Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 8, 8 Lite, and 8 Pro!

A trio of flagship killers is on the way.

In just a handful of years, OnePlus has established itself as one of the most exciting players in the U.S. smartphone market. 2019's OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T stand out as two of our favorite phones of the entire year, and for 2020, it looks like OnePlus is getting ready to wow us yet again.

There's a lot of talk and buzz regarding the upcoming OnePlus 8, and based on what we know so far, it's shaping up to be one heck of a phone. From a 120Hz display to wireless charging, there's a lot in the pipeline.

Whether you're interested in specs, design, or how much the OnePlus 8 will end up costing you, here's everything you need to know!

• OnePlus is preparing three versions
• The designs have been revealed
• Let's talk specs
• A May announcement is likely
• Here's how much you'll pay
• Let's not forget about the OnePlus 7T

Killer flagship

OnePlus 7T

$599 at OnePlus

Still one of the best deals around

Even with the new OnePlus 8 lineup looming on the horizon, the OnePlus 7T continues to be one heck of an Android phone. Between its 90Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 855+ processor, and triple camera setup, the 7T delivers an insane amount of value at a price you just can't argue with.

There will be three models — regular, Lite, and Pro

Typically, OnePlus releases one phone at a time — one in the first half of the year and another in the second half. Last year, the company shook things up by releasing the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro at the same time. This year, we're expecting a OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Lite, and OnePlus 8 Pro.

As the names suggest, there's a pretty clear order of how these phones will coexist with each other.

The OnePlus 8 is expected to be the middle child, offering the flagship OnePlus experience while cutting a feature or two from the highest-end OnePlus 8 Pro to keep costs low. Then, with the OnePlus 8 Lite, we'll get a slightly lower-end smartphone in favor of the smallest possible price.

This is a strategy we've seen from the likes of Samsung and Apple with great success, so it makes sense for OnePlus to also follow suit. That said, if OnePlus is committing to this three-phone release, it'll be interesting to see if we still get three more OnePlus 8T devices in the second half of 2020.

Here's what the phones look like

Now that we've talked about OnePlus's release strategy for the OnePlus 8, let's take a look at the designs we're expecting for all three phones — starting first with the OnePlus 8 Lite.

On the front of the 8 Lite, we're met with a flat display (similar to the 7T) that has a centered hole-punch cutout at the top for the single front-facing camera. Flipping the phone over, the left-mounted camera bump houses two lenses and an LED flash. There's also a time-of-flight sensor next to it.

The display of the OnePlus 8 Lite is said to be between 6.4 and 6.5-inches, there's a USB-C port on the bottom, and OnePlus's iconic alert slider remains. Unsurprisingly, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Moving over to the OnePlus 8, we step up to a display with curved edges and a triple-camera setup on the back (though it appears to lack the 8 Lite's ToF sensor). The hole-punch cutout has also moved to the top-left of the display, and the camera housing is centered.

Lastly, the OnePlus 8 Pro looks virtually identical to the OnePlus 8. It has the same curved display, left-mounted hole-punch cutout, and triple-camera system. However, the 8 Pro does benefit from an additional time-of-flight sensor.

The renders for the 8 Pro make it look like the phone has a thicker top bezel than the regular OnePlus 8, but we aren't sure if this is legit or just the way the render was created.

Speaking of the 8 Pro, January 20 is when a hands-on image of the phone leaked, revealing a design that lines up exactly with the render above.

Along with confirming the OnePlus 8 Pro's design, the picture also reveals the various screen refresh rate settings that'll be available on the phone. In addition to the 120Hz option we'll talk more about below, the 8 Pro will also let you switch to 90Hz and 60Hz if you want to conserve battery life.

Flagship specs are expected

If there's one thing that's consistent with OnePlus phones, it's that they're equipped with top-of-the-line specs. This is something OnePlus has done year after year, and it's something we're expecting once again for the OnePlus 8 lineup.

Spec details are still pretty light, with this being about all we've been able to piece together so far.

Category	OnePlus 8 Lite	OnePlus 8	OnePlus 8 Pro
Operating System	Android 10 OxygenOS	Android 10 OxygenOS	Android 10 OxygenOS
Display	6.4 or 6.5-inch 90Hz or 120Hz	6.5-inch 120Hz	6.5-inch 120Hz
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Dimensions	159.2 x 74 x 8.6mm	160.2 x 72.9 x 8.1mm	165.3 x 74.4 x 8.8mm

The jump to a 120Hz refresh rate is quite exciting, and something that OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed for the OnePlus 8. We assume this means it's also coming to the 8 Pro, but it remains unclear if the 8 Lite will pick up the faster refresh rate or stick with 90Hz.

On January 15, Lau took to Twitter to share a side-by-side comparison of a 60Hz display and the new OnePlus 120Hz Fluid Display — showing just how much smoother and more fluid the increased refresh rate is.

The OnePlus 120Hz Fluid Display: The smoothest, most effortless scrolling experience ever on a smartphone. pic.twitter.com/I4FWP64NfO

— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) January 15, 2020

Another exciting tidbit is talk of the OnePlus 8 picking up wireless charging. This is a feature that's been sorely missing from all prior OnePlus phones, so we'd be thrilled to see it finally make its way with the 8 lineup.

An announcement should be coming soon

For the past two years, OnePlus has announced its first phone releases in May. The OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro were unveiled on May 14, with the OnePlus 6 getting its big announcement on May 16.

Based on that and the detail in which the OnePlus 8 lineup has leaked so far, we'd anticipate another May announcement this year.

OnePlus also tends to open sales for its phones just a few days after taking the wraps off of them, so we should get both in just a few short months.

More price points than ever before

Next, let's talk about price. One of the main draws to OnePlus phones has traditionally been the insanely low prices, but year after year, OnePlus had had a tendency to increase the cost of its phones.

• OnePlus 5 starting price — $479
• OnePlus 6 starting price — $529
• OnePlus 7 Pro starting price — $669

See what we mean?

We expect the OnePlus 8 Pro to cost around $700, with the 8 and 8 Lite being more affordable. Having three price tiers for customers to choose from should lessen the sting of another price hike for the 8 Pro, but it remains to be seen if OnePlus will sell all three models in the U.S. or not.

The only thing we've heard along these lines so far is that the regular OnePlus 8 will be sold on Verizon with support for the carrier's 5G network.

The OnePlus 7T is still a great buy

We're undeniably excited to learn more about the entire OnePlus 8 lineup, but that doesn't mean the OnePlus 7T is irrelevant. In fact, if you're shopping for a new Android phone right now, the 7T continues to be one of the best ones you can get.

The 7T has a fantastic 90Hz AMOLED display, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855+ processor, and a triple-rear camera system that works quite well. There's also a healthy 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a reliable 3,800 mAh battery with OnePlus's excellent 30W fast charging.

Sure, you could wait a bit longer to see how the OnePlus 8, 8 Lite, and 8 Pro turn out, but you can also pick up a 7T right now and rest assured it'll be a reliable phone for years to come.

Killer flagship

OnePlus 7T

$599 at OnePlus

Still one of the best deals around

Even with the new OnePlus 8 lineup looming on the horizon, the OnePlus 7T continues to be one heck of an Android phone. Between its 90Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 855+ processor, and triple camera setup, the 7T delivers an insane amount of value at a price you just can't argue with.

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