OnePlus 8 – From Entry-Level Smartphone to Premium Cult Brand

When the OnePlus 8 launched in April 2020 for €699, we saw it as the culmination of a catch-up game: the provider of affordable top hardware had become a brand with its own following. Five years later, we can honestly assess the promise. The device was strong. The brand behind it has since taken a path that few predicted.

What the OnePlus 8 got right back then

Matte-glossy black, in Glacial Green or shimmering Interstellar Glow: the OnePlus 8 looked more expensive than it was. The glass back, rounded edges, and almost borderless display edges made a device that felt like a high-end product in the hand. The 6.55-inch AMOLED display had a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, ran at 90 Hertz, and was rated A+ by DisplayMate. In direct sunlight, it maintained contrasts where cheaper smartphones faltered.

Under the hood was the Snapdragon 865, accompanied by 8 or 12 gigabytes of RAM and 128 or 256 gigabytes of storage. Games, multitasking, 4K video editing: the device didn’t break a sweat. The 4,300-mAh battery was average on paper but lasted longer than competitors with larger cells, and the Warp Charge 30T charger filled it from zero to 100 in just over an hour. 5G and Wi-Fi 6 were not yet standard in 2020, but they were already on board.

The OnePlus 8 didn’t sell on specs; it sold a feeling of belonging. That was its biggest trick and its greatest weakness in 2020.

The camera: what we were too optimistic about back then

Here, a correction is needed to our own enthusiasm from 2020. The OnePlus 8 had three rear sensors but no telephoto lens: a 48MP main sensor based on Sony IMX586, a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 116-degree field of view, and a 2MP macro lens that was hardly missed in practice because hardly anyone used it. The triple optical and extensive hybrid zoom were only available on the more expensive OnePlus 8 Pro. When photographing with the 8, you got very good pictures in daylight and decent ones at night, but couldn’t match the camera performance of Samsung and Apple of that generation.

Videos were recorded at up to 4K with 60 frames per second, and the front camera had a resolution of 16MP. For everyday use, that was more than sufficient. The gap to the Pro model was exactly the point where OnePlus separated its premium narrative from the actual hardware.

Charging time, storage, and connectivity

In terms of endurance, OnePlus relied on its own Warp Charge system instead of wireless charging, which was missing on the 8 and was quite noticeable for a device in this price class in 2020. However, the battery was full again in just over an hour, which is more valuable in everyday life than the last percent of capacity. The storage couldn’t be expanded via card, but with 128 or 256 gigabytes ex works, one rarely missed the slot in practice.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the OnePlus 8 was ahead of its time: 5G was just being rolled out in Germany in 2020, and Wi-Fi 6 had arrived in very few households. Both were already on board here. When you bought the device, you were also paying for future-proofing, which only paid off over the following years. This argument exactly supported the brand’s premium narrative: not the cheapest smartphone, but one that should last more years.

From flagship killer to sub-brand

The actual promise of the OnePlus 8 was never just about technology. It was the idea of a brand that had built a loyal community with the motto “Never Settle,” which no longer switches to the competition. In 2020, this plan seemed to be working. What came next was a different story. In 2021, OnePlus officially became a sub-brand of OPPO, and development, logistics, and service were merged. OxygenOS, the lean operating system that the fan base loved, technically approached ColorOS of the parent company more and more.

In 2025, OnePlus lost around 30 percent of its market share in India compared to the previous year, according to market observers, while other manufacturers gained ground in the premium segment. In China, however, the brand gained significantly in the same year, indicating a shift in focus. At the beginning of 2026, reports emerged that OnePlus would scale back its international business from spring onwards and focus on the Chinese market. The global cult brand that we celebrated in 2020 turned into a player that withdraws to its home market.

The OnePlus 8 remains a good device from its time, unaffected by this. Anyone still using it has a solid smartphone in their hand. The lesson lies elsewhere: A brand can be built faster than it can be maintained. The promise “Never Settle” was not fulfilled by OnePlus to its own customers.

More from our smartphone section from those years: Huawei P30 – Lifestyle and Performance in One Smartphone and Smartphones for Fashion Shooting.