OnePlus 8T benchmark shows it could miss a big upgrade

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OnePlus 8T might not be a flagship-killer — here’s why

OnePlus 8T
(Image credit: Pricebaba/Steve Hemmerstoffer)

The OnePlus 8T might not have the flagship power the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 have, with a Geekbench 4 listing suggesting it might not have the latest powerful Snapdragon chip. 

Twitter leaker Sudhanshu tweeted a Geekbench 4 listing for a phone with the model number “OnePlus KB2000,” which delivered a single-core score of 3,843 and a multi-core score of 11,714. It’s believed that the model number and thus the benchmark results are for the OnePlus 8T, which is OnePlus’ next phone and is scheduled for an October 14 reveal. 

Our own testing of phones has moved on to use Geekbench 5 so it’s tricky to compare these scores to the Geekbench 4 ones. But we got Geekbench 4 running on the OnePlus 8 with its Snapdragon 865, and it scored 4,255 in the single-core test and achieved a multi-core score of 13,379. That's a big hike over the leaked benchmarks for the OnePlus 8T. 

As such, this would suggest that perhaps the OnePlus 8T isn’t using the new Snapdragon 865 Plus — found on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 — which would be an upgrade over the Snapdragon 865 found in the OnePlus 8. Normally, OnePlus equips its ‘T’ model phones with the latest flagship Snapdragon 8-series chipset, and it’s been predicted to do the same with the OnePlus 8T. 

However, a previous Amazon listing for the OnePlus 8T has the phone set to use the regular Snapdragon 865. So there’s potentially some truth behind the rumor that the OnePlus 8T won’t have the latest and greatest Qualcomm chip. 

Given the economic problems the world is suffering under the coronavirus pandemic, opting for a less powerful and pricey chip might make good business sense. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE also uses the regular Snapdragon 865 processor, in order to hit an affordable $699 price.

We do know the OnePlus 8T will come with a 120Hz refresh-rate display and 65W charging feeding a dual-battery system. This would be one of the fastest charging phones ever, though the OnePlus 8T won't offer wireless charging like the Galaxy S20 FE.

For now, we’re taking this Geekbench 4 listing with a fistful of salt. The score could be down to an outdated benchmark and a lack of optimization.

We don't have long before we find out the full specs of the OnePlus 8T, which will reveal how this phone will stack up against the likes of the iPhone 12 and Google Pixel 5, both due for release this fall.

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.