OnePlus 12 vs Pixel 8 Professional: Which is best?

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  OnePlus 12

  The OnePlus 12 comes filled with a formidable tech sheet and a cheaper price tag than the Pixel 8 Professional. It is one of many huge OnePlus releases for 2024 and it will little doubt compete heartily with right now’s largest flagships.

  Professionals

  • Glorious spec sheet
  • Cheaper price than most 2024 flagships
  • All day battery life

  Cons

  • The Pixel 8 Professional’s cameras are higher
  • IP65 ranking is under the IP68 business customary
  • 4 years of software program updates is not sufficient

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  Google Pixel 8 Professional

  The Pixel 8 Professional is all the time worthy of consideration in a smartphone battle. The cellphone can maintain its personal by way of efficiency however stands out with its actually wonderful digital camera and Google’s optimizations.

  Professionals

  • Excellent digital camera efficiency
  • Nonetheless respectable efficiency numbers
  • Extensive availability

  Cons

  • Tensor G3 not as quick because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
  • Dearer than the OnePlus 12
  • Slower wired and wi-fi charging than the OnePlus 12

The OnePlus 12 and 12R are officially available for preorder within the U.S. They be part of the group of 2024 flagship telephones that shall be competing on your affection all 12 months. OnePlus outfits the 12 with an awesome spec sheet and loads of options. With its sub-$1,000 value, it is an interesting choice for people who do not wish to go along with the $1,300 price ticket of one thing just like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Nonetheless, one other Android flagship, the Pixel 8 Pro, is not way more costly than the OnePlus 12 and serves as the first competitor for OnePlus. Google has achieved lots of enjoyable software program stuff and whereas the Tensor G3 within the Pixel 8 Professional is not as highly effective because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it is highly effective sufficient. So, which one must you get? Let’s discover out.

• 	OnePlus 12	Google Pixel 8 Professional
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Google Tensor G3
  Show	6.82-inch ProXDR LTPO, 3168 × 1440 (510ppi), 120Hz adaptive refresh	6.7-inch Tremendous Actua OLED, 2992 x 1344 (489ppi) 1-120Hz, as much as 2400nits
  RAM	12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM	12GB
  Storage	256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
  Battery	5,400mAh	5050mAh, 30W quick charging, 12-18W wi-fi
  Working System	OxygenOS 14 w/ Android 14	Android 14
  Rear digital camera	50MP f/1.6 Sony LYT-808 important w/OIS, 48MP f/2.2 Sony IMX581 ultrawide (114°), 64MP f/2.6 OmniVision OV64B 3x telephoto w/OIS	50MP important, 48MP extremely vast, 48MP telephoto
  Dimensions	164.3 × 75.8 × 9.2mm	162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm, 213g
  Weight	220g	213g
  Cost pace	80W wired SUPERVOOC, 50W wi-fi AIRVOOC	30W wired, 15W wi-fi
  IP Score	IP65	IP68
  Entrance digital camera	32MP f/2.4 Sony IMX615	10.5MP

Worth and availability

The OnePlus 12 is offered for $900 at on-line and in-store retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase, together with the official OnePlus web site. At the moment, the cellphone is offered to preorder, however OnePlus is operating a generous trade-in program that nets you $100 off the price of the cellphone, and a free 50W wi-fi charger. OnePlus would not have a U.S. service companion as of this writing, however you should buy the cellphone from Finest Purchase and Amazon. At the moment, OnePlus is the one choice that gives a cost plan. The OnePlus 12 will formally arrive on Feb. 12.

In the meantime, the Pixel 8 Professional runs for $1,000 and is extensively obtainable at in-store or on-line retailers. The Pixel 8 Professional is offered from U.S. carriers equivalent to T-Cellular, AT&T, and Verizon, giving customers one other solution to get their fingers on Google’s flagship by way of month-to-month cost plans.

Of the 2 units, the Pixel 8 Professional is simpler to amass, particularly with service offers that allow you to stroll out the door with little-to-no cash down on a cost plan. That stated, the OnePlus 12 remains to be available, and it will not be onerous to search out.

Design and sturdiness

By way of dimensions and weight, the 2 smartphones aren’t terribly completely different. The OnePlus 12 is barely taller, much less vast, and fatter than the Pixel 8 Professional. There’s additionally a seven-gram weight distinction between the 2, with the OnePlus 12 being heavier. We’re speaking a few distinction of 1 to 2 millimeters right here, so each telephones ought to really feel comparable within the hand or the pocket. That stated, the OnePlus 12 has curved edges that make it really feel a tad thinner.

Each telephones have the amount rocker and energy buttons on the best aspect, though OnePlus provides the alert slider to the other aspect. Across the again of the Pixel 8 Professional is Google’s digital camera bar that it is had there for the reason that Pixel 6. The OnePlus 12 has a bigger, spherical digital camera bump that integrates with the again of the machine. The Pixel’s digital camera bar has a cleaner look, however with a case on, neither digital camera bump ought to get in the best way of something.

1:02

Associated

Water and dust IP ratings: What does IP68 actually mean?

Your telephones and units include a code to inform you how waterproof it’s — however what do these codes imply?

The most important distinction between the 2 is their IP scores. The Pixel 8 Professional has an IP68 water and mud resistance ranking, whereas the OnePlus 12 comes with an IP65 ranking. Which means the Pixel 8 Professional has a a lot higher likelihood of surviving a dunk than the OnePlus 12, which can matter relying on how typically you employ your cellphone close to water.

Pocket-lint

Show

The shows on each the OnePlus 12 and Pixel 8 Professional are fairly good. The Pixel 8 Professional sports activities a 6.7-inch, 489ppi show with a 120Hz adaptive refresh price and brightness as much as 2,400nits. OnePlus ups the sport a bit with a 6.82-inch, 510ppi show with a 120Hz adaptive refresh price and a most brightness of 4,500nits.

On paper, at the very least, the OnePlus 12 has a greater show. It is barely larger, a lot brighter, and has a better decision. The result’s a cellphone you need to be capable to see fairly nicely in daylight whereas additionally being only a contact sharper. OnePlus makes use of a ProXDR LTPO show, which is the most recent display tech from OnePlus and BOE. In real-world viewing, it is a vibrant show that appears nice.

The Pixel 8 Professional is not any slouch, although. The 6.7-inch show is a Tremendous Actua OLED show made by Samsung. It boasts nice colours, deep blacks, and loads of brightness. Sure, the two,400nits brightness is not as excessive because the OnePlus 12, however 2,400nits remains to be adequate for out of doors use. Neither of those telephones has a foul and even mediocre show. They’re each good. The OnePlus 12 is simply barely higher.

Efficiency and battery

OnePlus scores a reasonably straightforward win right here. The query is whether or not that issues. The OnePlus 12 sports activities the most recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is a quicker, extra highly effective chip than the Pixel 8 Professional’s Tensor G3. Which means it will play high-end cellular video games and do issues like edit movies quicker than Google’s prime providing.

Qualcomm made lots of enhancements to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and people enhancements go by means of to the OnePlus 12. The chipset boasts improved ray tracing, a 30% efficiency increase, and 20% improved effectivity over the Gen 2. Moreover, Qualcomm beefed up the NPU and boasts a 98% enchancment to AI workloads and comparable duties. It is fairly the chipset.

Google’s Tensor G3 is not a foul chip by any stretch. In sheer energy, it competes fairly nicely with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which remains to be a superbly good processor, even in 2024. Certainly, you will not get the identical degree of efficiency because the Gen 3 processor, however you may nonetheless play cellular video games, edit movies, and do hardcore duties with out an excessive amount of of a fear.

In day-to-day use, the distinction shall be hardly noticeable. Each telephones can fly by means of social media, TikTok, internet shopping, video calls, and issues like that. We’re past the times when telephones battle with fundamental duties within the slightest.

For battery life, the improved effectivity of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the 350 further mAh within the OnePlus 12 ought to simply grant it higher battery life than Google’s flagship. OnePlus additionally provides vastly quicker charging in case it’s good to prime up, which you actually should not, since each telephones ought to be capable to final a full day with average use.

Digicam

Arguably the biggest distinction between these two units is the digital camera. As Pocket-lint’s Cam Bunton says in our comparability video, the mindset of those two corporations is totally completely different. Google leverages AI for its coloration processing, picture high quality, evening mode, and further options. In the meantime, OnePlus leans on its partnership with Hasselblad to attraction to extra “critical” photographers.

The Google Pixel 8 Professional homes three complete cameras, together with a 50MP important shooter, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto. OnePlus matches it with a 50MP important shooter, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 64MP telephoto. The Pixel 8 Professional makes use of a 5x optical zoom whereas the OnePlus 12 boasts a 3x optical zoom. For entrance shooters, the Google has a ten.5MP digital camera whereas the OnePlus 12 homes a 32MP entrance shooter.

Above, you may see the Pixel 8 Professional’s chops. It is typically considered having among the finest cellphone digital camera experiences ever, and the photographs present why that’s. Colours are punchy, darkish images appears to be like surprisingly good, and particulars are typically fairly sharp with out trying too pretend.

We do not have a gallery for the OnePlus 12 but. That may come as soon as we totally evaluate the machine. Nonetheless, our very proficient Cam Bunton detailed — with examples — what the digital camera is able to within the OnePlus 12 within the embedded video above. Usually talking, in full-light images, OnePlus does an awesome job of preserving particulars, shadows, and dynamic vary. Proper on par with the Pixel 8 Professional. That’s, nevertheless, wholly anticipated with full mild.

In low mild, it depends upon who you ask. Google’s Night time Mode is famous for its skill to brighten evening photos and make invisible issues seen. It does this stuff on the detriment of realism more often than not, although, and the OnePlus 12 preserves the nighttime feeling of its darker images, even when they are not pretty much as good.

The lengthy and wanting it? Each cameras are good, however with AI enhancements far and wide, Google is simply doing it higher.

Software program

By way of software program, the fundamentals are about the identical. Each telephones run Android 14 out of the field and every one has its personal set of OEM additions to make every cellphone really feel distinctive to its model. The Pixel 8 Professional is pure Google Android with just a few Pixel-specific options baked in, together with the upcoming Pixel updates that’ll add extra options over time.

Considerably surprisingly, the OnePlus 12 hasn’t been utterly overrun with AI but, at the same time as Google and Samsung are doing just that with the Galaxy S24 sequence of telephones. Android 14 and the Pixel tweaks discovered on the 8 Professional are straightforward to make use of with loads of enjoyable colours, choices and shortcuts. It is not terribly completely different from the Pixel 7 by way of software program, however seven years of updates greater than makes up for it. The Pixel 8 Professional is acquainted and pleasant.

The OnePlus 12 is not sitting idly by, though you will should look onerous to search out any AI-specific options. The OnePlus 12 ships with Android 14 and all the features that include it, with customizations and further options because of OxygenOS 12. The software program contains a wide range of additions, together with help for the OnePlus Watch 2. It has extra menus and choices to higher customise your general expertise. For instance, you may set up icon packs with out the necessity for a third-party launcher.

The superior software program is usually a matter of style. Many people like Google’s easier, extra streamlined fashion, and the additional AI stuff like Magic Eraser and AI wallpapers add sufficient of a singular twist to make it not really feel boring. The OnePlus 12 method places customers extra in command of issues, which different individuals desire. With all of that stated, the Pixel 8 Professional goes to have software program updates for seven years and OnePlus is just committing to 4 with the OnePlus 12.

The decision: Which one is best?

Nicely, this can be a onerous one to name, is not it? On paper, the OnePlus 12 is the superior machine. It has a extra highly effective and extra environment friendly processor, a bigger battery, a higher-tech show, and the cameras are adequate to compete. It additionally has a cheaper price tag, though not by a lot. It might need a better time promoting if OnePlus had a U.S. service companion, so individuals may reap the benefits of financing offers simply. Apart from that, the OnePlus 12 is a spec big.

OnePlus 12

Editor’s Selection

The Pixel 8 Professional is not a foul cellphone, although, and it excels within the ways in which the OnePlus 12 would not. Certain, the Tensor G3 is not the quickest chipset on the planet, however it’ll nonetheless play all trendy cellular video games with out issues. You simply may want to show the settings down a bit. In the meantime, you get a superior digital camera and picture modifying expertise with loads of AI to reap the benefits of the most recent in know-how. Sure, the fee is a bit greater, however service companions imply lots of people can stroll out of the shop with out paying full value upfront.

Google Pixel 8 Professional

Additionally Editor’s Selection

$960 $999 Save $39

In all, the choice is usually a wash. These are very completely different telephones with completely different personalities and the kind of person you might be will decide which cellphone is best for you. The OnePlus 12 is a purpose-built energy person cellphone whereas the Pixel 8 Professional does a great job of mimicking Apple’s “it simply works” philosophy. It virtually looks like an apples-to-oranges comparability, though the 2 telephones do have loads of similarities. If you happen to’re an influence person and do not thoughts spending cash up entrance, the OnePlus 12 is an attention-grabbing choice. Nonetheless, if you’d like your cellphone to only work, think about a Pixel 8 Professional.