OnePlus 8 – a handy handset

With the recently launched OnePlus 8, the first noticeable aspect is how comfortable it feels to hold in the hand.

Though the OnePlus 8 has a 6.55-inch display, the comfort can largely be attributed to the 8 mm thick body of the company’s latest release. The previous series’ last release – the OnePlus 7T Pro – is 8.8 mm thick and the reduction in thickness has made a lot of difference. Of course, it gets a bit thicker with the supplied clear case.

The OnePlus 8 also gets the Gorilla Glass 5, but the back of the handset feels very grippy without the protective case on. With the OnePlus 7 Series, the glass back felt a tad slippery and a protective case was a must. The OnePlus 8’s rear glass panel does not appear to be a fingerprint magnet in the limited time we have had the set with us. The rear panel feels great without the case. But safety is paramount when owing a premium set, just in case it pops out of the hand.

However, compared purely in terms of looks, the slightly curved Haze Blue back of the 7T Pro appears more premium than the Onyx Black of the OnePlus 8.

The second aspect of the OnePlus 8 is how light it feels, again as compared to the OnePlus 7T Pro. The OnePlus 8 weighs in at 180 grams, while the 7T Pro is 206 grams.

The 6.55-inch fluid AMOLED display has the selfie camera on the top left with the earpiece in the traditional place at the top edge. On the right – on the aluminium frame – is the ring/ vibrate/ silent mode switch as well as the power button. On the left side is the volume up/ down rocker. The bottom houses the SIM tray, microphone, speakers and the USB Type-C port. The rear has the three-lens camera setup with the LED flash. The top has just a microphone.

Overall, the first impressions of the phone are good in our view. We will have the full review of the phone soon.

The OnePlus 8 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, including a X55 5G modem chipset.

The OnePlus 8 is priced at Rs 41,999 (6 + 128 GB), Rs 44,999 (8 + 128 GB) and Rs 49,999 (12 + 256 GB).