The price of the 8 isn't that much higher, but it's the smartphone you should pick.
You'll get a better display. But the 7T Pro adds more internal storage (256GB vs. 128GB).
The 8 also features an Always-On display, better peak brightness, and Bluetooth 5.1. But the 7T Pro also adds a telephoto lens (+60 mm).
Having said that, none of them truly stood out since they got similar scores.
If you're not considering subscribing to a service provider, it'll cost you around $70 more.
The 7T Pro is a good value for the money in 2022, but I can't recommend it. You shouldn't get a phone that isn't going to receive security updates. Check out the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, for example, as it will give you better performance, more security updates, water resistance, and reverse charging.
Don't let its age scare you. The 8 still is a fantastic device as we go thru 2022. You'll love it for its good performance and good battery life. But keep an eye on the 9 Pro too.
Keep reading for answers to all your questions about their differences, how they compare to similarly priced rivals, and how the tech industry is evaluating their specs.
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Photo by World-fly from Pixabay
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So, the OnePlus 8 is pretty much a well-defined step up from the 7 Pro, but what does the 7T Pro has to say about that?
In April of 2020, OnePlus started selling its 8, while OnePlus's 7T Pro hit the stores in October 2019.
We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the 7T Pro and the 8.
Warning: Please, refrain from purchasing the 7T Pro, as it will end up not getting security updates anymore.
For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.
to check who their rivals are.
Price* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Device | ![]() |
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|
Release Date | 2019, October | 2020, April | 1y. |
OS Updates | 2 years | 2 years | 0y. |
Security Updates | 3 years | 3 years | 0y. |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Geekbench 5 scores the 8 17% ahead of its sibling in the multi-core ranking. If you're a heavy gamer, think about this. If not, then it isn't a big deal.
We can classify the 7T Pro as a lower high-end and the 8 as high-end.
Performance* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
SoC | Snapdragon 855+ | Snapdragon 865 | |
Graphics | Adreno 640 | Adreno 650 | |
Geekbench 5 Score | 2698 | 3165 | 467 |
OS | Android 10 and OxygenOS 10 | Android 10 and OxygenOS 10 | |
Tek-Score | 0.8 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.
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The 8 is the title-holder here, and the difference is considerable.
Very few rivals share this maximum brightness. Usually, they rarely stay far from 765 nits, but the 7T Pro can only do 22% below that.
Considering the 7T Pro, 80% of its rivals can play HDR content, and 95% have an AMOLED screen and have an Always-On display.
Considering the 8, as a reference, 86% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and all have an AMOLED screen.
Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Size | 6.6 | 6.5 | -0.1 |
Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | |
Resolution (px) | 1440x3120 | 1080x2400 | -1900800 |
Refresh Rate | 90hz | 90hz | 0 |
Dots per Inch | 520.65 | 404.89 | -115.75 |
Always-On-Display | No | Yes | |
Notch | No/Clean | Hole | |
Peak Brightness | 600 nits | 802 nits | 202 |
HDR | HDR10+ | HDR10+ | |
Sub Tek-Score | 4.7 | ||
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | |
Tek-Score | 1.6 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
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You should get similar performance with these two in the camera domain.
About the 7T Pro: DXOMARK reviewed this camera and gave it 116 points. If you also consider the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, it can go up to 129** points. If you want to know more about it, click here.
Before moving on, you'd probably like to know that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 90% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Yet, only 20% of them feature a macro lens.
About the 8: This sensor does deserve a review from DXOMARK's team. Knowing them, it'll get about 111* points. Plus, combining with its wide-angle lens, this score goes up to 122** points.
Finally, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 93% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, only 14% of them feature a macro lens.
One can place these two as lower high-end.
*DXOMARK knows how to test these shooters out. Unfortunately, they don't test every smartphone camera out there. So what do I do? I try to do my best by giving a similar score based on hardware specs only (OIS, Sensor size, Aperture, Lenses, HDR, and so on). As of now, you can expect a deviation of up to 2 points.
**Consider this as an estimative, especially with cameras with less than 40MP and no telephoto lens. They moved to a better camera test protocol, and there aren't enough reviewed cameras to extrapolate a backward-compatible score.
Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Primary Camera | ![]() |
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|
Megapixels | 48 | 48 | 0 |
Aperture | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
Lens | 26mm | 25mm | -1 |
Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Wide-Angle | |
Flash | 2 | 2 | 0 |
HDR | Yes | Yes | |
OIS | Yes | Yes | |
Video | 2160 | 2160 | 0 |
Score | 129 | 122 | -7 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Extra Camera(s) | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 8 | 16 | 8 |
Aperture | 2.4 | 2.2 | -0.2 |
Lens | 74mm (2.8x zoom) | 14mm | -60 |
Lens Type | Telephoto lens | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
Megapixels | 16 | 2 | -14 |
Aperture | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
Lens | 13mm | - | |
Lens Type | Ultra-wide-Angle | Macro | |
Score | 13 | 11 | -2 |
Selfie Camera | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 0 | 16 | 16 |
Aperture | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Lens | 25mm | - |
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vs. | |
---|---|---|---|
Tek-Score | -0.4 |
The 8 does win some points here, mainly for its weight and the number of color options. But that doesn't make the 7T Pro that much worse.
The 8 weighs 180 g. (6.35 oz), while its sibling is 26 g. (0.92 oz) heavier. If you're looking for a lightweight device, the "weight to display size" score of the 7T Pro is 3.7, which suggests it's kind of weighty for a 6.6 inches display. The 8, in its turn, has 6.2, which is pretty nice.
If you want waterproofness on your next device, check out the 9 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy A72.
Looks* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Body | ![]() |
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|
Size | 162 x 75 x 8 mm (5.71 x 2.65 x 0.28 in) |
160 x 72 x 8 mm (5.64 x 2.54 x 0.28 in) |
-5040 |
Weight | 206 g. (7.27 oz) | 180 g. (6.35 oz) | -26 |
Build | Front and back glass | Front and back glass | |
Colors | Haze Blue and a unique McLaren Edition | Onyx Black, Interstellar Glow, Glacial Green, and Polar Silver | |
Screen To Body Ratio | 88.01% | 88.55% | 0.54 |
Disp.Size To Weight Score | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.5 |
Looks | 9.1/10 | 10.0/10 | 0.8 |
Waterproof | - | - | |
Biometrics | Under Display Fingerprint | Under Display Fingerprint | |
Tek-Score | 1.0 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
The 7T Pro does have a smaller battery, with 4085 mAh, while the 8 has 4300 mAh. But by GSMArena's standards, both should theoretically get the same battery life.
What's even better, both of them also don't have many rivals at any given price range. Just check out our top 10 list with the best battery life.
And if you'd like to try out reverse wireless charging, that's already a reality on the 9 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21, for example.
Battery* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Capacity (mAh) | 4085 | 4300 | 215 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 84% left | 85% left | 1 |
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 69% left | 71% left | 2 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 73% left | 74% left | 1 |
Bat. To Phone Size Score | 3.4 | 5.0 | 1.5 |
Sub Tek-Score | 0.1 | ||
Fast Charging | 30w | 30w | 0 |
Wireless Charging | No | No | 0 |
Tek-Score | 0.1 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.
Definitely, the 7T Pro.
OnePlus put 8GB of RAM and 256GB of built-in storage on the 7T Pro. I should also mention that most rivals have less storage and less RAM. They're closer to 147Gb of storage and 8GB of RAM.
Storage* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
RAM (GB) | 8GB | 8GB | 0 |
Internal (GB) | 256GB | 128GB | -128 |
Micro SD | No | No | |
Tek-Score | -2.5 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
I'd go for the 8 if you really value Bluetooth 5.1 and 5G.
If you love good-old wired headphones, you're out of luck because none of them included a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can try an adapter if you want, but the wireless buds are the way to go here. You can also check other devices if you're not really leaning towards any of these. You'd have to pick a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite.
The 8 runs on (LTE and) 5G networks.
Connectivity | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
Network | LTE | 5G | |
Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.1 | |
NFC | Yes | Yes | |
3.5mm jack | No | No | |
Tek-Score | 1.5 |
Here are their recently updated prices:
Reference: $560
OnePlus 7T Pro
Reference: $630
OnePlus 8
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Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.
Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).
How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).
Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.
Value for money | 7T Pro | 8 | VS |
---|---|---|---|
Amazon | 1.15 | - | - |
eBay | - | 0.78 | - |
Best Buy | - | - | - |
Walmart | - | - | - |
Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.
Related articles:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets
Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)
Are you ready for that final score? We're almost there. Just so you have an idea, take a look at where its adversaries average. The 7T Pro class is at 6.8, and the 8 6.9.
Ah-ha! The 7T Pro won't let it go that easy.
You'll probably love it for its storage, and you know what? Despite being somewhat slower, it isn't slow at all, and you can get by another year without the Always-On display and the newer Bluetooth version, you'll get to keep (or win) a great set of cameras.
What's even better, it's price will always be lower.
You'll have to get familiar with a hefty device. Aside from that, there's not much more for you on the OnePlus 8.
Pros | ![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|
#1 | Performance | Performance |
#2 | AMOLED | AMOLED |
#3 | Cameras | Always-On-Display |
#4 | Battery Life | Cameras |
#5 | Fast Charging | Battery Life |
#6 | Storage | Fast Charging |
Cons | ![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|
#1 | Always-On-Display | Wireless Charging |
#2 | Wireless Charging | MicroSD Slot |
#3 | MicroSD Slot | 3.5mm Jack |
#4 | Weight | Price |
#5 | 3.5mm Jack | |
#6 | Price |
Relative Score* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Global Score | ![]() |
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|
Gaming Score | -0.4 | ||
Tek-Score | 0.03 | ||
Your Score |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.
Performance | 1.9 | |
Display | 1.7 | |
Cameras | 1.4 | |
Frame | 0.9 | |
Battery | 1.9 | |
Storage | 2.0 | |
Connectivity | 0.4 | |
Total | Should be 10 or as close as possible: | 9.6 |
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About me
Hello!
My name is Luis Silva, and I have a degree in computer management. Ever since I was a teenager, I've loved everything to do with tech. Music, pictures, video editing, I've done it all! This site is a place for me to share some of the knowledge I have, as well as keep up-to-date with current trends. This is a wonderful place for tech-geeks and everyone else that just want to learn more about tech and smartphones in general.
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