Nord N100 By OnePlus

£179 purchasing options

Positives Two-day battery life Oxygen OS is a great skin Decent selfies Negatives Boring, cheap-feeling design So so rear camera Slow and unresponsive Only one software upgrade

Bottom Line The OnePlus Nord N100 aims to deliver good value for money. With a big battery, 90Hz panel, and Oxygen OS, it’s a decent attempt to keep up with the competition. However, to achieve this, it heavily compromises its camera, design, and performance. Ultimately, there are better options out there that won’t need replacing as quickly.

Read the full review

Reviews – Android Authority

OnePlus Buds Z By OnePlus

$ 49.99 USD purchasing options

Positives Affordable Good fit Fast charging IP55 dust- and water-resistance Automatic ear detection Bluetooth 5.0, quick switch Dolby Atmos support (limited) Negatives SBC and AAC only, no aptX Companion app still in development Limited onboard control

Bottom Line The OnePlus Buds Z are unpretentious true wireless earbuds for listeners on a budget. If you don’t need bells and whistles like noise-cancelling or multipoint connectivity, you may be enticed by OnePlus. Even with the affordable price point, the Buds Z include premium features like automatic ear detection, Dolby Atmos support, and an IP55 durability rating. These give other cheap true wireless competitors a run for their money.

Read the full review

Reviews – Android Authority

The wait is finally over. The Google Pixel 5 is here! With a more attractive price point than ever before, there’s a lot to like about Google’s latest flagship. However, the Pixel 5 isn’t without competition. The new price puts it right up against more cost-effective brands, including the ever-popular OnePlus.

Value for money has been a cornerstone of the OnePlus ethos for years, while Google is relatively new to the super mid-tier game. But Mountain View is a quick study, building on the success of the affordable Pixel 3a with its new lineup. So, is it worth waiting a few more weeks to see what the Shenzhen brand has in store with the eagerly-awaited OnePlus 8T, or is Google’s phone a safe buy today? Let’s take an early look at the OnePlus 8T vs Google Pixel 5.

Related: The best Google Pixel 5 alternatives

Google Pixel 5: Buy now?

Google is offering its first 5G-ready flagship smartphone with the Pixel 5, but unlike more expensive flagships it is using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G SoC to power the handset — the same chipset found in OnePlus’ budget phone, the OnePlus Nord. The integrated modem and the lower performance point are a boon for battery life and price, but that comes at the cost of peak performance compared to similarly-priced devices. That’s not to say that Google’s flagship is slow; there’s 8GB RAM for smooth multi-tasking. The phone will handle all your day-to-day needs and even most games just fine.

Deep dive: Snapdragon 765G vs Snapdragon 865: How will the Pixel 5 stack up?

What the Pixel 5 lacks in brute power, it makes up for in features. Google includes wireless charging, an IP68 rating, and a great 90Hz display. Let’s not forget three years of Android updates either. That’s pretty much everything that you’d want from a flagship handset, and many brands charge much more for these features. Google has struck a nice balance between performance, features, and price.

The US Pixel 5 model also supports mmWave. This promises even faster 5G data speeds on compatible networks than sub-6GHz 5G. Although this brings the price up a tad to $ 699, it’s a little more expensive than non-US versions of the handset. Still, that’s quite cheap for a mmWave phone.

Google is offering its best in class phone cameras for the most affordable price ever.

Of course, you’re also getting one of the industry’s best smartphone cameras. The formula feels very familiar, with a 12MP main sensor, an 8MP selfie camera, and Google’s software smarts to spruce up the results. The Pixel 5 throws in a new 16MP wide-angle sensor for a little more shooting flexibility, but it’s a considerably more retrained package than the quad-camera setups permeating the market. Still, quality is better than quantity, and the Pixel 5 almost certainly won’t disappoint here.

There’s also software to consider too. Fans of “stock” Android may prefer to pick up the Pixel 5 today. After all, you’re getting the latest Android 11 out of the box and three years of updates. Android 11 includes the new conversation notification, notification history, chat bubbles, a screen recorder, and media control features. Google’s OS is as feature-rich as any other these days.

OnePlus 8T: Should you wait?

We might be waiting on the finer details about the OnePlus 8T’s features, but what we can say for certain is that it will be the preferred pick for the performance enthusiast if the leaked specs are correct. The premium-tier Snapdragon 865 trounces the Pixel 5’s Snapdragon 765G in gaming, heavy lifting, and AI scenarios. Day-to-day, there’s unlikely to be much noticeable difference between the phones. Yet, there’s no doubt that the OnePlus 8T will win out where extra performance is concerned.

The 8T tweaks the existing OnePlus 8 formula.

There’s an overkill 12GB RAM model rumored, and OnePlus is also set to offer a 256GB storage option for media lovers, doubling the 128GB maximum storage option from Google. The OnePlus 8T looks set to win hands down here. The phone is also 5G-ready, but likely on with sub-6GHz support, if you’re on a compatible network.

The OnePlus 8T is also confirmed to support 65W wired charging and is rumored to house a bigger 4,500mAh battery. That’s twice as fast as previous 30W Warp Charge implementations. The phone should also have its own FHD+ 120Hz display, but is reportedly missing the wireless charging and IP rating of the OnePlus 8 Pro and Pixel 5. There’s a quad-camera setup on the way, with a 48MP main sensor, 16MP wide-angle, 5MP macro, and a 2MP monochrome lens. This is a very flexible package that offers more options than Google. However, we’ve had some reservations about the overall quality of OnePlus’ camera setups in the past, particularly when it comes to more gimmicky low-resolution cameras.

Read more: OnePlus 8T: All the rumors and everything we know so far

When it comes to software, OnePlus’ much-lauded Oxygen OS has taken a controversial turn recently. OnePlus’ Oxygen OS 11 software is a bit more heavy-handed on the UI tweaks than previous generations. The OS offers some handy new features though. Those include a new always-on display, tweaks to Zen Mode, and dark mode scheduling. Google’s take on Android is far from bare-bones either, but Android enthusiasts may start leaning towards Google’s implementation.

OnePlus 8T vs Google Pixel 5: Should you wait?

We don’t know exactly how much the OnePlus 8T will cost just yet, but rumors point to a competitive price. One that looks set to see the phone go head to head with the Google Pixel 5.

Rumors point to a €599 ($ 695) entry point for the OnePlus 8T. That’s a smidgen cheaper than the €629 launch price for Google’s Pixel 5, but pretty much the same as the Pixel 5’s $ 699 US price with mmWave in tow. An Amazon Germany listing (now taken down) mentioned a price set at €693.18 (~$ 815) for the more beefy 12GB RAM, 256GB variant of the 8T, which is a bit more expensive. While final and regional pricing may vary by a small amount, these two handsets definitely fall into the same affordable 5G phone category.

Pick OnePlus for raw performance, Pixel for refined software

On paper, the OnePlus 8T should be best placed to cater to performance enthusiasts and will have a speedier 120Hz display too. It’s also expected to offer a more flexible camera setup, more internal storage, and should shave a few dollars off the price tag. However, it’s the Pixel 5 that offers a slightly wider range of features including wireless charging, 5G mmWave in the US, a more refined imaging experience, and perhaps the better software experience too. It’s a very close call between the two, as expected.

The OnePlus 8T looks set to be another very competent handset from OnePlus, but the formula feels very familiar to the OnePlus 8. If you weren’t contemplating a OnePlus handset already, there’s no major reason for fans of Google’s ecosystem to delay any further. Especially after such a long wait for the Google Pixel 5!

Loading poll

Android Authority

When OnePlus announced it would be getting back to its roots and delivering a high-powered mid-range phone in the OnePlus Nord, fans were obviously excited. However, the hopes of fans in the United States were dashed when the company confirmed that there wouldn’t be a US OnePlus Nord.

Related: OnePlus Nord review: Get it for Oxygen OS and value for money

To be clear, the company did confirm that there would be other phones in the Nord series that it would bring to the US. OnePlus has yet to formally announce such a phone, though.

That got us thinking: are you excited about the possibility of a US OnePlus Nord? What about one that would directly compete with the likes of the Google Pixel 4a and the iPhone SE? We conducted one of our usual online surveys to find out how our readers feel about this, and the results are below.

US OnePlus Nord budget phone survey results

There were four possible answers to a simple question: would you buy a sub-$ 400 US OnePlus Nord? The possible answers were:

• Yes, immediately
• Yes, if the specs were decent
• No, I wouldn’t buy a first-gen model
• No, I have no interest

You can see the results in the pie charts above. Interestingly, there are some notable differences between the poll we ran here at Android Authority and the same poll on Twitter. It appears that many more Twitter users have no interest in a US OnePlus Nord, at least when compared to our readers here.

Regardless, the two polls make it clear that the majority of people are at the very least interested in a OnePlus Nord, whether that’s buying immediately or waiting to see a spec sheet. Conversely, the fewest number of people wouldn’t buy a Nord in the US because it would be a first-generation device. Apparently, that’s not a deciding factor for too many of you.

Some of your comments

As usual, the poll results only tell part of the story. Below are some comments from you about a US OnePlus Nord that we thought we should highlight.

EspHack
No. Just keep making the OnePlus 7 Pro for $ 399 instead. Why can’t everyone get this brilliant idea?

@dparag14
They’re randomly doing hard restarts (look it up). Glad I didn’t buy one.

@jgummen
Yes, if it has good specs, then I can go back to OnePlus.

@im_karma95
While it has better specs, I don’t know if I can part ways with Samsung.

Andrew Zuo
Only if they add a headphone jack.

Android Authority

The OnePlus Nord was always likely to face some stark comparisons to rival devices when it launched earlier this month. Packing six cameras in total, the phone embraces the more is better philosophy, but does this translate into stellar performance?

Well, we can only really decide by comparing it to its contemporaries. While the rumored Pixel 4a isn’t yet here, the iPhone SE most assuredly is.

In a recent OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE camera shootout, we asked you to weigh in with your thoughts and pick the overall winner. Here’s what you decided.

Which phone takes better photos: the OnePlus Nord or the iPhone SE?

Results

We declared the iPhone SE as the marginal winner in our shootout but your votes and comments suggest a much larger gulf in quality between the two phones.

Of the over 4,000 votes cast, 65.4% believe that the iPhone SE shoots better photos. It’s not just a victory for the Apple device but rather the one-camera-to-rule-them-all philosophy as a whole.

The iPhone SE packs four fewer cameras than the Nord. A single 12MP sensor at the rear joins a 7MP camera up front. As the iPhone SE lacks an ultra-wide camera and macro sensor, we were unable to include comparisons there, so we imagine the Nord wins by default in that regard?

Related: OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE: Which should you buy?

On that note, the Nord did receive just under 1,500 votes in our survey, or just under 35% of the thumbs up. That’s a fair response for a phone that arguably has a more versatile camera array. Despite this, there’s little doubt though that the OnePlus Nord’s 48MP snapper falls short of the iPhone SE. Shots snapped by the former lacked dynamic range, sharpness, and the color detail of its competitor’s prints. The Nord’s much larger 32MP selfie sensor doesn’t necessarily guarantee better shots either, something we’ve also noticed ourselves.

Quality versus quantity is the primary takeaway from this battle.

Here’s what you had to say

• Neil T: For me there wasn’t a shocking amount of difference in terms of quality. It’s there, but not a night and day difference. The biggest difference for me was the Nord’s pics look cooler while the iPhone’s pics looked warmer.
• Stephen C: iPhone is the winner here.
• Hrvoyay: Nord is very soft, even blurry at times. Not great at all.
• Ellio74: We were told OP was going to provide a flagship camera experience, it didn’t just say from which year…
• Thomas: This comparison shows that megapixel count and number of cameras are so overrated. Oneplus should’ve invested more into having a good main camera instead of adding a useless depth and macro camera.
• D9: iPhone for the win here, with the Nord being fairly mediocre. Oneplus should have ditched the additional useless camera sensors they included only to be able to say we have X number of cameras and instead had two quality cameras on the backside with good processing.
• VJ: iPhone SE. And this just shows you don’t need to have tons of cameras on your phones. Put only 2 but very good ones and same money as well.
• alfonzso: iPhone generally provides the most consistent photos. However, to me it seems like Nord’s colors are more realistic (guessing, since I didn’t see the scenes with my own eyes) in most of the shots.

That’s it for the results of our OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE camera poll. Thanks for the votes and comments. If you have comments on the results of our shootout, be sure to drop them down below.

Android Authority

After months of teases and leaks, the OnePlus Nord has finally arrived. OnePlus’ budget phone may have a mid-range price, but it has some solid hardware behind it. It already reminds us of Apple’s recent iPhone SE, which also offers great performance in a lower-cost handset. But which phone is right for you? Find out in our OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE comparison.

See also: The best budget phones you can currently buy

OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE

Specs

Features

The iPhone SE has the same design and display as the much older iPhone 8. You can expect a 4.7-inch, 720p LCD panel with some big bezels on the top and bottom. There’s also the old fashioned Touch ID home button on the bottom and an aluminum chassis. By contrast, the OnePlus Nord has a huge 6.44-inch Fluid AMOLED display, with a 90Hz refresh rate, very thin bezels, 1080p resolution, and an in-display fingerprint reader. It has plastic rails on the side, with glass on the back, with an extra coating for a better grip in the hand.

The iPhone SE comes in three colors (Black, White, Product Red) while the OnePlus Nord has two color choices (Gray Onyx and Blue Marble).

Our initial verdict: OnePlus Nord hands-on: New beginnings feel familiar

The OnePlus Nord has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G processor inside. It’s not the fastest mobile chip available, but it should plenty powerful for most tasks, plus you get 5G support. The iPhone SE has Apple’s latest A13 Bionic processor inside, which is perhaps the most powerful mobile chip currently on sale. Unfortunately, you are not getting any 5G support from the iPhone SE.

All iPhone SE models come with just 3GB of RAM. You can also purchase the Nord with 8GB or 12GB of RAM (or 6GB in India). Both the iPhone SE and the Nord are sold with 64GB (India exclusive for the Nord), 128GB, or 256GB of onboard storage. The OnePlus Nord also comes with a dual-SIM card slot. The iPhone SE has a high IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, but the Nord lacks any such rating.

The iPhone SE has the same 12MP rear sensor and the same 7MP front camera as the iPhone 8. However, because it has the new A13 processor, the cameras can still produce stellar images through post-processing. It also supports portrait mode and video capture of up to 4K resolution at 60fps.

Related: Apple iPhone buying guide: Which iPhone is right for you?

The OnePlus Nord blows away the iPhone SE, at least in terms of the number of camera sensors. There are four in the back, starting with a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with a 119-degree field of view, a 2MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. This phone is capable of taking super slow-motion videos at 240fps. In the front, there’s a big 32MP main sensor and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide selfie camera 105-degree field of view. The onboard camera app supports a number of features, including a version of night mode, which the iPhone SE lacks.

The OnePlus Nord has a big 4,115mAh battery and supports fast 30W charging. Based on other phones like the LG Velvet that have similar battery sizes and the same processor, you should expect to have to use the Nord all day on a single charge. The iPhone SE has a much smaller 1,821mAh, and even with the phone’s smaller size and the A13 processor this is likely not going to go as far as the Nord’s larger cell. One big battery feature the iPhone SE does have is that it supports Qi-based wireless charging, which the Nord does not support.

Price

The OnePlus Nord will be sold in India, Europe, and the UK. Here’s a quick look at the prices for the three versions of the phone:

• OnePlus Nord with 6GB RAM+64GB storage: 24,999 rupees (India exclusive)
• OnePlus Nord with 8GB RAM+128GB storage: £379/€399/27,999 rupees
• OnePlus Nord with 12GB RAM+256GB storage: £469/€499/29,999 rupees

Meanwhile, the 2020 iPhone SE comes in three models, all of which are available in India, Europe, and the UK:

• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+64GB storage: £419/ €499/42,500 rupees
• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+128GB storage: £469/€549/47,800 rupees
• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+256GB storage: £569/€669/58,300 rupees

OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE: Which should you buy?

We’ve yet to put the OnePlus Nord through a full review and our extensive testing suite, but the early signs are that it’s a very attractive option if you want a great budget Android phone. It doesn’t pack top-tier silicon, but the Snapdragon 765G SoC has so far proved plenty fast for anything bar high-end gaming. We also expect OnePlus has done some fine-tuning to get the best out of the Qualcomm processor.

Likewise, the battery and charging, storage options, 1080p AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, and the six total cameras all round out what is a comprehensive package for a sub-$ 500 phone.

The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE have similar price tags, but take different approaches to make a great budget phone.

The iPhone SE, meanwhile, appears to make more sacrifices to bring a select number of flagship-standard features to a cheap phone. The battery is minuscule by 2020 standards, there’s only one camera, and the smaller 720p display is a lot to stomach, but the blazing-fast A13 Bionic is a massive boon for Apple’s cheapest iPhone. That single camera has already shown it can produce incredible snaps, while OnePlus has a history of struggling with smartphone photography. Throw in the water-resistance rating and wireless charging and you’ve got a great OnePlus Nord alternative.

The software is also a big differentiator. The OnePlus Nord runs OxygenOS, which is one of the most popular Android skins out there. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE runs on Apple’s iOS platform. Both are great in their own right, but Apple’s walled garden approach to software won’t suit everyone. If you want a customizable OS, the OnePlus Nord should be the better option.

See also: 8 things iOS does better than Android

However, it’s worth remembering that Apple does a much better job upgrading its phones to the latest iOS version many years after a device’s release. OnePlus is one of the better Android OEMs for long-term software support, but it has only guaranteed two years of updates.

In this case, it all depends on what you want to get out of your phone. If you are looking for a smaller phone that still has a fast processor, the promise of several years of software upgrades, and one that can take solid images, the iPhone SE is something to check out. However, if you want a phone with a larger display, better battery life, and is a bit cheaper, you should definitely consider the OnePlus Nord.

Of course, we’ll revisit this comparison once we’ve had more time with the OnePlus Nord to see which phone truly comes out on top!

That’s our early look at the OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE. Which one are you considering?

More OnePlus coverage

• OnePlus Nord specs: Your typical mid-range phone or much more?
• OnePlus Nord price and availability: Get all the details here
• OnePlus Buds review: No longer serving the Android community at large

Android Authority

OnePlus has been slowing trickling out details about the OnePlus Nord — the company’s second stab at cracking the mid-range market. We know the name, the processor (the Snapdragon 765G), and a ballpark price, but aside from leaks and rumors, we’ve had no official teases of what the phone actually looks like.

Thanks to a new teaser video (embedded below) published on the OnePlus Nord Instagram page — shared in advance with Android Authority — we’ve now been treated to our first look at OnePlus’ long-awaited affordable phone. It’s a fleeting glimpse to say the least, but there’s plenty to unpack and some brief clues about the OnePlus Nord specs.

The OnePlus Nord appears in the video at around the one minute mark as we see someone make a video call with the phone before slipping it into their pocket. The images in this article are screenshots taken from the video and show the front, back, and right side of the phone.

Let’s start with the most interesting part: the cameras. If you squint closely at the images above (click to expand), you can just about make out the reflection of a dual-lens, punch-hole selfie camera, similar to the Huawei P40 Pro. This lends further credence up a recent report that suggested the OnePlus Nord will sport a main 32MP selfie camera with an 8MP wide-angle shooter alongside.

Related: OnePlus 8 buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know

Things are a little less clear for the rear camera. Early renders hinted that the OnePlus Nord — then rumored to be called the OnePlus Z — would have a triple camera. More recent speculation has pointed to a quad camera setup, however. While it’s not completely clear in the video, the reflection of one of the lenses and its position in the vertical module does seem to suggest that we’re looking at four cameras on the rear. Check out the image below and tell us what you think.

Other takeaways include the color of the phone, which appears to have a cool gray/blue tone. We can also see the button arrangement on the right side. This confirms that the beloved OnePlus alert slider will make its way from the OnePlus flagships to the Nord. Below that lies what appears to be a power button, with the volume rocker outline barely visible on the right in another frame. This tallies with very early CAD renders and echoes the button layout of the OnePlus 8 series.

Editor’s Pick

The OnePlus Nord could be a fan favorite, but it isn’t made for fans

Ahead of the upcoming launch of the OnePlus Nord, Android Authority sat down (virtually, of course) with OnePlus co-founder and director of OnePlus Global, Carl Pei, and VP of OnePlus France, Akis Evangelidis, to talk …

The teaser video, which is intended to set the tone for the upcoming phone, shows clips of young people attending important personal and world events and celebrations. The voiceover references staying true to yourself and moving forward — two themes that OnePlus’ Head of Global and co-founder, Carl Pei, says are integral to the OnePlus Nord’s identity.

Android Authority talked with Pei, as well as VP of OnePlus France, Akis Evangelidis, ahead of the teaser’s reveal. You can read some of the key takeaways from that interview here, where we discuss the core target market for the OnePlus Nord (spoiler: it’s not die-hard OnePlus fans) and the decision making behind dropping to a mid-range processor. We’ll be publishing more insights from our chat later today and tomorrow, so be sure to check back for more on the OnePlus Nord very soon.

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After a recent update, some OnePlus 8 Pro users are reporting seeing Netflix videos in SD when they clearly shouldn’t.

We received a report from a reader named Nicholas who experienced an issue watching Netflix with the OnePlus 8 Pro. Many users are also reporting it on the OnePlus community forum. Apparently, this issue started happening with version 15.5.5, but users have reported that it persisted in version 15.5.6. Users on the forum first reported the problem as far back as May 2, so it has been floating around for a while.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is having an issue with displaying HD video on services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. There’s a Widevine DRM issue, where it’s downgrading from L3 to L1. When the device enters this security level, it’s unable to stream HD and HDR content from various services, which is unfortunate for users looking to take advantage of the gorgeous display on the OnePlus 8 Pro.

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Problems with the OnePlus 8 Pro and how to fix them

The company that pioneered the affordable flagship segment jumped into the true high-end category with the OnePlus 8 Pro. It has a slew of extra features when compared to the regular OnePlus 8 and is …

Windvine is a Google-owned service that’s designed to provide various encryption schemes and hardware security to distribute video content to consumer devices. It’s helpful for a service like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, as they can prevent unauthorized users from accessing content.

However, with this issue, users who should have access to HD content aren’t getting it because Windvine thinks they are not authorized.

We have reached out to OnePlus for comment on the issue and will update this article once we hear back.

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Update, May 5, 2020 (2:20AM ET): OnePlus is reportedly rolling out another update for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. The new Oxygen OS 10.5.6.IN11AA for the OnePlus 8 Pro and 10.5.5.IN21AA for the OnePlus 8 brings some system and camera improvements.

The changelog doesn’t clearly verify if it fixes the ongoing display problems on the phones, especially the OnePlus 8 Pro. The previous update (read original article below) fixed the green tint issue on the OnePlus 8 Pro for some users, but the black crush issue wasn’t resolved. The latter was initially thought to be a hardware problem, although OnePlus has since claimed that it’s indeed a software problem too.

The latest software update mentions that it fixes known issues, but the language is very generic and doesn’t really point to a display fix. You can see the changelog for the update below.

Android Sage

Meanwhile, some users who have received the new update are not too happy with it. A user on Reddit says that the update fixes the green tint issue on the OnePlus 8 Pro when DC Dimming is switched on, but it reappears when DC Dimming is switched off. Another user on OnePlus forums reports that the camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro has become worse since the update and has resulted in images showing random flares. The experience, however, might not be the same for all users.

The new OnePlus 8/8 Pro updates are reportedly rolling out in parts of US and Europe right now. An official announcement from OnePlus and wider availability can be expected soon.

Welcome to the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro update hub. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the latest Android updates for the two devices, including their current versions and when future updates are likely to arrive.

Both the 8 and 8 Pro run OxygenOS, OnePlus’ proprietary Android skin. OxygenOS is known for fast updates that come for a very long time, so be sure to bookmark this page and visit often.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro updates

• Current stable version: Android 10
• When will the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro get Android 11? September 2020 (estimated)

The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro launched on April 14, 2020. Both launched with the latest version of Android out-of-the-box: Android 10. We expect both devices to receive at least two major Android updates in the future — Android 11 in 2020 and Android 12 in 2021.

Days after the phones launched, OnePlus rolled out the Oxygen OS 10.5.4 update for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. It was a minor update, but brought Google’s Live Caption feature to the phones. It also enhanced support for the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earbuds, optimized the cameras and fingerprint sensor, improved system stability and more.

However, a bunch of users started reporting the appearance of a green tint on the displays of their phones. Some also reported a black crush issue which made dark areas of the screen lose detail.

OnePlus then rolled out Oxygen OS 10.5.5 for both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. The update sort of fixed the green tint problem for some, but the black crush issue remained.

The changelog was also tight-lipped about the display problems. The only indication on it related to the display was a pointer noting “optimized the display effects,” which doesn’t clearly mean the green tint or black crush issue.

Let us know which OnePlus 8/8 Pro update you’re rocking in the comments, and if you’ve spotted a recent update we’ve missed, tip us!

Are you looking for another device update? Head to our general Android 10 update tracker at the link.

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One of the OnePlus 8 Pro’s nifty features is support for Warp Charge 30 wireless charging. This proprietary wireless charging tech from OnePlus requires you to purchase a specific wireless charger from the company. In exchange, you have 30W wireless charging that can hit 50% charge in  just 30 minutes, according to OnePlus. That’s just a fraction slower than the wired version of Warp Charge 30, which hits 50% in 23 minutes. The OnePlus 8 Pro also supports Qi, but at much slower charging speeds.

Of course, we don’t like to take any company claims at face value. Plus, there’s more to the whole charging picture than just hitting 50%, such as time to full charge. So we’re going to dive into our data to see how Warp Charge 30 Wireless and wired compare.

Wired vs wireless charging times

Let’s dive straight into the numbers. Collecting the charging data is simple enough, we discharge the phone fully and then track the time taken to fill the battery. We made sure to turn Optimized Charging off to see the fastest possible charge time using the technology.

Despite both charging methods boasting 30W of power, wired charging is notably faster. Time to full charge takes pretty much bang-on an hour, while wireless charging is about 15 minutes slower. The two charging methods start out quite close together up to the first 30%, before gradually drifting apart in charge time for higher capacities. Both also slow down rather similarly for the last 10%. We also see that OnePlus’ claims about hitting 50% charge in just 29 minutes for wireless and 50% in 23 minutes for wired hold up.

The OnePlus charging dock features a built-in fan to help with heat dissipation by blowing a small amount of air across the back of the phone. It’s whisper-quiet and I didn’t notice any heating issues while charging wirelessly. If you’re worried about heat and battery longevity, you can leave OnePlus’ optimized charging setting on to reduce battery load overnight even when charging wirelessly.

The key takeaway is that both Warp Charge 30 versions will have your phone back up and running in no time. But wired charging is still the fastest for quick top-ups from empty.

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I also tested standard Qi charging to see how slower it is compared to OnePlus’ Warp Charge 30 Wireless. I didn’t plot the whole time because, frankly, it took far too long. 4 hours and 14 minutes to charge with what I presume is about 10W Qi charging from a Google Pixel Stand is completely impractical. It couldn’t even hit 50% after an hour and a half. OnePlus’ proprietary solution is much better for a quick top-up throughout the day, even compared to the fastest 15W Qi solutions out there.

Why is 30W wireless slower than 30W wired?

15 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a quite-significant 25% increase in full charge time from the move to wireless. However, it’s not necessarily obvious why 30W wired charging is a fair bit faster than 30W wireless charging. The key is understanding that the rating doesn’t necessarily relate to the power that makes its way to your smartphone.

The wattage rating usually refers to the amount of power consumed by the wall plug, but not all of that power makes its way to the handset. With any type of charging, power can be lost across the power transistors and even the wire from plug to phone.

Wireless transfer across the air sees an even larger transmission loss. The conductive transmitter and receiver coils are nowhere near 100% efficient, so power is lost as part of the wireless transmission, often in the form of heat. With this in mind, wireless will always be slower than wired for the same power.

Although not quite as fast as wired charging, Warp Charge 30 Wireless does a good job marrying fast charging speeds with the convenience of wireless. The only drawback is that you’ll have to pay an extra $ 69.95 for OnePlus’ charging dock if you want wireless charging speeds that are miles faster than standard Qi.

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