So, here we are. It's June, I am on the second week of my vacation, and after weeks of fiddling with my iPhone in an attempt to resolve a couple of issues, I caved in and bought the OnePlus 8 Pro. Yes, I am back to using Android after about five years of sticking with iOS.
When I moved from Android to iOS a few years ago, the Android ecosystem wasn't in good shape compared to the iOS one. The quality and capabilities of the phones weren't very high, and the app store was a mess (sadly, it still is). But things change, and products improve over time, so when I started thinking of replacing my iPhone, buying an Android device was a formidable option.
Now, picking a phone is a tricky endeavour, picking an Android phone is an extreme sport nowadays. There are so many different brands offering way too many options with all variations of hardware, software, and confetti. Samsung S20 latest product line had three different phones, same as the iPhone 11 line, and let's not get into the various mid-range and budget phones. It's a maze and getting out is damn near impossible.
With that in mind, I started looking for a suitable phone. I had few requirements that must be fulfilled by the phone before I can consider it as an option, those were:
- Stellar performance. I don't want phones that lag or break down after you install a few dozen applications on them.
- Great battery. Like everyone else, I don't like being forced to sit next to the power socket.
- Ample storage space. I could live with 64GB, but it's 2020, and I would like to be able to keep most of the data I use on my phone, you know, on my phone.
- Great camera. I take a lot of pictures, and previously I used a Nikon camera, but I don't have it with me nowadays, so my phone is my goto device when capturing a moment.
- Great Android OS. One of the things I hate about most Android brands is how buggy, slow, and generally unstable their modified Android systems are. The closer the OS to the stock Android, the better.
- Excellent display and clear audio. I watch a lot of videos and list to lots of music on my phone. Having a decent display and clear audio is paramount to enjoying these activities.
After reading dozens of articles, watching 40+ reviews on YouTube, and chatting with a couple of friends about different brands and phones, I settled on the OnePlus 8 Pro, the latest phone from OnePlus™️. The phone has a great processor, ample amount of ram, great 120 Hz display, a 4510 mAh battery, and an OS that's as close to the stock Android as we can get.
Specifications
- Operating System: OxygenOS based on Android™ 10
- CPU: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865
- 5G Chipset: X55
- GPU: Adreno 650
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 128GB UFS 3.0 2-LANE
- Battery: 4510 mAh (non-removable)
- Warp Charge 30T Fast Charging (5V/6A)
- 30W Wireless Charging
- NFC enabled
- And much more. The complete list of specifications [Link]
I only had the device for like 24 hours, so I am still getting acquainted with it. Still, I think it's a promising phone that might just change my opinion of Android phone for the better. I will post some more posts about the phone in the future and some of the pictures I will take using this fantastic camera.