OnePlus 8T Smartphone first impressions — settling on a middle ground

• The OnePlus 8T has been launched in India at a price of ₹42,999. It will be available for purchase starting October 16 on Amazon and OnePlus.in.
  
• It comes with some essential upgrades like a 120Hz display and 65W fast charging technology.
  
• The OnePlus 8T has been launched at a competitive price just ahead of the festive season, but will that be enough? Read our first impressions to find out.
  

The OnePlus 8T is here. It’s the half-yearly refresh from OnePlus, as has been the tradition for a few years now. It succeeds the OnePlus 8 launched earlier this year, offering some upgrades with a refreshed design.

The launch of the OnePlus 8T is important for the company for two reasons – first, it comes just in time for the biggest festive season in the country. Second, it takes on new launches from its competitors in this segment, like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and the Google Pixel 4A.

I’ve been using the OnePlus 8T for a few days now and here’s what I think about the latest smartphone from OnePlus.


OnePlus 8T price in India and availability

The $4 starts at ₹42,999. It comes in two colours – aquamarine green and lunar silver.

It will be available for purchase on Amazon, OnePlus India online store, OnePlus stores across India starting from October 16.

OnePlus 8T model	Price in India
8GB + 128GB	₹42,999
12GB + 256GB	₹45,999

OnePlus 8T – more of the same, but that’s not a bad thing

With the OnePlus 8T being a half-yearly refresh, it’s quite understandable that it doesn’t bring many new features to the table. However, that is not a bad thing. OnePlus has settled on a formula of major updates in the first half of the year, followed by a year-end refresh with updated features and refreshed design.

The OnePlus 8T sits between the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8T Pro, both in terms of price and features. It has a better, smoother display than the OnePlus 8, and significantly faster-charging abilities than both the previous phones.

It also offers some minor camera improvements over the OnePlus 8, promising better photos.

All of this comes at a slight price increase – while the OnePlus 8 starts at ₹41,999, the OnePlus 8T starts at ₹42,999.

Best value for money OnePlus smartphone currently


The OnePlus 8T is a sidegrade – it shares a lot of features with the OnePlus 8, but offers some essential upgrades in important areas like the display and battery.

For a half-yearly refresh and at a nominal price increase, this is a perfect deal.

However, does it offer enough to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE? OnePlus has tough competition ahead since the Samsung smartphone provides tremendous value, too.

Together, both these phones offer two great options to the average Indian buyer looking for that flagship smartphone experience without spending too much.

In my initial usage, the OnePlus 8T has been extremely fast and smooth; the battery easily lasts an entire day’s use, and the cameras are adequate in most circumstances. Based on previous OnePlus smartphones, I expect the performance to remain consistently good. Come back for a detailed review as I test the phone extensively over the next few days.

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