Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – two of China’s most famous phone makers go head-to-head in a battle to see just whether the OnePlus 3 or the Honor 8 can win this comparison. The Honor 8 is clearly the flashier of the two devices, although OnePlus has always had a conservative approach. However, both devices are built rock-solid and feel great in your hand. Both devices use an all-metal design and the Honor 8 takes a more iPhone approach and even has its antenna lines near the top and bottom of the device. Let’s look at just what these two devices have in common, if anything, and then we will take a closer look at each one in hopes that we can determine a winner of this comparison.
The OnePlus 3 and the Huawei Honor 8 are very much designed for the same consumer and therefore have a few things in common. Because the displays are close in size so are the physical dimensions – even their weights are within 5 grams. The displays use a different technology and size, but they are both using the Full HD resolution. Both devices use an advanced processor but are different brands with different GPUs for graphics. They both have a 64GB variant, but only the Honor 8 has expandable memory. Both have excellent camera areas but use different megapixels. They both use an 8MP front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. Both incorporate a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device as well as authorizing mobile payments. They both have a 3000mAh non-removable battery with rapid charge features. They have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, and Type-C reversible port for charging and data transfer.
Please take a careful 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 device in greater depth 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
OnePlus 3
OnePlus is a relatively small Chinese phone maker that believes in building a quality smartphone at an affordable price. OnePlus has frustrated many in the past with their specs, but the OnePlus 3 is their best attempt to date. OnePlus decided to go with a new all-metal design that has become popular over the past couple of years. The design looks very similar to previous models – straightforward with no ‘wow’ factor involved. Let’s see just how well it stacks up to the Honor 8.
OnePlus is still staying away from a QHD display, but the OP3 does sport a new 5.5-inch FHD Optic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 pixels-per-inch (PPI.) The new AMOLED display offers much better color contrasts than the old LCD panel. OnePlus reached out to Qualcomm for their Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with a dual-core clocked at 1.6GHz and another at 2.15GHz and running an Adreno 530 GPU to provide excellent graphics. OnePlus then packed in a full 6GB of DDR4 RAM and 64GB of the faster UFS 2.0 non-expandable internal storage.
OnePlus worked to upgrade the camera area on the OP3 by using a new 16MP sensor, with fast PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), LED Flash, a large f/2.0 aperture, and both OIS and EIS for extra stability. The FFC camera increased to 8MP with a f/2.0 aperture for better selfies and video chatting. The OnePlus 3 continues to use a non-removable battery –a 3000mAh size that includes their rapid charge they call Dash Charge that will give you up to a 60-percent charge in only 30 minutes.
The OnePlus 3 finally includes BOTH a fingerprint sensor and NFC chip allowing the device to make mobile, or Android Pay purchases possible with a swipe of your finger. It runs mostly stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out-of-the-box with OnePlus’ OS called OxygenOS on top. The OP3 measures 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm and weigh in at 158 grams. It will cost you about $400 USD for the 6GB/64GB model. There is a choice of Graphite and Soft Gold.
Honor 8
Huawei released the popular Honor 5X earlier this year. The Honor 8 is its replacement and Huawei’s continued pursuit of going after the millennial market. Since millennials like to shop online, you can only purchase the Honor 8 online, through Best Buy or B&H Photo’s website. The Honor 8 is a real beauty and a flagship in design and specifications. It has glass on the front and the back of the device with a metal frame holding it all together. It comes with a little smaller 5.2-inch display even though that used to be the sweet spot for smartphones. Just how does this $400 flagship stand up to the $400 flagship from OnePlus?
The Honor 8 sports a 5.2-inch AMOLED Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 423 PPI. Huawei decided to go with their HiSilicon Kirin 950 octa-core processor with one quad-core clocked at 1.8GHz and another quad-core clocked at 2.3GHz. It is paired with a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU for graphics. It packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB of expandable internal storage.
The primary camera on the Honor 8 consists of two 12MP sensors with laser autofocus, a dual-toned LED flash, and an aperture of f/2.2. The FFC is a large 8MP with a f/2.4 aperture for taking selfies and video chatting. It also packs a 3000mAh non-removable battery with their Smart Power 4.0 fast battery charging that will give you a 47-percent charge in 30 minutes.
The Honor 8 measures 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm and weighs in at 153 grams and can be purchased in Pearl White, Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, and Gold. The fingerprint sensor also acts as a Smart Key that is programmable to function with one or two pushes. It can be used to open an app or turn on your flashlight, among other things. It packs DTS sound for better listening through your earphones. It is running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Huawei’s Emotion UI 4.1 over the top. It will cost you about $400 online and is an excellent value for the features and build.
…And The Winner Is…
The Final Word
As much as I like the Honor 8, I am going to call the OnePlus 3 the winner of this comparison. The OP3 has its flaws – like no memory expansion – but other than that it holds itself up to the Honor 8. It has a slightly larger AMOLED display, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of memory, a great camera area, and Dash Charge for its battery that will give you a 60-percent charge in only 30 minutes.
The Honor 8 is a terrific device with expandable memory, a great camera area, a programmable fingerprint key, and DTS sound for your earphones.
You really could not go wrong with either device; however, the larger, AMOLED display, the 6GB of RAM, and the Snapdragon 820 and Adreno 530 GPU just tips the favor to the OnePlus 3 for me, especially when they cost the same $400.
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