Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the popular OnePlus 3T goes up against the ZTE Blade V8 Pro. The OnePlus 3T uses an all-metal design, while the Blade V8 Pro uses a faux leather diamond backing. Both offer a solid build quality, and proper specifications, which is unusual considering how little the Blade V8 Pro costs. The Blade V8 Pro sports a dual camera set up to allow photographers to add special effects to their photos, while the OnePlus 3T offers higher specs and a great camera of its own. Which one of these devices has what it takes to win this competition? Let’s see just what these two smartphones have in common and just how much they differ.
The OnePlus 3T and the ZTE Blade V8 Pro have a few things in common. The displays on the two devices are the same 5.5-inches in size. The larger bezels on the Blade V8 Pro results in it being slightly larger in physical size and weighing in at 27 grams more than the OnePlus 3T. The displays use different technologies, but the same different resolutions, and different Gorilla Glass for protection. They both use a Snapdragon processor (US version of OnePlus 3T), but a different model – the same goes for their Adreno GPUs. They pack different amounts of RAM– 6GB in the OnePlus 3T and 3GB in the V8 Pro – but only the Blade V8 Pro has the means to expand its memory via a microSD card. The primary camera areas could not be more different – the OnePlus 3T uses one 12MP sensor, and the Blade V8 Pro uses two 13MP cameras – but both take great pictures. Both have a front-mounted fingerprint sensor for unlocking your device as well as authorizing mobile payments. They both use a non-removable battery, and both have rapid charge capabilities. They come with the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, and the newer reversible Type-C port for charging and data transfer.
Please take a thoughtful 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 3T
OnePlus was selling the OnePlus 3 as their flagship device until the updated Snapdragon 821 became available. OnePlus promptly upgraded the OP3 with the new processor and gave it the name of OnePlus 3T. The two phones are physically identical looking except for a subtle color change to a Gunmetal color, and they added a Gold version that is now available. The Snapdragon 821 is reportedly 10-percent faster Snapdragon 820. Other improvements include an increase in battery size from 3000mAh to 3400mAh and OnePlus added a scratch-resistant lens cover over the primary camera. Besides the base 64GB model, if you want more memory, can now purchase a 128GB model, although neither one is expandable. We are looking at an all-metal device that has excellent build quality at a decent price but how does it hold up to the even cheaper ZTE Blade V8 Pro?
OnePlus and ZTE do not like to use QHD displays, and the OnePlus 3T comes with the familiar FHD display – however, it does sport a new 5.5-inch FHD Optic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a respectable 401 pixels-per-inch (PPI). The OnePlus 3T includes the new Snapdragon 821 with the same dual cores as the 820 clocked at 1.6GHz and another at 2.15GHz and running the same Adreno 530 GPU. The OP3T packs in a full 6GB of DDR4 RAM and 64GB of the faster UFS 2.0 non-expandable internal storage, although you can now order 128GB of internal memory.
The OP3T uses the same excellent camera from the original OnePlus 3. It uses the same hardware but does have a more scratch-resistant sapphire covered lens. It comes with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), a LED Flash, a large f/2.0 aperture, and OIS for stability. The FFC camera increased to 16MP from only 8MP with a f/2.0 aperture to take great selfies and for video chatting. The OnePlus 3T has a larger 3400mAh non-removable battery that includes OnePlus’ Dash Charge that will give you up to a 60-percent charge in only 30 minutes.
OnePlus included both a fingerprint sensor and NFC chip on their OnePlus 3T, allowing the user to make mobile payments as well as Android Pay purchases with a swipe of the finger. Now, if they would only include a model that will work on Verizon and Sprint so that more users could enjoy the OP experience. It runs mostly stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out-of-the-box with OnePlus’ OS called OxygenOS on top but has since been upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat. The OnePlus 3T measures 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm and weighs in at 158 grams. It will cost you about $440 USD for the 6GB/64GB model and about $480 for the 6GB/128GB model, and there is a choice of Gunmetal or Soft Gold.
ZTE Blade V8 Pro
As with most Chinese smartphone companies, ZTE gives you more phone than the low price you pay, and the Blade v8 Pro is another excellent example of this philosophy. The Blade V8 Pro is available now in the US, but only through popular retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg. It has a solid metal frame with a plastic back, covered with faux leather with a diamond style pattern that results in a firm grip that is comfortable to hold. There is no QHD display in this price range, but surprisingly, there is a dual camera setup with some interesting camera software. The Blade V8 Pro includes a Snapdragon processor, an Adreno GPU, and expandable memory. Let’s see if it has what it takes to stand up to the more expensive OnePlus 3T.
The Blade V8 Pro sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD FHD display, which provides it with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a respectable 401 PPI. It uses a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor (MSM8953) clocked at 2GHz and an Adreno 506 GPU to handle the graphics. Qualcomm designed this processor to use very little battery life while still providing an overall good experience. The Blade V8 Pro packs 3GB of RAM and has 32GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card.
For $230, it seems improbable for the Blade V8 Pro to included dual 13MP primary cameras that have bokeh, monochrome, and monocolor modes. Both cameras use PDAF and a dual LED flash that has seven levels of brightness. The user will be able to experiment with B&W or Monocolor photos. The FFC uses a rather large 8MP sensor to capture selfies for social media or to handle a video chat. A 3140mAh non-removable battery powers the device and uses Quick Charge 2.0 for quickly charging the battery. ZTE claims the Blade V8 Pro will last you the entire day on a full charge.
The ZTE Blade V8 Pro is a great buy as long as you are content to use a GSM network, such as AT&T or T-Mobile. ZTE did include Hi-Res Dolby audio for listening through the earphones, and while it does have two holes at the bottom end of the device, only the left hole has a speaker behind it. The 3.5mm earphone jack is on the top of the phone. It does have NFC capability and a fingerprint sensor on the bottom of the front so that you can unlock the device and make mobile payments, including Android Pay. The Blade V8 Pro measures 156 x 77 x 9.1mm and weighs in at a hefty 185 grams. It is available in our favorite color, Black, runs Android 6.0 out of the box, and costs about $230.
…And The Winner Is…
The Final Word
As good as the OnePlus 3T is, as well as its pricing, I have to go with the ZTE Blade V8 Pro as the winner of this comparison. Many times the OP3T wins because of its competitive pricing, but in this comparison, the Blade V8 Pro is an even better value.
Since both of these devices only work on AT&T or T-Mobile’s network, that isn’t a factor. The Blade V8 Pro has the same size display, albeit an LCD, a decent processor that will not hog your battery, a good GPU, dual primary cameras and good sized FFC, and handles Hi-Res audio for your earphones. It does this all for only $230.
Yes, the OnePlus 3T does have a faster processor and more RAM than the Blade V8 Pro, though no means to expand storage. The OP3T has already received its Nougat upgrade, and there is no word on the Blade V8 Pro. At $440, the OP3T is a good buy, but at $230, the Blade V8 Pro is an excellent buy. I simply do not see $210 more in the OP3T to warrant its winning this comparison.
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