OnePlus has been known for offering great value for money. You got top quality hardware at prices that were hard to match, but OnePlus has been slowly moving into line with premium brands.
That move might be set to continue with the launch of the OnePlus 8 series, if prices reported by WinFuture are accurate. The website is reporting that leaked prices come from a Czech retailer, breaking down as follows:
- OnePlus 8 8 / 128GB: approx. €719/729
- OnePlus 8 12 / 256GB: approx. €819/829
- OnePlus 8 Pro 8 / 128GB: approx. €919/929
- OnePlus 8 Pro 12 / 256GB: approx. €1009/1019
That would see a starting price of around £650, quite the increase over the £549 of the OnePlus 7T from 2019. We’re not sure exactly why two prices are given and these are approximate, so we’d expect regional differences.
That’s likely to be justified by the inclusion of 5G. OnePlus has been saying for some time that it will be moving to 5G for the OnePlus 8 series and it’s in the normal models that it’s really felt.
For the OnePlus 8 Pro, you’re looking at a starting price around £820. The OnePlus 7T Pro previously cost £699, but the 5G version wasn’t available with SIM pricing in the UK – it was only on contract so a direct price comparison is more difficult.
So how does this compare to rivals? 5G is looking like a costly option across the board: the Samsung Galaxy S20 comes in 4G only at £799 while the 5G version is £899, so OnePlus is still quite a bit cheaper than the market leader.
The Xiaomi Mi 10, also in 5G, is priced at €799 so OnePlus would be favourable here, although the OnePlus 8 is rumoured to have a smaller display, so it’s not that different.
With 5G still being in early phases, in the short-term that might seem like you’re paying for something you might not get much benefit from. But with people holding onto handsets a little longer – and increased prices likely to reinforce that – the argument is that during the life of your phone you’ll have access to 5G to benefit from the faster data.
OnePlus is set to launch the new OnePlus series handset on 14 April and we’ve been treated to some extra-clear images from Ishan Agarwal, showing us what the black version of this phone will look like.
Original source: https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/oneplus/151783-oneplus-8-price-oneplus-8-pro
