Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – we have two Chinese phones from manufacturers known for their high quality and lower pricing…generally a real value for your dollar. Both the Huawei P8 and the OnePlus 2 are beautiful devices with a great build quality and premium look, although the Huawei P8 does have the upper hand in that department. When it comes to specifications, these two devices could not be more evenly matched, which will make choosing a winner in this comparison even more difficult.
Both of these devices have many similarities. Starting on the outside, the physical dimensions are very close in height and width…only the thicker OnePlus 2 stands out in this area with a 9.9mm measurement versus the 6.4mm of the Huawei P8. The displays vary by only .3 of an inch with the 5.2-inch Huawei P8 going up against the 5.5-inch OnePlus 2. Speaking of displays, they both use the LCD technology and a FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Both devices use a 64-bit octa-core processor, just different brands. Both offer a 3GB/16GB model, although OnePlus 2 said only the 4GB model will be produced for a while – which probably translates to the ONLY model. Both offer a 64GB internal storage option as well.
Even in the camera area the Huawei P8 and OnePlus 2 are much alike – each uses a 13MP sensor for the main camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash and OIS, although from our testing, the OnePlus 2 takes the better picture. Most of the usual suspects are there – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and a microUSB port (v2.0 on the P8 and Type-C on the OnePlus 2) for charging and data transfer. Both devices also share a non-removable battery, although different sizes.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
Huawei P8
Huawei would like nothing more than to make a name for itself in the US, and the P8 will certainly help in that quest. It is no doubt a premium device, although the 1080p display needs an upgrade. It is designed with an all-aluminum body and is available in a Titanium Grey or Mystic Champagne body for the 16GB model and Carbon Black and Prestige Gold for the 64GB model. With its solid build and looks, it is every bit a premium device…almost ala iPhone.
The Huawei P8 sports a 5.2-inch IPS LCD Full HD (FHD) display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a respectable 424 PPI as compared to the FHD display of the OnePlus 2 and 401 PPI (because of the larger display). Huawei used their homegrown 64-bit HiSilicon Kirin octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz and a Mali-T628 MP4 GPU. The OnePlus 2 tapped into Qualcomm and used their 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with an Adreno 430 GPU. They both use 3GB of RAM with the Huawei P8 offering either 16GB or 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded via a microSD card for an additional 128GB of storage. The OnePlus 2 also has a 16GB model, but also has a 4GB model with 64GB of non-expandable storage.
The camera on the Huawei P8 ranges from very good when there is good lighting available to simply okay in poor lighting. It has a 13MP camera with autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and OIS with a huge 8MP FFC for great selfies or video chatting. The OnePlus 2 also uses a 13MP main sensor and a nice sized 5MP FFC. Power for the entire device comes from a non-removable 2680mAh battery that just might get you through an entire day of normal usage, as compared with the larger non-removable 3300mAh battery in the OnePlus 2.
The Huawei P8 uses enough LTE bands that you should be safe on AT&T or the T-Mobile network (but always check first). This dual-SIM Huawei P8 has its speaker on the bottom, which is a little weak for speakerphone use. It is running the latest Lollipop 5.1 (upgraded) and it will cost you from $550 – $650 depending on your configuration and where you purchase it.
OnePlus 2
OnePlus’ OnePlus 2 is a nice follow up to OnePlus’ first smartphone from last year, the OnePlus One. The OnePlus 2’s build quality has never been questioned with its solid metal frame and trim. It makes for one nice looking device – however, no matter how you spin it, it is a difficult task to build a device with flagship aspirations at such a low price and not cut some corners. OnePlus retains its FHD display rather than jumping to a QHD as other flagships have done, kept the same size camera and removed the NFC function. OnePlus did add 1GB of RAM and increased the battery from 3100mAh to 3300mAh as well as adding a fingerprint sensor, however, with no NFC chip, the fingerprint sensor can unlock the phone, but nothing else…no Android Pay, no mobile purchases at all.
The OnePlus 2 sports a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 PPI versus the same LCD FHD 5.2-inch display on the Huawei P8 with 424 PPI. OnePlus selected Qualcomm for their 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor and to keep it from overheating, under-clocked it to 1.8GHz. This goes up against the 64-bit HiSilicon Kirin octa-core processor. The OnePlus 2 has two options when it comes to RAM/Memory – 3GB/16GB or 4GB/64GB – although, according to OnePlus, the 4GB/64GB is the only one available for a while. The Huawei P8 packs 3GB of RAM with either 16GB or 64GB of internal memory. There is no room for expansion in the OnePlus 2, but the Huawei P8 does offer room for expansion.
The camera in the OnePlus 2 retains the same 13MP sensor as the OnePlus One, but improved an already great experience by adding laser autofocus, a dual-LED flash and OIS. This goes up against a 13MP sensor in the Huawei P8 that takes decent, but not outstanding photos. For the FFC, OnePlus 2 included a large 5MP camera for selfies or video chatting…a little smaller than the 8MP FFC on the Huawei P8. The OnePlus 2 increased its non-removable battery size from 3000mAh to 3300mAh. This competes with a smaller, non-removable 2680mAh battery in the Huawei P8. Neither device offers a quick charge option.
The OnePlus 2 does come with a great sound ‘system’ built-in to the device. It is also using a newer USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer that uses the newer, reversible plug. It runs OnePlus’ own OS called OxygenOS 2.0 over stock Android Lollipop 5.1. Its LTE works on AT&T and T-Mobile and the OnePlus 2 will cost you about $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was a real tough one to pick – the Huawei P8 has NFC and will be able to perform mobile purchases, while the OnePlus 2 opted for a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device, but left out the NFC chip. The OnePlus 2 does have a better camera and better sound, not to mention 4GB of RAM, but then no room to expand the 64GB of internal memory. The OnePlus 2 also has a larger battery and the newer reversible Type-C microUSB connector, making it easier to plug in.
The Huawei P8 is the more premium looking device, but looks are not everything. It does support more 4G LTE bands, has expandable memory and does have NFC support, but with a price tag of about $150 more for the 64GB P8 model.
Do you see why this one is so difficult? If you want to make mobile payments and have the option to use a microSD card, then go with the Huawei P8. If saving some money and taking better pictures is your thing, then go with the OnePlus 2. No matter which device you buy it will have good and bad qualities – no one device jumps out as the best.
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