OnePlus 6 Red Smartphone Vs Apple iPhone 8 Plus Smartphone - Which Should I Buy?

OnePlus 6 and Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Apple's most affordable, and relatively new, smartphone is the Apple iPhone 8 Plus which has pleased many Apple enthusiasts but is it good enough to turn the heads of Android fans? Well... with the likes of OnePlus introducing the reasonably priced OnePlus 6, and the ever-popular Google Pixel 2 XL still proving to be popular among photography fans, it could have a hard fight on its hands. On paper, the mid-range Androids also line-up better but it's real-life performance we're interested so that's why we've taken the iPhone 8 Plus and OnePlus 6 on a jaunt to the woods, and a few other places, to see how they perform head-to-head. 

If you're interested in another brand that can still capture good photos, have a look at our 'best gear' section of the site where we list the 'Best Camera Phones For Photography 2018' and the 'Top Budget Camera Phones For Photography'.

You can also use the below to navigate more sections of this feature: 

• In The Hand
• Screen 
• Camera
• Photo Quality
• ISO 
• White Balance
• Low Light
• Video Quality
• Battery
• Processor 
• Other Features
• Size & Weight
• Price 
• ePHOTOzine Ratings 
• Our Pick

 

In The Hand

OnePlus 6 and Google Pixel 2 XL

 

The Apple iPhone 8 Plus looks to have a pretty large screen and modern design until you put it alongside the OnePlus 6 which makes the iPhone 8 Plus look a little dated and not quite as slick. Its thin bezels and chinless design just give the OnePlus 6 a much more modern feel and it has thinner edges, too, adding to its design appeal. There is a top-notch on the OnePlus 6 but it's hardly massive and only eats into the screen slightly whereas it's an entire thick strip on the iPhone 8 Plus. 

One of the advantages of the iPhone 8 Plus having a bottom chin is that it has a home button, which also doubles up as a shutter button, and some people prefer these over an on-screen home button that you see on other devices (including the OnePlus 6). However, it's not 'real', it just mimics the feel of a real button and uses touch to activate it rather than a press. 

While we're talking about buttons, the usual lock and volume buttons (which can also be used as shutter buttons) can be found on the usual places on both smartphones but you won't find a headphone socket when you turn your attention to the bottom of the iPhone 8 Plus, just a lightning cable point and the speakers. The OnePlus 6 does have a headphone socket alongside its, more common, USB connection. 

You can unlock the OnePlus 6 with your fingerprint and the sensor can be found on the back, below the dual cameras. The iPhone 8 Plus also has a fingerprint sensor which is built into the home button, found in the bottom bezel. 

Both smartphones fit comfortably in the hand and you can navigate the phones quite easily one-handed. Although, as we always say, it's best to take photos when you're supporting the smartphone with both hands. We'd also always recommend you pop your smartphone in a case as they are delicate things and a bonus of the OnePlus 6 is that it comes supplied with thin, flexible TPU case which makes the phone more grippy but we'd recommend you purchase a better case as soon as you can as TPU cases aren't the most protective cases available. A screen protector is also pre-installed on the OnePlus 6. Apple doesn't give you anything to protect your smartphone so the task of protecting your phone is down to you. 

As you'd expect, the iPhone has a solid build and its glass design does give it a premium feel. It's also quite a weighty phone but in a reassuring 'I'm built really well' way not an 'I'm going to weigh you down' annoying kind of way. In comparison, the OnePlus 6 is no-way inferior. In fact, the OnePlus 6, particularly the red version, is a gorgeous looking phone with its metal edges, rounded corners and overall finish giving it a premium feel. 

If we were to pick one of the two phones simply on how they look, we'd go for the OnePlus 6 as the lack of chin, and bonus red colour, just make it look/feel that little bit more expensive. 

 

The Screen

OnePlus 6 

 

The iPhone 8 Plus features a 5.5" retina HD screen which isn't small by any means but it does look much smaller when you compare it with the 6.28inch AMOLED screen found on the OnePlus 6. The thin bezels, chinless design and small top-notch all, also, help give the OnePlus 6 a more edge-to-edge screen feel. In fact, the OnePlus 6 has a screen-to-body ratio of almost 84% while the iPhone 8 Plus' is only around 67%. 

Both phones offer very good viewing angles, even outdoors, however, when you view photos on the OnePlus 6, they initially look very bright and overly saturated but you can alter the screen settings under "Screen Calibration" to sRGB, DCI-P3, Adaptive, or a Custom Colour, for more realistic results. The brightness can also be adjusted on the iPhone 8 Plus so viewing angles remain consistent. Colours are very well rendered on the iPhone 8 Plus and overall, the screen is clear and sharp. 

Both screens are constructed from Glass but unlike the OnePlus 6, the iPhone 8 Plus doesn't feature Gorilla Glass 5. Instead, Apple says the screen is constructed from a scratch-resistant glass with an oleophobic coating. 

As for resolution, the OnePlus 6 offers a 2280x1080 (19:9) resolution and the iPhone 8 Plus has a screen resolution of 1920x1080 (16:9). 

 

The Camera 

iPhone 8 Plus 
 

Both the iPhone 8 Plus and the OnePlus 6 feature a dual camera on the rear which means you can play around with the depth of field in images.

The iPhone 8 Plus' rear camera is the same 12mp camera you find on the more expensive iPhone X and it also features an f/1.8 wide-angle lens (28mm equivalent) and an f/2.8 telephoto lens (56mm equivalent). The dual cameras (20mp used for portrait mode/depth effects and 16mp) on the back of the OnePlus 6 smartphone both have an f/1.7 aperture which should improve low light performance and they're much brighter lenses than the ones built into the iPhone 8 Plus (we were able to take photos at shutter speeds of 1/8s, handheld, with the OnePlus 6 - result). 

Both smartphones feature Optical Image Stabilisation but those who like to take selfies will prefer to do so with the OnePlus 6 as it has a 16mp front-facing camera while the front camera on the iPhone 8 Plus only has 7mp. 

An HDR mode is available on both smartphones and they both also capture 4K as well as HDR and slo-mo video (something we'll cover in more detail further into the article). 

 

OnePlus 6 RED

 

A zoom feature is built into both smartphones but it's only optical on the iPhone 8 Plus. On the OnePlus 6 it's digital, unfortunately, so results when using it aren't that great. 

Android phones certainly offer more in terms of camera functions when compared with iPhones and the native camera app built into the Apple iPhone 8 Plus doesn't offer anything for photographers to go 'wow' at. There are a few basic options but there's no Pro mode built-in as there is on the OnePlus 6 but both do have the ability to create depth maps so you can introduce digital bokeh to images. However, this isn't possible with the front-facing camera on the iPhone 8 Plus but the mode can be used when taking selfies with the OnePlus 6. 

 

Quick Summary:

• OnePlus 6: Dual cameras (16mp f/1.7 main camera, 20mp f/1.7 second camera), OIS, 16mp, f/2.0 selfie camera, Pro Mode 
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus: Dual cameras (12mp rear camera sensors, Wide-angle f/1.8 lens (OIS) and Telephoto f/2.8 lens), 7mp f/2.2 selfie camera

 

OnePlus 6 Vs Apple iPhone 8 Plus Photo Quality 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

When viewed large, it's easy to see that the OnePlus 6 has preserved shadow detail better than the iPhone 8 Plus and colours are slightly more natural, too. The iPhone 8 Plus hasn't done a bad job, it's just that the OnePlus 6 has captured the scene better. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

The dynamic range in the image captured with the OnePlus 6 is much better than that of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus with detail in shadow as well as highlight areas been preserved much better. The tree trunks are far too dark in the image captured with the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and the whole image actually feels much darker. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

There's more detail in the shadow areas of the trees captured with the OnePlus 6, but the overall sharpness is better in the image captured with the iPhone 8 Plus. 

 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Light levels in the gym these shots were taken aren't the best so both smartphones have performed well. However, if you enlarge the images and click on the 9KG wall ball to zoom in a little, you can see that the sharpness is much better in the image captured with the Apple iPhone 8 Plus. It's not as bright as the OnePlus 6 images but sharpness trumps brightness for us as this can easily be fixed in Photoshop. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Colours are much more natural in the selfie captured with the OnePlus 6 and the distance from the lens to subject is more flattering, too. When you look closely, detail is better preserved in the image captured on the iPhone 8 Plus with the skin looking a little smudgy in the OnePlus 6 shot. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

The iPhone 8 Plus has been able to capture more detail and make the food look more appetising than it does in the OnePlus 6 shot. In fact, there's a slight cool/blue cast in the image captured with the OnePlus 6. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Both smartphones have a 2x option built-in so you can get closer to your subject without moving your feet and reach wise, there's not much in them. Both images are decent but the warmer tones of the OnePlus 6 are more pleasing to the eye. Detail sharpness is a little better in the image captured with the iPhone 8 Plus, thanks to the telephoto lens, compared to the digital zoom on the OnePlus 6. 

 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

The close-focusing capabilities of both smartphones is good with whites just appearing a little more true-to-life in the image captured with the iPhone 8 Plus. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

There's not much in these images but there's more detail in the shadow areas in the shot captured with the OnePlus 6, greens are a little greener, too. However, once again, when you look closely, sharpness is better in the shot captured with the Apple iPhone 8 Plus. 

 

OnePlus 6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Both images are good but in terms of capturing texture and detail, the OnePlus 6 just pips the iPhone 8 Plus to the post. There's not much in it, though. 

 

OnePlus 6 

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Strong, dappled light proved to be a bit difficult, in places, for the iPhone 8 Plus, with lens flare becoming an issue. Where light levels are more balanced, it did do a pretty good job and there are no problems with bad stitching. 

The OnePlus 6 panorama is evenly lit throughout, no problems with exposure, good level of detail and it's stitched well. Although, care needs to be taken to get the panning speed right, as stitching issues can be a problem if you get this wrong. 

 

More Sample Photos 

 

OnePlus 6 Sample Photos

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus Sample Photos

 

ISO Comparison

• OnePlus 6 - ISO range: ISO100 to ISO3200
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus - The iPhone 8 Plus' native camera app doesn't have these options built-in, we had to use the Adobe Lightroom for mobile app to capture ISO shots. 

 

OnePlus 6

In the Pro mode, you can manually set the ISO speed from ISO100 to ISO3200. For the best detail, and lowest noise we'd recommend using the lower ISO speeds where possible, from ISO100 to ISO800. Noise is well controlled until you get the ISO3200, where noise becomes excessive. However, when using the auto modes, noise appears reasonable even when shooting at higher ISO speeds of ISO4000 and ISO5000, however fine detail suffers. Distortion is noticeable in these images, too.

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

As the iPhone 8 Plus' native camera app doesn't have these options built-in, we had to use the Adobe Lightroom for mobile app to capture ISO test shots. 

Noise levels don't tend to be a problem until you reach ISO 800 but images aren't unusable even at the higher ISO numbers. Overall, the smartphone handles noise well in most situations (low light can still be tricky).

 

OnePlus 6  | ISO 100

Apple iPhone 8 Plus |  ISO 100

 

 

OnePlus 6  | ISO 800

Apple iPhone 8 Plus |  ISO 800

 

 

White Balance Comparison

 

OnePlus 6 

Auto White Balance (AWB) gives warm results under tungsten lighting, and mixed light but it performs well under fluorescent lighting. In Pro mode, you can adjust the white balance using a Kelvin (K) slider to select the colour temperature.

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus 

Auto White Balance is excellent, so much so that it doesn't really matter that you can't change white balance settings in the native camera. Results are very good under mixed lighting but can be warmer under Tungsten, however, this is something most people look for anyway. Overall, colour reproduction was good under various lighting situations. (Note: we had to use the Adobe Lightroom for mobile app to capture White Balance test shots.)

 

AWB Tungsten

OnePlus 6  |  AWB Tungsten

Apple iPhone 8 Plus |  AWB Tungsten

 

Low Light

Both smartphones have OIS built-in and a decent aperture to help with low light performance but even a shot captured at 10:30 at night, when there was hardly any light left, is proven to be a bit difficult for both smartphones. Although, the Apple iPhone 8 Plus has brightened it considerably, but, a lot of noise does fill the frame. 

We're not sure what happened when capturing the same scene with the OnePlus 6 but something went very wrong as it didn't preserve any detail at all when previously, it's performed amicably in low light (see the full review for more low light sample images). 

 

OnePlus 6

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

 

Video Quality 

 

OnePlus 6 

The OnePlus 6 smartphone captures 4K video at 30/60fps, 1080p at 30/60fps and 720p at 30fps. There's also a super slow motion where you can capture 1080p videos at 240fps or 720p videos at 480fps and time-lapse is built-in. The slow-mo mode isn't quite as slow as what the Samsung Galaxy S9 can capture footage at but when you consider how much more the S9 costs, you can forgive OnePlus. Although, it can capture around a minute of slo-mo footage which equates to around a 6-minute video when played back which is awesome but it can struggle in low light. A cool feature is the built-in video editor which isn't something you see every day and you can use the LED light as well as optical image stabilisation when shooting video footage. 

In the videos we captured, overall detail is good, although flare from the sun is visible in the video below, and optical image stabilisation helps keep footage stable and smooth. 

 

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

The iPhone 8 Plus will record in 4K at 60, 30, and 24fps. It also records 1080p HD video at 60 or 30fps. Optical image stabilisation is used while recording video footage (cinematic video stabilisation at 1080p and 720p) and you can switch from the wide angle to the telephoto lens while filming. There is the option to use the digital zoom but it's best avoided if you can. 

Slo-mo video can be captured in 1080p at 120 or 240fps and there's also an option to capture time€‘lapse video with stabilisation. 

The continuous autofocus does a good job at tracking subjects and video quality is good. If you do plan on capturing lots of 4K footage with the iPhone 8 Plus, go for the larger capacity one as there's no way to expand the iPhone's storage. 

Although the camera can shoot in 4K video, it won’t do that automatically through the native camera app, unless you change the camera settings in the main settings area from HD to 4K. 

 

 

	OnePlus 6	Apple iPhone 8 Plus
4K Video	Yes	Yes
Full HD Video	Yes	Yes
Image Stabilisation	Optical and Electronic	Optical (cinematic video stabilisation at 1080p and 720p)
Slow-Motion Video	FullHD video at 240fps or 720p videos at 480fps	1080p at 120fps or 240fps

 

 

Battery

The battery on the Apple iPhone 8 Plus measures 2691mAh battery while the OnePlus 6 battery measures 3300mAh so it's much bigger and also chargers faster.

We ran a number of benchmark tests to see how the two phones compare and these were done using the AnTuTu and Geekbench apps, where the phones scored the following: 

• OnePlus 6 - Geekbench: 2474/9074 (single core/multi-core), AnTuTu score: 287,306
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus - Geekbench: 4216/10185 (single core/multi-core), AnTuTu score: 217,385

 

Processor

• OnePlus 6 - Qualcomm SnapDragon 845
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus - Apple A11 Bionic

 

Other Features 

	OnePlus 6	Apple i Phone 8 Plus
MicroSD Slot	No	No
Water Resistant	Just weatherproof, not waterproof	Water and dust resistant
Headphone Socket	Yes	No

 

Size & Weight 

• OnePlus 6 - 177g, 155.7mm x 75.4mm x 7.75mm 
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus - 202g, 158.4mm x 78.1mm x 7.5mm

 

Price 

• OnePlus 6 - £479.99
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus - £599.99

 

OnePlus 6 Vs Apple iPhone 8 Plus Rating

 

OnePlus 6

"The OnePlus6 is a reasonably priced smartphone with specs that make it fit right at home alongside smartphones with a more premium price. As a result, we think the OnePlus 6 smartphone is an excellent buy."

Highly Recommended - 

 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

"The Apple iPhone 8 Plus is a premium smartphone with a premium feel, build quality and looks."

Highly Recommended - 

 

 

To compare the 2 smartphones further, have a look at the specs table below. 

We have more smartphone comparisons you can also peruse and these include a Samsung Galaxy S8 Vs iPhone X Vs Huawei Mate 10 comparison and should you be an Apple fan through-and-through, we've got a head-to-head of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. There's also a true Android smartphone shootout as we put Samsung's, Google's and Huawei's top smartphones head-to-head to find out which one you should buy. Plus, we've put the OnePlus 6 Red up against the Honor 10 and we've introduced a new OnePlus 6 Red Smartphone Vs Google Pixel 2 XL shootout.