then there's 5G. The 8T supports "sub-6," the type of 5G that offers marginally faster speeds than 4G LTE with decent range and coverage, but it doesn't have "millimeter wave." That's the type of 5G with ultra-fast gigabit speeds, but doesn't work well indoors and has poor range (like the span of a block or two). This isn't really a big deal because 5G is still sparse in the US, and the chances of accessing it are limited, but competitors have cheaper phones with support for both types, like the aforementioned Pixel and Samsung, even the new iPhone 12 Mini.

Even OnePlus' software update schedule feels like a step behind. You get two years of Android version upgrades and three years of bi-monthly security updates, Pixels and Samsungs get three years of version upgrades and monthly security updates.

OnePlus 8T's quad-camera system is not the best, but it produces good photos. There's a main 48-megapixel camera that merges pixels to absorb more light and output 12-megapixel photos. Daytime shots are detailed, with well-exposed high-contrast scenes, though OnePlus does like to over saturate colors.

In low light, the OnePlus 8T holds its own over phones like the Pixel 5 with its dedicated Nightscape mode. It's not as consistent and requires a little more work on your part. You'll need to stand extra still and make sure you wait an extra second after the image processes to ensure a blur-free shot. The Pixel edges out in detail, color, and white balance, but most photos I snapped on both phones look similar. I wish Nightscape was available for the selfie camera—nighttime selfies are just OK without it—and Portrait mode doesn't perform that well after the sun sets. The ultrawide camera underwhelms compared to the one on the Pixel 5, but it's handy for well-lit landscapes or tight spaces.

The macro camera lets you snap photos an inch away from a subject (great for close-ups of bugs and plants), but the novelty quickly wears off. The monochrome sensor is more fun. The phone captures photos with the main camera and applies the data from the sensor for more dynamic black and white photos.

Video recording with the default stabilization settings, and the dedicated Super Stable mode, aren't as smooth-looking as footage snapped by the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, though it's a step up over the Pixel 5. It's OK.

Did I mention the 8T comes in the color aquamarine? This year is bleak enough already. It's nice to see an eye-catching color like this on a phone again, though you'll want to cover it with a case because the front and back are covered in glass.

This is a well-rounded phone, with a great software experience, powerful performance, strong battery life, and top specs like support for Wi-Fi 6. But at $750 for the 128-gigabyte model, it's not the best phone for the money. I think the S20 Fan Edition and Pixel 5 are better options. They're easier to hold, the cameras are better, you get more robust 5G support, wireless charging, and durability (they don't use glass on the back).

If you want to get back to the good old days of owning a OnePlus phone that's a steal, just get the OnePlus 8 at its discounted $599 price. Or wait for the upcoming sub-$500 OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100. This phone is good, but it's no bargain.