The Three Musketeers: Has OnePlus got a killer device for almost every category?

The Three Musketeers: Has OnePlus got a killer device for almost every category?

     2020 has been quite the year already, even just four months into this new glorious decade. Between the fires in Australia and California, the COVID-19 pandemic, and terrible world leaders (U.S. and UK), and losing Kobe Bryant, there's not really much room for anything else to happen (other than hurricane season looming over our heads). Thankfully, all of these factors haven't crippled us just yet.
     The 2020 OnePlus line-up doesn't sound so spectacular on paper (pun intended), but it brings a few firsts for the flagship killer. The potential 8 Lite / Z will succeed the wildly popular OnePlus X, the 8 Pro will feature an IP water resistance and fast wireless charging, and all three devices will be available in some pretty exotic colours. Even though the launch event for these devices is in a week, here is what we do and do not know about the upcoming trio.

Succession

Which phones succeed the current OnePlus lineup? Well, the OnePlus 8 looks to take on a lot of the same specs as a OnePlus 7T, with the only outlier being the rear camera system and the punch hole display. The two devices are actually very alike, leading to a pretty pointless upgrade. The OnePlus 8 Pro, however, could be something to keep an eye on. OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau already told the world that it's top tier phone is sub $1,000, which puts it right below the premium Galaxy S20 series. Though, with specs like the 8 Pro, it could definitely take on the $1,400 S20 Ultra, camera and all. And then we have the OnePlus Z / 8 Lite. This device is primarily a lower end mid ranger, designed specifically for the cost conscious consumer. I might say, it certainly does a good job of keeping up to speed in specs, but I don't believe it really hits the mark price range wise.

Focus: OnePlus 8

In my opinion, if you already have the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, or OnePlus 7T Pro, you might as well just keep it or upgrade to the OnePlus 8 Pro. The 8 seems to be an almost exact replica of the specs of the 7T, but with some under the hood changes and a new camera system. That's about all that's different. 

The new device looks more like a OnePlus 7 or 7 Pro, but features more of the specs of the 7T than those models. It features a lower resolution 6.55" 2400 x 1080 90 Hz Fluid AMOLED display with a left aligned punch hole and the usual in-display fingerprint scanner. The selfie camera in the hole is 16 MP, but is still limited to 1080p30fps video quality. Not a deal breaker, but could still be better. 

Since all of the devices feature 5G, you can expect the Snapdragon 865 CPU and Adreno 650 GPU. The entry level 8 has 8 GB of RAM paired with 128 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, but also has a 12GB RAM, 256 GB storage brother. The RAM modules have been upgraded to LPDDR5 and GPDDR5. The 865 also brings WiFi 6 support and Bluetooth 5.0 support and the device features the usual NFC and GPS sensors. 

In terms of battery life, the entire device is powered by a 4,300 mAh lithium polymer battery with last years 30w WarpCharge 30T. Unfortunately, the 8 does not feature any sort of wireless charging technology, which was saved for the Pro model. But, the 8 will come in some cool colours, including glacial green and a new gradient colour!

Now, on to the changes in the cameras. According to multiple sources, the 8's camera system seems to have degraded in time based on specs. While the 48 MP and 16 MP sensors remain, the 48 is now a wide angle lens, the 16 a telephoto and the last sensor is only 2 MP and could either be an ultrawide angle or a macro lens. Overall, this does not suggest a great camera experience, but many leakers have said that this system will give most other devices a run for their money despite the seemingly crappy specs. Who knows how it will actually turn up?

Focus: OnePlus 8 Pro

While the Pro model lacks the new design like the regular 8, it certainly does not lack its worthiness as a successor. This thing is feature packed, almost as so as even the likes of today's Galaxy devices and iPhones. 

The display reaches 6.78" and has a higher 3120 x 1440 resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and the same left aligned 16 MP selfie camera in a punch hole. So, the Pro already touts a larger display, faster refresh rate, and a higher screen resolution. 

The internals are pretty much the same, with a Snapdragon 865 and Adreno 650, same storage configurations, and the same sensors. However, it also features a larger 4,510 mAh battery which, not only supports fast 30w fast charging, but 3w reverse wireless charging too. The same WarpCharge 30T wired standard is present too. Another first for the company: IP68 water and dust resistance. Finally, the only change left is the rear camera system, which gets a little messy. 

Both the wide and ultrawide angle lenses feature 48 MP sensors while the telephoto lens is denounced to 8 MP, and a quaternary 5 MP ToF depth sensor is featured just to the left of the highest sensor. 

Focus: OnePlus 8 Lite or OnePlus Z

In its early days, this device was known as the OnePlus 8 Lite, the smallest contender in the lineup and likely to cut a lot more in exchange for price. Well, two things we got wrong on this device: the naming, and its core purpose. 
More recent leaks suggest a new successor to the OnePlus X, a lower-end device with a price tag of $249 released in 2015. If this aforementioned OnePlus Z is the true successor to such a great phone, then a lot of you will be disappointed by its price range, with many leaks stating a price of $599. You may not, however, be disappointed by its spec sheet. 
OnePlus phones have featured the marquee 90 Hz refresh rate since 2018’s OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, and it looks like any new device from the manufacturer will use this same high refresh rate. On the Z, the refresh rate is accompanied by a 1080p resolution on a 6.4” Fluid AMOLED panel. While these specs are good, bezel makes a more major appearance on the device this time around.
One thing that baffles me about these devices (8 series included) is the punch-hole and the camera setup. Why? Well, let's start with the punch-hole. On both of the 8 series devices, it is aligned to the left. On the Z, it is centrally aligned. What difference does this make, at all? For me, it just makes it more obvious that you got a cheaper device than the ones available, which might make some people self conscious. Then, we have the camera’s. The Z has amore bulky, rounded rectangle approach aligned to the left of the rear while the 8 series has it centrally aligned in a much skinnier and rotund frame. Begs the question again of why, what purpose does this do for either device?
Now, on to the internals. Instead of opting for another Qualcomm setup, the Z device picks up on the new MediaTek Dimensity 1000 processor. For a cheaper, low end device, it seems like a weird choice as the Dimensity is no low end chipset, being around 1,000 points away in multi-core score against the Snapdragon 865. It may be a wrong choice from OnePlus considering the purpose of the device, but it will definitely allow the device to be a great contender against the likes of Motorola and LG in the U.S. The device even packs 8 GB of RAM and the usual 128 and 256 GB storage configurations. 
          One thing with mixed leaks is fast charge for the pretty big 4,000 mAh battery. While the specs of the Dimensity Chip mentions ‘Pump Express’ charging, which maxes out at 30w, many leakers suggest that the device will feature the 7T’s WarpCharge 30T charging technology. Whichever one is actually used will tell how fast the device will actually charge, since WarpCharge 30T is the same wattage and amps, but provides some optimizations which allows the equipped device to charge faster and stay at higher watts for longer. 

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Well, we only have to wait another week before these devices are announced online at the OnePlus launch event (livestream). I am mostly excited about the OnePlus Z and the 8 Pro, with wireless charging support and an actual IP rating which were considered ‘unnecessary’ to OnePlus just a couple months ago. Lets see the sales of this device and we’ll see soon how unnecessary these features may actually be!

UPDATES
 
The OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro and Bullets Wireless Z debuted at the OnePlus livestream yesterday. This goes against our belief of the OnePlus 8 Lite and OnePlus Z, with a slight naming issue. Either way, these devices are now ready for pre-order in Europe and will be on sale on April 23rd. An exclusive OnePlus 8 UW (ultrawide) device is coming to the U.S. to the Verizon 5G network too. (04/10/2020)

The OnePlus Z is still alive! Not much else has leaked about the aforementioned device, however we do know when it will be unveiled. Or, the month at least.

Other leaks also mention the potential for a Qualcomm processor, potentially the 765, due to a recent sale on the chips. It must be a 5G ready processor, we know that much for sure, but the Dimensity 1000L still sounds plausible. Whichever chipset OnePlus decide on, you can't really go wrong.

 (01/05/2020 @ 08:47 EST)