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Introduction
Launching at €599, the OnePlus 8T is shaping up as an excellent premium mid-ranger with a slew of flagship features - a 120Hz Fluid AMOLED, the latest Snapdragon 865 chip, a promising quad-camera with improved low-light performance, stereo speakers, and probably OnePlus best achievement yet - a larger battery with blazing-fast Warp Charge at 65W.
At the company's fall event this year, a Pro model was a notable absentee. This is because the company keeps the 8 Pro as its ongoing flagship device, and it won't be getting a refresh until 2021.
The OnePlus 8 needed the update, so we won't object to this strategic move. We doubt many OnePlus 8 owners are thinking of switching, but it makes the two current offerings that much more desirable for anyone in the market for a new phone.
If we compare it with the OnePlus 8, the 8T is getting a 120Hz OLED vs. 90Hz. At the same time, its main camera gets a brighter aperture for the main camera, an even wider ultra-wide lens, and an additional depth camera. Finally, you get a 4,500mAh battery with 65W charging vs. 4,300mAh and 30W charging. Okay, these are not the wildest upgrades we've seen, but for they are enough to make the cheaper OnePlus devices in the duo desirable again.
The €600 smartphone segment is already oversaturated, and it is the place where the flagship killers come to win big or die trying. With the OnePlus being the company that coined the term, its cheaper non-Pro models are burdened with the impossible task to defend the title. As long as they don't kill the company's own flagship, of course.
The OnePlus 8T is the first phone to come with the OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 out of the box. Many of the recent OnePlus phones are getting the update, too, but being first is a title that only the 8T can claim.
Let's take a closer look at the specs sheet. There aren't many changes, but it is a flagship-like list, and we like what we are seeing.
OnePlus 8T specs:
- Body: 160.7x74.1x8.4mm, 188g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; Colors: Aquamarine Green, Lunar Silver.
- Display: 6.55" Fluid AMOLED, 1080x2400px, 20:9, 402ppi; 120Hz, HDR10+, Always-on display.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650.
- Memory: 8GB/12GB RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
- OS/Software: Android 11, OxygenOS 11.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultrawide-angle: 16 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 123˚, 1/3.6", 1.0µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4; Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm; Auto-HDR.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 65W, 100% in 39 min (advertised).
- Misc: Fingerprint (under display, optical); stereo speakers; NFC.
The OnePlus 8T is not water-resistant, not unless you are getting the T-Mobile exclusive OnePlus 8T+ 5G model, which is the same phone but with IP68 certification. Don't sigh just yet - the OnePlus 8T does comes with many, if not all, seals and protections the T-Mobile model has. It will most probably survive a water drop, too.
The bright red Never Settle box is already here, and the excitement is building up. The OnePlus 8T may not be among the more interesting updates this year, but c'mon - look at this sweet reviewers' package!
And now that you've seen what we got, here is what you are getting if you choose to buy the OnePlus 8T.
Unboxing the OnePlus 8T
The OnePlus 8T comes packed in what's already a signature long red box. Inside, you will find your new 8T, be it the glossy Aquamarine Green or the frosted Lunar Silver, and a transparent Never Settle case.
Digging deeper, you will also see the 65W Warp Charger and its thick and red USB-C-to-C cable. The charger also supports USB-PD, so you can use it to charge other devices such as laptops, consoles, tablets, and smartphones.
Finally, there is this paper compartment, where you'd find some paperwork and a bunch of OnePlus stickers.
Design, build, handling
The OnePlus 8T is your typical glass-sandwich smartphone, and that's perfectly fine. A design breakthrough seems doubtful anytime soon, let alone such a thing happening on a mid-season update.
The new 8T does differ from the OnePlus 8, and the jury is still out whether it's for the better or worse. See, the display on the 8T is flat, just like it was on the Series 7 and earlier. Don't get this wrong - some of us are not fans of the curved screens at all - it's just that some fans may consider this as a downgrade.
We've had our fair share of accidental touches and distorted edges, and we do welcome this move.
Then there is the aluminum frame - it feels wider now, even if this was done by merely changing the arc's radius. It's not iPhone 12 flat, no, but it does make for a noticeably better grip than what we experienced with the OnePlus 8.
The OnePlus 8T is available in two new color options - Aquamarine Green and Lunar Silver. They affect the curved rear glass and the metal frame. And those two catchy names are not just for the nice ring they bring. They actually describe very well the paint job and the glass finish.
We have the Aquamarine Green, and well, our 8T is indeed looking like OnePlus has chopped a piece off the Indian Ocean around the Maldives. Or the Aegean Sea around the Greek Ionian islands. Or the Atlantic Ocean around the Bahamas. You get our drift. This mesmerizing bluish-green has a glossy finish, just like the ocean water's surface.
Then there is the Lunar Silver option, which looks pretty much like the calming silver you'd see on our Moon. Here, the glass finish is frosted, making for a cold look and feel, reminiscent of the distant Space.
We do like when the fancy name of the color is a matching description to what you actually get in the box, and we applaud OnePlus for making the 8T exactly as described.
The font of the new 8T has the 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED screen - same size and resolution as on the OnePlus 8. It has a small round cutout for the selfie camera around the top left corner.
What's new with this Fluid OLED is the increased refresh rate - it's now 120Hz, up from 90Hz on the OnePlus 8. Touch sampling has also been enhanced. It's currently working at 240Hz for even lower-latency responses compared to the 180Hz on the 8.
Also new to the OnePlus 8T is the option for Always-on Display. OnePlus has made some cool designs to get you started, but there are a lot of options to make it really yours.
Above the screen is one super-thin grille hiding the earpiece, which also doubles as a stereo speaker. Meanwhile, OnePlus claims it has trimmed the chin even more compared to OnePlus 8, making for an improved edge-to-edge experience.
There is an under-display optical fingerprint scanner, and it is probably the same sensor as on the OnePlus 8 series. It's plenty fast, and we didn't have any issues with its accuracy. If you smudge the screen, you may be prompted to clean it up before scanning, though.
The display has Gorilla Glass 5 protection - it is a flat piece of glass, just like the new flat screen, though it has the so-called 2.5D finish around the edges, and the transition towards the metal frame won't feel sharp.
The rear Gorilla Glass 5 is properly curved around the longer sides, just like many recent phones. The only interesting thing to note here, other than the cool-looking paint, is the camera setup. It's protruding a bit, but not as much as many of the competitors'. Wobbling on a desk is minimal.
There are six symmetrical pieces on the camera glass. The first column has the three snappers - ultrawide, primary, macro. The second column contains what looks like a color temperature sensor, a dual-LED flash, and a depth camera.
Let's look around the frame now. No matter which color of the 8T you get, the frame will always be matte. The finish doesn't improve the grip much - the shape does - but at least fingerprints and smudges are not sticky.
The left has a thin volume rocker with good tactile feedback. We would have liked it a bit larger, or maybe thicker, but it is what it is. The power key and the alert slider are on the left, and they are perfect in terms of shape and feedback.
The top houses a lone mic, while the bottom is rather crowded with the dual-SIM tray, the bottom mic, the USB-C port, and the other stereo speaker.
The OnePlus 8T is not officially water-resistant, not unless you get the T-Mobile's exclusive OnePlus 8T+ 5G - the only model that's IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. Still, the regular 8T seems to have similar, if not the same, rubber seals, and it should survive accidental drops in water. But neither of these 8T models is designed for underwater selfies, and water damage is not covered by the warranty. The purpose of the OnePlus 8T water protection is only against accidents and nothing else.
Handling the OnePlus 8T is a pleasant experience - it's not an oversized phone. It has a reasonable weight and not that slippery surface. Our Aquamarine Green unit has a glossy back, and yet we felt it secure enough in one hand even without the protective case. Fingerprints do stick on the back, and yet, even after three days without a single wiping, the rear panel was barely smudgy.
Long story short, the OnePlus 8T has a likable look, shape, and finish. It may not be officially rated as water-resistant, but it still gives you peace of mind with its sealed ports, and that's better than nothing.
120Hz Fluid AMOLED Display
On paper, the OnePlus 8T packs what may seem to be the same display as the OnePlus 8 - a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen (1,080 x 2,400px) protected by a Gorilla Glass 5. There is a significant difference, though.
First, this screen is flat and has a smaller chin because OnePlus has used a chip-on-panel display - meaning the screen controller is bent underneath the whole thing, just like on the iPhones.
Secondy, and perhaps most importantly, this screen now supports 120Hz refresh rate. The screen offers two options - 60Hz and 120Hz. There is no Auto or Dynamic setting. But the phone does switch the refresh rate back to 60Hz in specific scenarios even when 120Hz mode is selected. More on that in a bit.
Lastly, the touchscreen is even more responsive now with greatly reduced latency because of the 240Hz touch sampling. The OnePlus 8 touch sensors worked at 180Hz, while its screen refresh rate was capped at 90Hz.
This new Fluid AMOLED screen, as OnePlus has named it, also supports HDR10+, HDR10, and HGL content. There is support of Widevine L1 DRM, the highest level, which means you can enjoy Netflix and the likes in the highest possible quality, HDR and all.
Now, let's talk about the refresh rate.
When using Dark mode, the display will switch from 120Hz to 60Hz in some apps, such as Google Maps, Camera, and YouTube. It will also do that when playing fullscreen video and in games, which we will discuss later. Also, some third party browsers are still limited to 60Hz, with Chrome and Firefox being the only browsers that we tested with that support high refresh rates.
When not using Dark mode, the display will also switch from 120Hz to 60Hz when you stop interacting with the touchscreen regardless of which application you are in. The display will wait 3 seconds and then drop down the refresh rate automatically to 60Hz. Since you aren't interacting with the display, this change is imperceptible. When you touch the screen again, the refresh rate will jump back up to 120Hz instantly. This transition happens quickly enough that once again, the change is imperceptible. For that to work, the display brightness has to be above 50%.
Below 50%, the refresh rate remains constant at 120fps, even if you don't interact with the display.
The lack of high refresh rate gaming support is something else that bothers us with recent OnePlus phones. It's not entirely absent; OnePlus did, after all, partner with Fortnite and PUBG Mobile to enable 90Hz refresh rate in those titles only. Depending upon where you live in the world, you would find either one or both of those titles being unavailable on the Google Play Store.
Outside of those two titles, none of the games on the Play Store support high refresh rates on OnePlus phones. It's not an issue with the games; there are a few which we know for a fact to support as high as 144Hz on phones from ASUS and other brands. The issue is that OnePlus prevents running games at anything higher than 60Hz.
Watching HDR content also brings forth one issue with the display on the OnePlus 8T, something we also observed on the OnePlus Nord, where the display area outside the video frame isn't black as it should be but dark gray. This is noticeable when you are watching HDR content in a dark room. You can see the screen area to the left and right side of the video is noticeably gray when it should be perfectly black, considering this is an OLED panel. This issue only surfaces in HDR and not in SDR content.
And just like the Nord, the OnePlus 8T does not offer a DC dimming option.
We did our standardized brightness test, which we use to compare displays across devices, and the OnePlus 8T maxed out at 500 nits with the manual brightness slider, but when we tested its Automatic brightness in bright daylight, it reached north of 800 nits.
That's not near the advertised 1,100 nits, but the max brightness AMOLEDs can pump out depends on the size of the test pattern on the screen. Our test pattern takes up 75% of the screen during measurement, and this is consistent across all measurements we do. However, manufacturers are free to choose their preferred testing methodology, and OnePlus has probably tested with a much smaller test pattern. This can match the use cases where you are watching an HDR video, and only a fraction of the screen is showing white, so that's fine.
The lowest brightness we could measure on the OnePlus 8T when showing white was 2.6 nits.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 497 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 802 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 538 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 888 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 496 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 803 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 525 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 743 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 429 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 596 | ∞ | |
| 0.432 | 512 | 1185:1 | |
| 0 | 630 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 811 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 510 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 858 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 489 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 503 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 499 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 733 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 425 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 531 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 504 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 1024 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 805 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 333 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 538 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 336 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 532 | ∞ | |
| 0.354 | 460 | 1299:1 | |
| 0.515 | 631 | 1225:1 | |
One final bit of complaint with the display is the slow manual brightness adjustment. Once you adjust the brightness slider to your desired position, it takes some time before the display ramps up or down to that position. Going from the lowest brightness to the highest takes over three seconds, which is the longest we have seen on a phone. This makes it annoying to adjust brightness manually as you have to make changes and then wait for the display to finally catch up before deciding whether you want to make any further changes.
As with the OnePlus 8 series, OnePlus also claims high accuracy in color reproduction on the OnePlus 8T. OnePlus uses DisplayMate's JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) metric to claim a number below 0.55. We don't use this metric for our testing as we rely on the more standardized dE2000 metric for defining color variance.
In our tests, the OnePlus 8T's default Vivid setting has slightly cooler whites and is based on the DCI-P3 color space. This profile yielded an average deltaE of 3.0 and a maximum deltaE of 6.2. We found the Natural profile to be very color accurate: average deltaE of 2.3 and max deltaE of 3.9 in the sRGB space. Meanwhile, the Advanced DCI-P3 profile also had an average deltaE of 2.3 and max of 3.9.
Battery life
The OnePlus 8T packs a 4,500mAh battery - that's a modest 5% or so of improvement over the OnePlus 8. However, the bigger change here is how it is charged, and we shall talk about that in the next chapter.
The OnePlus 8T did great on our battery test across all scenarios - calls, web browsing, video playback, and even standby. It scored an excellent endurance rating of 104 hours.
When compared to the OnePlus 8, the 8T clocked 2 more hours of calls, 1 hour less in browsing, and nearly 4 hours less in video playback. The standby performance remained in the same ballpark.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Realme 7 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Charging speed
The OnePlus 8T is the first OnePlus device to support 65W of charging. It comes with the new Warp Charge 65 power adapter, so you're getting everything you need to charge the phone at its top speed right in the box.
The Warp Charger 65 adapter can push out up to 10V 6.5A to compatible phones. It can do this safely by having a two-cell battery built into the phone. This allows the 10V charging to be split into two 5V streams per cell, so neither cell overheats. The charger itself is also equipped with 12 thermal monitors to keep temperatures in check because all the power conversion occurs in it.
This Warp Charger 65 is also capable of fast charging USB-Power Delivery devices. In USB-PD mode, the charger can push out up to 20V/2.25A or 45W - enough to charge smartphones and tablets, as well as some laptops with USB-PD charging like the MacBooks.
OnePlus is promising a full charge for its new 8T would take 39 minutes. We got 94% from a flat in 30 minutes with this charger - pretty promising.
30min charging test (from 0%)
- Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra
100% - Realme X50 Pro 5G
95% - Oppo Find X2 Pro
95% - OnePlus 8T
94% - Realme 7 Pro
94% - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
77% - OnePlus 7T
72% - OnePlus 8
69% - OnePlus 8 Pro
63% - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
61% - OnePlus 7T Pro
60% - OnePlus Nord
60% - vivo X50 Pro+
60% - Oppo F17 Pro
60% - Apple iPhone 11 Pro
58% - Poco X3 NFC
55% - Sony Xperia 1 II
46% - Sony Xperia 5 II
45%
The full charge was achieved in 38 minutes in our first attempt. The second attempt brought this down to 36 minutes! And during this entire process, both the phone and the charger were only slightly warm. Nice!
Time to full charge (from 0%)
- Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra
0:27h - OnePlus 8T
0:36h - Oppo Find X2 Pro
0:36h - Realme 7 Pro
0:37h - Realme X50 Pro 5G
0:38h - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
0:50h - OnePlus 8
0:53h - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
0:58h - Oppo F17 Pro
0:59h - OnePlus Nord
1:05h - OnePlus 7T Pro
1:09h - vivo X50 Pro+
1:11h - Poco X3 NFC
1:15h - OnePlus 7T
1:16h - Sony Xperia 5 II
1:49h - Apple iPhone 11 Pro
1:50h - Sony Xperia 1 II
1:51h
Because of this rapid charging speed and the omission of optimized battery charging (or similar feature), it doesn't make sense to set this phone to charge overnight. If you must charge the phone overnight, we recommend using a standard 5W charger instead of the bundled charger.
This new 65W charger currently doesn't Warp charge older OnePlus devices. OnePlus phones other than the 8T will just say 'Charging rapidly' instead of 'Warp charging' when connected to this charger. OnePlus says the charger will be able to use Warp charge with older devices when they get the OxygenOS 11 update. However, they will still be limited to whatever their max charging speed is and won't support the full 65W charging.
Speakers
The OnePlus 8T has stereo loudspeakers - one of them is bottom-facing while the other doubles as an earpiece - a setup also known as hybrid because the earpiece is not a fully-fledged loudspeaker. Their loudness is not equal, but they do sound pretty loud.
The 8T scored a Very Good mark on our speaker test, and it's a notch quieter than the previous model.
Music sounds excellent on the 8T - there is enough bass, while both mid- and high-tones are well presented. The balance between the two speakers is also good enough.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Eleven - Oxygen and Android
The OnePlus 8T is the first OnePlus phone to launch with OxygenOS 11 based on the new Android 11. This also makes it the first new non-Google phone to launch with Android 11 since it was released last month.
OxygenOS 11 is perhaps the biggest UI overhaul in the history of the OS. Not only does this version deviate from previous versions of the OS in terms of UI design but OnePlus has also ensured no-one will ever call this "stock Android", even jokingly.
Instead, OnePlus has turned to Samsung for inspiration, with a design that is focused on accessibility by shifting UI items towards the bottom half of the display so you don't have to adjust your grip or use two hands to access the content at the top of the phone's tall display. The top half of the screen then is filled with empty space and large typography for the app title.
Since this new design language is only built into a handful of apps, it doesn't quite make as dramatic of a difference to your everyday usability as you'd hope for. One change you will notice everywhere is the new optional font - OnePlus Sans - which replaces the previous OnePlus Slate. Sans is a much lighter font than both Slate and Roboto and some may not prefer it for that reason as legibility would be reduced for those with poor eyesight. However, if you are someone who likes lighter typography, OnePlus Sans is quite nice with a fresh and modern aesthetic that deviates from the more rounded typography that you normally find on most devices. But that's entirely subjective so your mileage may vary.
OxygenOS 11
So, a prime example of the new design layout is the Settings app. The first thing you'll notice is the massive typeface for the app title in the top left corner of the display. That is followed by a considerable amount of empty space while the first menu item appears nearly two thirds down the screen. The advantage of this should be clear; the top-most item on the screen is now right underneath your thumb.
Lockscreen • Google Page • OnePlus tools screen • Customizations • Customizations
OnePlus uses this design language across several of its first-party apps, including Gallery, Calculator, Clock, Weather, and Recorder. However, some of the other apps don't receive the same treatment. The File Manager app is still the same as it was before. The Camera app is also largely unchanged. As for the Phone, Contacts, and Messages apps, we will get to those briefly as they have their own story.
OxygenOS 11 apps
Another major addition to OxygenOS 11 is an always-on display, a feature that has been a long time coming. The option is slipped into the Ambient display settings where you can now choose to have the ambient display be permanently enabled or within a certain period. You have all the new clock options that were introduced in the recent version of OxygenOS 10 (including Horizon light) along with a couple of new ones for OxygenOS 11.
One of these is called Insight, which will show you how often you unlocked and used your phone during the day, the aim being to guilt you into using your phone less.
Always-on display settings
The other one is Canvas, which creates a simple outline of portrait photos in your gallery. Because it's just an outline of the person's face or body, it doesn't consume many resources. When you wake up the phone, the outline turns into the actual photo. The last one is Bitmoji, which is made in collaboration with Snapchat, and will show an outline of your Bitmoji avatar as AOD and the avatar will change through the course of the day.
Canvas and Bitmoji won't be available at launch and will be arriving in a later update.
OnePlus has also slightly altered how dark mode works in OxygenOS 11. Instead of being part of the themes menu under Customization, it's now a straightforward dark mode option under Display settings. This also means you can now set the dark mode to be either on permanently, from sunset to sunrise, and during a custom time range.
You can also force apps that don't otherwise support dark mode to have a dark UI. This can cause apps to look weird sometimes so it's not something you'd want to enable for everything. Also, some apps have their own dark mode that doesn't sync with the option built into the OS, so may want to check for that first and use that instead of forcing it through OxygenOS.
Here are some other notable features that are part of Oxygen OS under the "Utilities" menu in the Settings. The first is called Quick Launch and is accessed through the fingerprint scanner. If you unlock the phone and keep holding your finger, a carousel will pop up. From here you can drag your finger to a set of customizable shortcuts or apps.
Quick launch
Oxygen OS supports dual instances of supported apps in its Parallel Apps feature. You can use it to manage a second account on Facebook, Snapchat, WhatsApp, WeChat, or any other app that many not support multiple logins.
App locker will block selected apps from being used until you enter the phone's passcode or a fingerprint. This isn't to be confused with "Hidden Space", which is a sneaky way of hiding apps in the launcher.
App Locker • Unlock app • Hidden Space
If you play a lot of mobile games, Oxygen OS has its own game-optimizer tool called Game Space. If you want to go all-in on your gaming experience, Fnatic mode will block all notifications, restrict background activity, and even disable the second SIM to make sure that all resources will go to the game.
Game Space • In-game notification settings • Fnatic mode
OnePlus has peppered several minor changes throughout the OS. OS dialog boxes appear at the bottom of the screen instead of the middle, making them easier to access. In Bluetooth settings, you now get a list of all the codecs that the connected audio device supports instead of a simple HD audio toggle, so you can switch between any of the supported codecs without having to dig through the developer settings.
Telegram would only show bubbles for chats when the phone was in full-screen video mode but not otherwise. WhatsApp would never show bubbles, even though the feature was enabled for it. So far, this feature hasn't gone as well as we had hoped. If this was iOS, you can bet developers would have been ready on day 1.
We are also not too keen on the Device Controls feature, which puts your smart home devices in the power button. You can disable this but that just hides the items and doesn't change the power menu back to the way it was in Android 10. Powering off or restarting is still a three-step process instead of two steps like it used to. On Pixel phones you can hide the emergency button, so power and restart take the entire top row but you can't do that under OxygenOS 11.
Device control
One thing we do like in Android 11 is that you can now finally enable airplane mode and it won't disable your Bluetooth. So if you have headphones or a smartwatch paired to your phone and you are getting on a flight, enabling airplane mode will keep them connected while only disabling Wi-Fi and cellular data.
Those are most of the changes we discovered in OxygenOS 11. As we mentioned before, it is based on Android 11, which means it also carries over many of the features that we discussed in our Android 11 review. This includes things like Conversations, Bubbles, Device controls, notification history, and new permission features.
At the time of writing, there's still not sufficient support for Bubbles outside of a handful of apps, and even the apps that we enabled the feature for only occasionally showed bubbles.
Finally, we have to note that OnePlus 8T comes with the Google versions of the Phone, Contacts, and Messages apps instead of OnePlus' own. We have seen OnePlus do this before on the Nord and it makes just as little sense on the OnePlus 8T as it did on the Nord. Google's versions of these apps are worse across the board and we are sure even Google would admit that. Yet, OnePlus has decided to pick them over its own superior apps.
We do think OxygenOS 11 is a good update overall to an excellent operating system. Sure, it's not stock Android UI anymore - some may argue that it hasn't been for a long time now - but it looks great, nonetheless. And even though OnePlus may have taken a bit too much inspiration from Samsung's OneUI, the change is for the better as the new apps are better looking and easier to use. It even looks better than OneUI, so OnePlus was careful to borrow just the good parts. We also like the new font.
Performance and benchmarks
The OnePlus 8T is powered by the same Snapdragon 865 chipset as the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. It also offers the same two memory options, 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR4X. For storage, however, OnePlus has upgraded to the newer and faster UFS 3.1 from the UFS 3.0 used on the OnePlus 8 series. You get that in a choice of 128GB or 256GB.
The Oxygen performance on the OnePlus 8T is buttery-smooth. The combination of a powerful chipset, fast storage and memory, and a high refresh rate display is a marriage made in heaven and the phone is an absolute blast to operate.
The OnePlus 8T scores a bit lower than its S865 peers on the Geekbench test, but it is a mighty performer, nevertheless.
GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 8
3399 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
3374 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
3331 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
3311 - Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
3302 - Sony Xperia 5 II
3301 - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
3296 - Huawei P40 Pro
3197 - Realme X50 Pro
3175 - OnePlus 8T
3126 - OnePlus 7T
2858 - OnePlus 7T Pro
2803 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
1927 - Poco X3 NFC
1777
GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
996 - OnePlus 8
919 - Realme X50 Pro
911 - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
906 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
905 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
902 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
901 - OnePlus 8T
893 - Sony Xperia 5 II
890 - Huawei P40 Pro
780 - OnePlus 7T
776 - OnePlus 7T Pro
773 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
616 - Poco X3 NFC
568
Just a handful of games are allowed to go beyond 60fps and the GFX Benchmark isn't among those apps.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
78 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
77 - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
77 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
75 - Sony Xperia 5 II
71 - OnePlus 8T
60 - Realme X50 Pro
60 - OnePlus 7T
59 - Huawei P40 Pro
52 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
43 - OnePlus 7T Pro
40 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
32 - Poco X3 NFC
27
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 8
46 - OnePlus 8T
46 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
46 - Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
46 - Realme X50 Pro
45 - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
45 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
42 - OnePlus 7T
41 - Sony Xperia 5 II
41 - Huawei P40 Pro
31 - OnePlus 7T Pro
24 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
24 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
17 - Poco X3 NFC
16
Finally, the OnePlus 8T posted an excellent score on AnTuTu, not that we expected something else.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Asus Zenfone 7 Pro
602934 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
595246 - Realme X50 Pro
592447 - OnePlus 8T
586000 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
573276 - OnePlus 8
564708 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro
563961 - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
543986 - Sony Xperia 5 II
532655 - Huawei P40 Pro
496356 - OnePlus 7T Pro
493901 - OnePlus 7T
485585 - Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
318117 - Poco X3 NFC
283750
OnePlus has always had excellent software optimizations but the company keeps finding ways to shave milliseconds from every nook and cranny it can find. The final result is an OS that has lightning-quick animations and transitions. Not once does it feel like the phone is slowing you down or getting in the way of whatever it is you want to do. The only thing that can potentially do that is a badly developed third-party application.
With the 60fps cap for most of the games - we can say the phone is overqualified for its screen. It delivers hiccup-free gaming experience, in addition to the most fluid launcher we've tested to date.
OnePlus 8T adds a depth sensor for a total of four cameras
The OnePlus 8T has a quad-camera on its back with a rather familiar logic - there are primary, ultrawide, macro, and depth snappers. New to the 8T is the 2MP depth camera, while the other shooters are updated with brighter aperture (primary), wider lens (ultrawide), and a higher resolution sensor (macro).
So, the OnePlus 8T features a 48MP primary shooter, a 16MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP macro snapper, and a 2MP depth sensor. Phase-detection autofocus and optical image stabilization are available on the main camera, while the rest have neither.
The main camera uses Sony IMX586 1/1.2" sensor with a Quad-Bayer color filter, 0.8µm pitch, and f/1.7 26mm lens.
The ultrawide camera uses a 16MP Sony IMX481 1/3.09" sensor with 1.0µm pixels and f/2.2 13mm lens. While this is the same shooter as the OnePlus 8's, it should be offering even wider field of view - 123˚ vs. 116˚.
Third is the upgraded macro camera - it now uses a 5MP GC5035 1/5" sensor with 1.12µm pixels and f/2.4 lens. Its focus is fixed at 3cm distance.
The fourth and final camera on the back is the depth camera with a 2MP GC02M1B 1/5" monochrome sensor with 1.75µm pixels and f/2.4 lens.
The selfie shooter uses the same 16MP Sony IMX471 1/3" sensor with 1.0µm pixels behind f/2.4 lens. The focus is fixed.
The camera app has seen a handful of upgrades in OxygenOS 11. You can now press and hold on the image gallery icon and it will show a new carousel with share options for the last captured image or video.
Camera app
In video mode, you now have the option to record portrait videos and videos with Nightscape. And the resolution settings are no longer deep in the advanced settings, but on a pop-up next to the shortcut for these advanced options.
Aside from those additions, the app is largely the same.
Photo quality
The main camera saves 12MP by default, though 48MP mode is available, too. The default 12MP images are pretty good - with excellent contrast, punchy colors, and commendable dynamic range.
The resolved detail is enough, sure, but it could have been better - especially in areas of high complexity such as foliage, the walls on the castle (it's a kindergarten if you have ever wondered), and the large building blinds on the third photo.
The sharpness isn't ideal either, it seems both sharpness and some detail are lost to the OnePlus processing. We do prefer softer, natural looks instead of the aggressive sharpening many of the competitors are doing, though OnePlus could definitely tune its algorithms better.
As we mentioned, the colors are punchy, meaning they are often boosted - over saturated, tuned towards warmer hues, or unnecessary bright - and not that accurate. The white balance is a hit and miss, too.
Don't get the wrong idea - the OnePlus 8T photos are quite pleasant, it's just that they are not perfect, and we have seen better from competitors.
Main camera, 12MP
But here is something that few, if any, of the OnePlus competitors do - lossless 2x digital zoom. It is done exactly how we've mentioned numerous times in previous reviews it should be done - by cropping the center of the (enhanced) high-res output. In the case of the 8T that's the 12MP center of the (multi-stacked) 48MP photos.
Indeed, the camera seems to be doing a multi-stacked 48MP image and then crop the 12MP center from it. The photos are quite convincing - they are nicely detailed, even if noisy, and you can't tell right away that this is digital zooming, not even if you are pixel peeping.
The 2x shots also offer superb contrast and dynamic range, and just like the regular ones - they don't show exemplary sharpness or color accuracy.
2x zoom with main camera, 12MP
The 48MP photos have the same quality as the 2x zoomed ones - they are just not cropped. Downsizing such photo to 12MP will yield more detail and sharpness though, so it may be worth doing it if you need every tiny detail.
Main camera, 48MP
The 16MP ultrawide photos are softer than the ones coming from the main camera and the noise levels are a bit higher. We do like them though - they have okay detail and fit a lot in the frame, more than the OnePlus 8. The contrast and the dynamic are once again great, while the colors aren't as off as on the main camera.
There is automatic distortion correction, which does a brilliant job, but you can turn that off. The last photo was taken without the auto lens correction.
Ultrawide camera, 16MP
The main camera, with the help of the new 2MP depth sensor, can supposedly do even better portraits. The ones we took turned out quite pleasant, with more than enough detail and proficient subject separation. The colors are, well, not that accurate, but the contrast is pretty good.
The camera offers regular and 2x portraits. The 2x zoomed ones are softer, often noisier, and with even worse color presentation (the last photo).
Portrait photos, 12MP
The OnePlus 8T has a 5MP macro camera with a fixed focus at 3cm distance from the lens. The OnePlus 8 had a 2MP macro shooter of the same kind.
The 5MP macro pictures are okay, but you need to be really close to hit the sweet focus spot and yet even if we were - only one of three photos were usable. There is a lot of resolved detail and the images are vibrant, but the colors are often off or washed out. This camera will do for flowers and bugs, but we'd still recommend using the main one and maybe cropping.
Macro camera, 5MP
The 16MP selfies are very good - they don't excel in detail, sure, but the contrast is great and this time around - the colors stay mostly true to reality. The Auto HDR helps a lot when it is needed.
Selfie camera, 16MP
Portrait selfies are supported, and they are good enough. The subject separation isn't the great, but it is better than many of the single-cam selfies we've tested in the mid-range. The rest - detail, contrast, colors, dynamic range - are on par with the regular selfies.
Selfie portraits, 16MP
The 12MP low-light photos from the main camera are very likable. They are almost always multi-stacked, and their capturing takes a couple of seconds. Some fine detail is smeared during the stacking process and the sharpness isn't great, but the exposure and the contrast are admirable, while the colors are always kept saturated even of a bit overboard at times.
Main camera, 12MP
You can shoot 2x zoomed photos at night, of course, but the results are mixed. Depending on the available light you will either get a slightly noisier 2x crop from the 48MP image, or a digital zoom over the normal 12MP photo (the last sample).
2x zoom main camera, 12MP
The Nightscape mode also takes a couple of seconds and it's not that aggressive, in fact - it acts more like HDR. Nightscape restores some blown highlights, brightens the skies, and reveals more detail in the shadows.
Main camera Nightscape, 12MP
The 16MP ultrawide photos are also multi-stacked and the overly aggressive noise reduction smears a lot of the fine detail. The images are soft and sometimes blurry. Their colors are well preserved though, and the contrast is great.
Ultrawide camera, 16MP
Nightscape works on the ultrawide camera, too, and it takes the same time to complete as a regular ultrawide image - so, you better shoot such photos always in Nightscape.
The photos in this mode are noticeably brighter with better exposure, even punchier colors, and sometimes - a bit more detailed. They are far from great, but if an ultrawide photo is a must at night - this is the way to take it.
Ultrawide camera Nightscape, 16MP
If you are traveling with a tripod, you can also opt for long-exposure Nightscape, which can take up to 30 seconds. It works on both the main and the ultrawide snappers.
The long-exposure Nightscape photos are totally worth the hassle - they are very detailed and natural-looking, with balanced exposure, accurate colors, and striking contrast. They could bit a bit noisy, but nothing quality-altering.
Tripod Nightscape - primary • Tripod Nightscape - ultrawide
You can also take a look at our photo compare tool and see how the 8T stands against some of its rivals.
OnePlus 8T vs OnePlus 8 and the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC in our Photo compare tool
Video quality
The OnePlus 8T can record video in 1080p and 4K on both, the main and the ultra-wide cameras. The main camera can do 30fps and 60fps while the ultra-wide can only do 30fps. You can also choose a more cinematic 21:9 crop for either frame rates or lenses when shooting in 4K. There is no option to record in 24fps, which would have been appropriate for the 21:9 mode.
You can choose to save the videos in H.264 or H.265, the latter being more compressed and thus offering smaller file sizes but with similar image quality. Do note that not all devices can playback H.265 files, especially at higher resolutions and frame rates so you may want to stick to H.264 if you want to move the files around.
The captured audio is stereo, but its bitrate - uninspiring 96kbps.
Starting with 4K 30fps videos from the main camera, we see crushed detail in the shadows and average elsewhere. The colors don't look particularly realistic, just like they didn't on the still images.
The dynamic range is average, too, but we can praise the contrast.
The 4K 60fps mode, as it often happens, trades resolution for frame rate. Even though the output resolution is 4K, the internal capture resolution looks more like 1080p. We are not sure if this is due to some limitations with the sensor or just OnePlus being conservative.
The ultra-wide camera also captured 4K clips with average detail and they have lower dynamic range than the ones from the main camera. Another thing we found is that the frame rate drops down to 24fps in busier scenes.
The colors are still unrealistic, and the contrast isn't as good as on the main camera.
These ultrawide videos are not bad, but not great either. They could do for the social networks, but that's the use we can think for them.
There is always-on electronic stabilization available for all snappers and resolutions.
We shot two night videos - one regular (4K) and one Nightscape (works only at 1080p resolution).
The standard low-light video is okay - the noise is kept rather low and the colors aren't that washed out.
The Nightscape video is shot in 1080p resolution, has wider field of view, and is a bit brighter and with better color saturation.
Finally, the OnePlus 8T also adds a new Video Portrait feature - it works on the main camera only and is limited to 1080p resolution. This uses the digital background blur behind your subject while recording. The feature only works on human subjects and worked reasonably well in our testing, provided the lighting conditions were right.
You can also take a look at our video compare tool and see how the 8T stands against some of its rivals.
4K: OnePlus 8T vs OnePlus 8 and the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC in our Video compare tool
Wrap-up
The OnePlus 8T has enough novelties to be worthy of the T insignia. We are impressed with the new 65W Warp Charge, and we love the new 120Hz screen. The Fluid AMOLED is 100% worthy of its name, and the new Oxygen 11 is truly a feast for the eyes. Once you see how smooth and fast it runs, you just can't go back.
And that's about it. The rest is pretty much OnePlus 8 material - same chipset, speakers, fingerprint scanner, camera. Indeed, even with the minor updates, the camera isn't on par with the recent premium mid-rangers we've seen, let alone the flagship crop. It is a good setup, yes, but the quality hasn't been improved that much since the Series 7, and the lossless zoom is probably the only thing that deserves praise.
The OnePlus 8T is a terrific deal - it is reasonably priced at €600, and there is a good chance many will choose an 8T (€600) instead of the 8 Pro (€780). But we don't see many OnePlus 8 owners switching to the T. And that's fine. The T series are mid-season updates that usually targets last-year buyers.
Alternatives
The recently launched Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is the biggest threat to the OnePlus 8T and vice versa. Both devices cost €600 and offer HRR screens, the latest Snapdragon 865 chips, UFS3.1 storage, high-end cameras, and large batteries. The Mi 10T Pro has a 144Hz display, but it's an LCD unit. It also offers a higher-resolution main camera with 8K video capturing and better quality across the board. Meanwhile, the 8T has a 120Hz OLED and faster charging. MIUI or Oxygen? LCD or OLED? 33W or 65W? It's up to you, but we can bet you will be happy with either.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is also a great alternative with an equally impressive 120Hz OLED, similar performance, and battery life. However, it is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance and offers better camera quality and a proper 3x tele camera. The FE may not be that fast to charge, but it also trumps the 8T with wireless charging and reverse charging options (both wired and wireless). The 4G Galaxy S20 FE is priced like the OnePlus 8T, while its 5G version is €100 more.
Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G • Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
The verdict
The OnePlus 8T is one of these offers we usually call a smart choice. It is a premium mid-ranger at an attractive price that offers a superb pick of flagship features - the screen, the SoC, the charging. The camera may not seem like a winner - it is not disappointing, but it's not ideal either.
OnePlus has just started offering IP68-rated designs, but this is reserved only for its Pro flagships for now. At least the 8T has some protection, which will give you some peace of mind.
Our only real issue is that OnePlus is forcing a 60fps cap on most of the games and all video players and services. Whether this is done for performance, or heat protection, or battery saving - it doesn't matter - the user should have had more control over this high refresh rate feature.
Other than that, while not perfect, the OnePlus 8T is easily likable. It might even be love at first sight if you spent 10 minutes with its fluid Oxygen and fluid screen. We can't recommend it to any OnePlus 8 user, but we can encourage everyone else looking for a €600 or so phone - it is definitely among our top three picks, along with the Mi 10T Pro and the Galaxy S20 FE.
Pros
- Excellent 120Hz AMOLED display
- Likable design
- Incredibly fast charging, versatile bundled fast charger
- Dependable battery life
- Flagship-grade performance
- Powerful speakers
- Versatile camera, good day and night quality
- Excellent UI performance
Cons
- No water/dust resistance rating
- No wireless charging
- Most games locked to 60Hz
- The camera processing could benefit from some improvements
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