The OnePlus 8 series is the best of OnePlus: flagship features, fully loaded, but also fully expensive. While the OnePlus 8 Pro fell under the dreaded $1,000 mark, it still starts at $899, with $999 the highest-spec price point. How fast the smartphone market changes; it wasn't that long ago that the OnePlus 6 was controversial for being the company's first flagship over the $500 mark, while the starting point for the whole series was a lean and mean $299 back in 2014.
OnePlus followed initial "flagship killer" ambitions with talk about performance and speed, taking careful steps to cut corners while making fans happy. But more recently the company has shifted its aim and decided to go for premium flagships options, while still keeping pricing just shy of rivals.
The smartphone landscape has changed since the days of the $299 OnePlus One... and OnePlus has changed with it.
OnePlus burst onto the scene as a disruptor, and changing that viewpoint for many is tough. Growing its brand and support has enabled OnePlus to push further into the US than any other Chinese brand, but the result is OnePlus phones with prices that are almost in line with the likes of Samsung, Google, and even Apple.
Let's take a look at a quick history of OnePlus phone prices (main series, no special editions) until now, and see what it tells us about where OnePlus is heading in the future.
Read more: OnePlus phones: A history of the company's entire lineup so far
OnePlus price history
OnePlus One — $299
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, 3GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD display, the specs of 2014's OnePlus One blew people away. OnePlus gambled on a device with no expandable storage and no replaceable battery, plus just 16GB or 64GB of internal storage. While these options were big trade-offs, it still packed a punch. Reviews highlighted availability problems that were once common with OnePlus, buggy software, and poor sound. But the 5.5-inch device delighted many as a hit new brand, if you were able to source one.
Related: OnePlus One with a Pie-based ROM: Does it change much?
With the backing and know-how of BBK and sister-brand Oppo, OnePlus hit the ground running. The OnePlus One offered similar performance to the Samsung Galaxy S5 at about half the price. It wasn't perfect, and it made sacrifices you had to live with, but it was a premium device at a cost no one could believe. It's still the favorite device of many Android enthusiasts when they look back.
OnePlus 2 – $329 ($30 increase)
The OnePlus 2 launched just over a year later with the new 64-bit Snapdragon 810, 3 or 4GB of RAM, a fingerprint sensor, USB-C, an alert slider, bigger battery, and OIS on the rear camera. While the specs of the display were the same, fidelity also increased. It lacked NFC and camera performance lagged behind the leaders.
Interestingly, the OnePlus 2 is seen as one of the worst in the OnePlus stable. The biggest blunder was removing NFC support, which OnePlus said wasn't being used enough. Oddly. Oh, and while a USB-C charging port was a good move, OnePlus crippled its compatibility by not having it conform to USB-C standards. Oops. But valuable lessons were learned.
OnePlus 3 – $399 ($70 increase)
The OnePlus 3 upgraded the processor to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and came with 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (only), an AMOLED display, and debuted Dash Charge as a highly touted new feature. It brought back NFC and an upgraded the camera. The battery was dropped to 3,000mAh.
OnePlus 3T – $439 ($40 increase)
The OnePlus 3T was an iterative upgrade, the first short-cycle update to a previous device. It was an internal upgrade, including the newer Snapdragon 821 chipset and a 16MP front camera, along with a bigger 3,400mAh battery and a new 128GB option.
OnePlus 5 – $479 ($40 increase)
Avoiding unlucky number 4, the OnePlus 5 was the first device in the family to feature dual rear cameras. It lifted the range to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, with 6 or 8GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB of storage. Styled closely to the iPhone 7, it added 16 and 20MP sensors and retained the all-metal design, but removed OIS. Still, it was reviewed as being worth every penny, with some catches.
The OnePlus 5 received stinging criticism for not having enough significant upgrades to justify a price 50 percent higher than the OnePlus 3. The company also caught heat for slow software updates, a "jelly stutter" effect when scrolling, and inflating benchmark scores.
OnePlus 5T – $479 (no increase)
The OnePlus 5T didn't offer significant internal upgrades, sticking with the Snapdragon 835 and 6 or 8GB of RAM, but it upgraded the display to a 6-inch model, with a 2,160 x 1,080 AMOLED screen and an 18:9 ratio, and pushed the fingerprint sensor to the back. The company also added face unlock.
OnePlus 6 – $529 ($50 increase)
The OnePlus 6 brought a new all-glass body and a bigger display with a slightly higher resolution, as well as a Snapdragon 845, a better dual camera with OIS on the main shooter and a new Sony sensor, fast LTE, better water resistance, and new software tweaks. The OnePlus 6 was also the first from the brand to take part in Google's Android beta program.
OnePlus 6T – $549 ($20 increase for base model, higher spec editions unchanged)
The OnePlus 6T came just six months later, with the company removing the headphone jack, adding an in-display fingerprint sensor, reducing the notch size and shape, and debuting with Android 9 Pie. It offered the same specs and almost the identical build to the OnePlus 6, with the removal of the 3.5mm audio jack a controversial choice, for $549.
OnePlus 7 €559/$630 ($80 increase), OnePlus 7 Pro $669/€709 (new)
2019's OnePlus 7 series packed the OnePlus 7 and the high-end OnePlus 7 Pro, a first premium offering beyond the usual release.
The OnePlus 7 retained some of the brand's traditional upgrade choices going for value and performance, while the OnePlus 7 Pro went for a statement about premium ambitions.
Both offered the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, while the Pro went with higher-end triple-camera with a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor, pop-up selfie camera, 90Hz panel, and Warp Charge. The more standard 7 model offered the same 48MP primary camera, but stuck with a 5MP secondary sensor, while other features like UFS 3.0, RAM Boost, Zen Mode, and gaming modes made it across.
OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro: Flagship killer, and killer flagship.
OnePlus did also offer a 5G model in the 7 Pro 5G. This version had limited availability and it was more of a test device ahead of 2020 5G models.
The prices are a little tricky to line up. The OnePlus 7 wasn't made available in the US, just the 7 Pro. The 7 Pro has US pricing and seems cheap compared to the price in Europe, but that's because sales tax in the US is applied afterwards (in Europe, a VAT tax is applied pre-purchase, and shown in the RRP).
So, how do we compare? Given we only saw OnePlus 7 pricing in euros (€559), that's effectively all we can go with. That equals $630 in greenbacks, but there's a pretty good argument that an actual release would've been lower, considering US retail pricing goes without tax. But, we'll never know because OnePlus didn't do it.
OnePlus 7T $599/€599 ($30 decrease/€40 increase), OnePlus 7T Pro €759/$830 (€40 increase)
The introduction of the OnePlus 7T series added a round of refinement over the 7 series. The major differences in the internals were upgrading both 7T models to the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset. The OnePlus 7T Pro stuck with the vertical camera arrangement, and added 2GB more of RAM and ticked the internal storage up to 256GB. That's about it: the changes were so small that OnePlus didn't bother releasing the 7T Pro into the US.
However, the OnePlus 7T had a significant upgrade by taking 7 Pro's major features: the 90Hz refresh rate screen and the triple-camera setup on the rear, now in a circular design.
Related: The best OnePlus 7T cases
Yet pricing again is a little tricky. In the US, the 7T launched for $599. Based on comparable pricing to the OnePlus 7, that shapes up as a good deal and the graph below shows a big dip in pricing. In Europe, the OnePlus 7T launch price was €599, or €40 more than the OnePlus 7.
The OnePlus 7T Pro wasn't made available in the US. In Europe, launching at €759, the 7T Pro saw a price rise of €40 over the 7 Pro, to cover the internals upgrade and refinement (converted: US$830, at the time of launch).
OnePlus 8 $699/€699 ($100/€100 increase), OnePlus 8 Pro $899/€899 ($60/€140 increase)
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro launched with the new Snapdragon 865, 5G capabilities, and high-quality OLED display, with the 8 Pro getting a 120Hz display and wireless charging. Both phones offered higher-spec options, with more RAM and storage, each for $100 more, which brings the highest-spec OnePlus 8 Pro up to $999!
That's a high-water mark and obviously, OnePlus hasn't approached this as a high-value phone but the 8 Pro flagship is still cheaper than the Galaxy S20 Plus or the Huawei P40 Pro, while delivering superior performance in some areas. Not a value champion anymore, but the 8 Pro emerged as one of, if not the best Android flagships on the market. The cut-back OnePlus 8 didn't trim too many corners for the cheaper price, depending on how important wireless charging and a telephoto camera are for you.
Looking to buy a OnePlus 8? Check out our OnePlus 8 buyer's guide
European pricing was also high, but OnePlus did at least offer a better deal in India, Rs. 41,999 for the OnePlus 8 and Rs. 54,999 for the OnePlus 8 Pro.
One problem was the launch, one day later, of the Apple iPhone SE (2020), at $399, sporting few of the flagship features of the OnePlus range, but some surprising specs, including Apple's flagship A13 Bionic chip, for a value price.
The other problem was OnePlus itself. From an Android Authority poll of 16,500 votes, three-quarters of respondents thought last year's OnePlus 7T phone was still a better deal.
What does it all mean?
First, a chart! Here's a look at those prices, from OnePlus to OnePlus 8 Pro:
From the $299 OnePlus One in 2014, to 2020's OnePlus 8 series starting at $699, reaching $999 at the very top. It's been a steady rise in price for OnePlus along the way going from flagship killer to killer flagship.
That isn't necessarily a criticism; the OnePlus flagship platform has added more and more features, performance, camera tech, and included IP rating and wireless charging in the 8 Pro series. Accordingly, it hasn't been shy about adding to the price.
In 2019, my colleague (and habitual OnePlus upgrader) C. Scott Brown tried to untangle exactly what OnePlus was doing with its increasing number of models and pricing strategy. The OnePlus 8 series again muddied the waters given the value of the 7 and 7T series.
$999 considering the specs and competition wasn't outrageous: but the OnePlus 8 Pro is still costly.
The inevitable OnePlus 8T series will face intense scrutiny from the ever-discerning OnePlus faithful as the brand threatens to finally step over that $1,000 threshold. There's hope for budget phone fans yet though!
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau recently stated "there's still a demand' for cheap phones," which all-but-confirms that the rumored mid-range, more wallet-friendly OnePlus Z does indeed exist, and may not just be a one-off device like the OnePlus X either, but perhaps the start of a series of cheap-and-cheerful devices.
What do you make of the steady increase in OnePlus prices? Is it justified, or do you long for a return to the good old days? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out some of our other OnePlus content below:
- OnePlus 8 Pro battery: Can you run that 120Hz display all day?
- The OnePlus 5/5T just got Android 10, which is a big deal (but it shouldn't be)
- Which color OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro should I get?
- OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus: Raising the bar
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