The OnePlus 8 Pro has until now only existed in the form of rumors and renders. Now we’ve got a proper image leak, and for better or worse, it looks a lot like the phone that came before it.
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The source of these images is Zealer (via TechRadar), a user on Chinese social network Weibo. The post that was the original source of these pictures looks to have been removed, but we can still have a look at what they were.
We can see a central oblong camera array, much like the one found on the OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T Pro. The OnePlus 7T had its own distinct circular camera bump, but OnePlus seems to have dropped this as quickly as it adopted it.
The front image of the OxygenOS timer app reveals the punch-hole camera that’s been previously rumored, a first for OnePlus. The pop-up selfie camera on the 7 Pro was a great idea, but it takes up a fair amount of space and weighs quite a bit, making the phone larger than some would prefer. A punch-hole takes away a little bit of screen space, but is more space efficient and lighter.
There’s also a 5G marker to be found next to the company logo, which shouldn’t surprise anyone since OnePlus has already released two 5G phones with the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and OnePlus 7T Pro 5G. Whether it will be a default option this time around (like with the Samsung Galaxy S20 series) or you’ll have to pay above the starting price is impossible to say yet, although having a cheaper 4G-only option could be a good idea for sales to users with smaller budgets — a group that has made up the core audience for OnePlus devices.
We’re expecting three total OnePlus 8 models — the OnePlus 8 Lite, the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro, which increase in price from $499 to $549 and finally to $799. All will have 120Hz displays and Snapdragon 865 CPUs, which means they’ll be on par with the Galaxy S20 series on paper but far cheaper. We’ll likely hear more as we approach the expected March release date.
If you want one of OnePlus’ well priced but fully featured Android smartphones right now, the best option is the OnePlus 7 Pro. With its 90Hz display, pop-up camera, smartly designed OxygenOS launcher, and up to 12GB RAM, there’s lots to enjoy here that until recently you couldn’t get anywhere else.
