NOVEMBER 2020 PCWorld 33ambient display that would activate upon
raising or tapping, but the 8T has a real-deal
always-on display like nearly every other
Android phone.
And it’s a good one. OnePlus has put its
stamp on things with three unique
customization options. I only got to try out the
Insight, which was designed in conjunction
with The New School: It offers an excellent
visualization of your digital well-being stats,
including unlocks and overall use. It’s a nice
twist on an old standard. I’m looking forward
to testing the Canvas (which creates line
drawings of your photos) and Bitmoji AODs
when they arrive in a future software update.
The always-on display is part of the
general revamping of OxygenOS, which
tweaks just enough to establish its own
identity without upsetting too much about the
minimal experience. It’s noticeably different
than the Android 10-based version, but most
of the changes are for the better. Android
purists will wail at the further deviation from
Google’s vision, but OnePlus’s continued
refinement of OxygenOS is impressive.A CAMERA THAT KEEPS
GETTING BETTER
OnePlus’s phones have always had good
cameras, but from what I’ve seen so far, the
8T’s is borderline great. On the hardware
side, you’re getting four lenses that rival what
you get in Samsung’s Ultra phones and
Apple’s iPhone Pro:
Camera 1: 48MP, f/1.7, OIS
Camera 2: 16MP Ultra-wide, f/2.2,
123-degree FOV
Camera 3: 5MP Macro, 3cm focal length
Camera 4: 2MP Monochrome
You’ll notice the distinct lack of a
telephoto lens, but in all honesty, that’s never
been OnePlus’s strong suit. I’m still not sure
we actually need a lens
dedicated to something a
digital filter can do, but at least
this one shouldn’t be able to
see through people’s clothing
(go.pcworld.com/sthr).
In my initial testing, the
OnePlus 8T truly shines with
night mode. Previous versions
were somewhat spotty, with
decent brightness but blown-
out details and shaky white
You finally get an always-on display with the OnePlus 8T. balance, but the 8T truly gets it