Last week we announced two large mid-range smartphones. The first is the OnePlus 8T, the latest T update to the OnePlus 8 range. The second is the iPhone 12, the latest in Apple's long-running iOS smartphone lineup. That's why we decided to swap the OnePlus 8T for the iPhone 12.
Continue reading: Comparison of the iPhone 12 series
Which one has the edge? This is exactly what we will discover together when we use the OnePlus 8T against the iPhone 12. Read on to see our picks of these two phones.
OnePlus 8T versus iPhone 12
Technical specifications
display
6.55 inch AMOLED
Resolution 2,400 x 1,080
402ppi
120Hz refresh rate
Aspect ratio 20: 9
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED
Resolution 2,532 x 1,170
HDR, True Tone
Width color (P3)
Contrast ratio 2,000,000: 1
625 nits maximum brightness (typical); Maximum brightness of 1200 nits (HDR)
Ceramic shield on the front
processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
4x Cortex-A77
4x Cortex-A55
Apple A14 Bionic
warehouse
128 GB / 256 GB
No microSD slot
64/128/256 GB
No microSD slot
Cameras
back
Main: 48 MP, f / 1.7, 0.8 µm pixels, optical + electronic image stabilization
Secondary: 16 MP, aperture 2.2, ultra-wide (123-degree FoV)
Macro: 5 MP, 3 cm focal length
Monochrome: 2 MP
4K at 60 fps / 30 fps
front
16MP sensor, f / 2.4, 1.0 μm pixel, fixed focus, electronic image stabilization
Qi wireless charging up to 7.5 W.
Up to 50% charge in approx. 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
MagSafe:
Wireless charging up to 15W
Magnet array
Alignment magnet
Accessory identification NFC
Magnetometer
battery
4,500 mAh
65W charging
N / A
Up to 50% charge in approx. 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
MagSafe:
Wireless charging up to 15W
Magnet array
Alignment magnet
Accessory identification NFC
Magnetometer
IP rating
None for unlocked model
Degree of protection IP68 for T-Mobile version
IP68
Dimensions and weight
160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm
188g
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm
164 g
Colours
Aquamarine green, moon silver
Black, white, product red, green, blue
design
The iPhone 12 uses an aluminum case and has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2532 x 1.170. It still has a huge notch that houses the front-facing camera and facial recognition software. The display is protected by a new material called Ceramic Shield, which adds nanoceramic crystals to the glass. This is said to provide better protection against falls compared to previous iPhone models.
The OnePlus 8T has a 6.55-inch fluid AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080. It offers a refresh rate of 120Hz for smoother gaming performance. In the upper left corner there is a hole for the front facing camera. You can also access a built-in fingerprint sensor. It includes a frosted glass bottom and metal on the sides.
The iPhone 12 is available in black, white, product red, green and blue. There are only two colors to choose from for the OnePlus 8T: Lunar Silver and Aquamarine Green. The iPhone 12 is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance. There is no such rating for the regular activated OnePlus 8T. However, the version sold by T-Mobile under the name OnePlus 8T Plus has an IP68 rating.
hardware
Inside, the OnePlus 8T has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor as the earlier OnePlus 8 phone. The company is launching two models. one with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, another with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The iPhone 12, on the other hand, contains the new A14 Bionic processor with a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU. We'll have to wait for our full review to see if Apple's new processor outperforms the Snapdragon 865 chip. We don't know how much RAM is in the iPhone 12, but it has 64, 128, 256 GB of storage options. None of the phones have expandable storage and none have a headphone jack.
The regular unlocked OnePlus 8T supports sub-6 GHz 5G networks. T-Mobile's exclusive OnePlus 8T Plus includes support for the carrier's normal 600 MHz 5G network and its newer nationwide 2.5 GHz network. The iPhone 12 also supports sub-6GHz 5G, but the US versions are the only ones to have support for millimeter wave 5G networks (mmWave).
Continue reading: The differences between the OnePlus 8T and the T-Mobile OnePlus 8T Plus
The OnePlus 8T has a large 4,500 mAh battery. There is a Warp Charge 65 USB-C charger in the box. This large battery charges 100% in just 39 minutes. We don't yet know the size of the battery in the iPhone 12. However, we do know that it supports a new accessory format called MagSafe. It is used for a new class of accessories that use magnets that attach to the back of the iPhone 12 models. That means accessories like cases, wireless chargers, and more are magnetically attached to the back of the iPhone 12 series.
Apple's new wireless chargers can boost wireless charging by up to 15W. The phones continue to support the more widely used Qi wireless charging standard. However, they only charge the Phone 12 models up to 7.5W. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 8T does not support wireless charging at all.
camera
The OnePlus 8T has four sensors for rear cameras. This includes a 48MP main sensor and a 16MP ultra-wide camera. The phone also has a 5 megapixel macro camera and a 2 megapixel monochrome sensor. In our review of the OnePlus 8T, we found that the images obtained from this quad camera setup were a bit disappointing, including mixed results with night mode shots. The phone also has a 16-megapixel front camera.
The iPhone 12 contains only two rear cameras: a 12 MP wide sensor and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera. It also has a 12MP front camera. We haven't tested the iPhone 12's cameras at the time of writing. However, Apple claims that it supports HDR and Dolby Vision HDR video recording at up to 30 frames per second. The phone even allows users to edit their Dolby Vision HDR video clips on the phone.
software
The OnePlus 8T comes standard with Android 11 and the company's Oxygen 11 skin. With this new version of OxygenOS, the phone looks less like an Android phone compared to previous OnePlus phones. That includes adding a new OnePlus Sans font, a new Always On Display, and improvements to Dark and Zen modes. OnePlus has promised at least two major Android operating system updates for the OnePlus 8T, as well as an additional year of security updates.
Continue reading: Everything you need to know about Oxygen OS 11
The iPhone 12 ships with iOS 14. It includes new features such as support for widgets on the phone's home screen, as well as the app library, which can be used to better organize a user's phone apps. It also provides picture-in-picture support for watching videos or making FaceTime calls while still using another app on the phone. Apple has had an excellent track record of supporting previous iPhones for years with new operating system updates, and we don't think this will change with the iPhone 12.
price
The OnePlus 8T is available now. In the US, only the 12GB / 256GB version is available for $ 749. Other parts of the world can get the 8GB / 128GB version for £ 549 in the UK, which is $ 709 in the US.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 have started. It will officially be available in Apple Stores on October 23rd. Prices for the iPhone 12 start at $ 749 for the 64GB version.
OnePlus 8T vs iPhone 12: Which Should You Buy?
Since the iPhone 12 has not yet been released at the time of writing, we only have the paper specs to compare it to the OnePlus 8T. In our review of the OnePlus 8T, we noticed some of its solid features. These include the larger 120Hz display, support for the fast 65W charger, and Android 11 shipping immediately with the Oxygen 11 skin. Having a phone that costs $ 50 less than the iPhone 12 but has twice the storage space of its lower price rival is worth considering. However, it is disappointing that only the T-Mobile OnePlus 8T Plus model has IP68 protection.
Would you like to try more options? These are the best Android phones that you can buy today
The iPhone 12, on the other hand, has the OnePlus 8T beat in some areas. On the one hand, the iPhone supports wireless charging, which the OnePlus 8T should actually have included. The new A14 Bionic processor could at least beat the Snapdragon 865 processor in benchmarking tests. We'll also have to see if the cameras on board the iPhone 12 provide better images than the OnePlus 8T, but the support for HDR and Dolby Vision HDR video recording is already pretty impressive.
If you can't wait for our iPhone 12 review, you should say that the OnePlus 8T should be a great choice for people who can ignore some of its camera problems. We'll update this post when we test the iPhone 12.
That's our early look at the OnePlus 8T vs iPhone 12. Which is the better buy?
