OnePlus 8T 5G: It just gets better and better

OnePlus seems to have a love affair with the Indian consumer. At a time when Chinese-origin handset makers find themselves unwittingly caught in the geopolitical tensions between the two Asian giants, OnePlus is defying the trend. With a slew of blockbuster launches this year— the high-end OnePlus 8 Pro or the compact OnePlus 8, the mid-range wonder OnePlus Nord that became the highest selling phone during Amazon Prime Day in August or the OnePlus true wireless earphones—the company has firmly entrenched itself in the hearts of Indians.

OnePlus 8T 5G is the brand’s latest offering, its fourth phone this year that this writer has taken up for review. Based on a two-week trial period, I can say this is another great handset from the brand with a stunning display, good all-round performance, long battery life and an impressive camera. If you’re looking for a handset that’s much lighter on the pocket than most top-end phones but still offers plenty of high-end features, you’ve found it.

OnePlus 8T comes in two configurations—8GB RAM/128GB storage (Rs 42,999) and 12GB RAM/ 256GB storage (Rs 45,999). There are two colour options here—Aquamarine Green and Lunar Silver. The colour, material and finish on Aquamarine Green (our trial unit) takes advantage of diffused reflection, a form of light refraction that scatters light in an expansive array of angles and directions, and provides a clean, gleaming surface that solves one of the biggest problems in mobile phone design, leaving significantly fewer fingerprints on the glossy glass back that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, and a metal frame.

The OnePlus 8T’s screen is a 6.55-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED display with a fast refresh rate of 120Hz. I found the on-screen experience top-notch with butter- smooth scrolling. There is super-low response latency, the screen is bright and attractive and great for watching movies or playing games. There’s a fast and accurate in-display fingerprint scanner too.

This phone is equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset and upto 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. A nifty performer, loading apps or games happens in a jiffy, there is no stuttering, visuals look great.

Moving on to the cameras, we are looking at a quad setup on the rear. There’s a 48MP main camera with an aperture of f/1.7, which features both optical and electronic image stabilisation. There’s also a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 2MP monochrome lens. There’s a 16MP front snapper too, which is good for clicking selfies or video calling. Videos or photos, anything that the cameras capture here are in great detail, ensuring users never miss the action.

Lastly, the OnePlus 8T’s new twin-battery charging technology. Its 4500mAh battery can fully charge in just 39 minutes. The 65W charger is equipped with 12 individual thermal monitors to keep charging temperatures at a safe level. Put simply, you can say goodbye to overnight charging with Warp Charge 65. In my usage, the phone lasted more than two days of moderate use.

The OnePlus 8T is a beautiful, classy device that is pretty smooth, fast and responsive, phone calls are crisp and clear too. I did not encounter any lag during its usage. Its user interface is also stable and the phone didn’t stall on any occasion in my use. In a nutshell, a top-end phone that fits your pocket and budget.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Dimensions: 16.07 x 7.41 x 0.84cm (H x W x T)
Display: 6.55-inches, 120Hz Fluid AMOLED (2400 x 1080 pixels)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Operating system: OxygenOS based on Android 11
Memory & storage: 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage
Camera: 48MP + 16MP + 5MP + 2MP (rear), 16MP front camera
Battery: 4500mAh
Estimated street price: Rs 42,999 (8GB RAM/128GB ROM), Rs 45,999 (12GB RAM/256GB ROM)