Stickied Post
PART II: DISPLAY
![[IMG]](https://forums-images.oneplus.net/data/webimg/2021/02-01/6017a119771b8.jpg)
We’re back for part two of my OnePlus 8 Pro review! As mentioned, the 8 (Pro) has an edge-to-edge screen that covers almost the entire front of the phone. Nothing new, if you have a relatively young phone (Like one of OnePlus’ recent devices) in your pocket it most likely has a similar screen-to-body ratio. Nonetheless, it was new for me, coming from the S8+ that still has a considerable top and bottom bezel (funny how it was revolutionary three years ago, yet it’s now completely outdated!). It’s fair to say that I was thoroughly blown away at first glance. That extra bit of screen real estate gives the device a modern and immersive look and feel. On top of that, the screen is also just plain large, at 6.8” in an exceptionally long 19.8:9 aspect ratio (compared to the -now puny looking- 6.2” screen of my S8+), so that certainly helps with providing that immersive feeling.
Designwise OnePlus went with a curved screen. Aha! Finally, something I can relate to with my S8+! Interestingly, comparing both curved screens, I do find that Samsung seems to have implemented theirs a slight bit better. The curvature on the 8 pro seems to cast a bit of a dark shadow with a slightly green hue on the side edges of the screen, maybe due to the way the Oled panel is curved? It’s not terribly distracting, but enough to notice. To be honest, I’ve sort of had it with the curved displays. It’s been nice for a little while, but that was three years ago and now I’d rather just have an undistorted, easy to operate screen. Because yes, the curvature does make gestures trickier, and you never quite get the full, unobstructed picture or movie you’re viewing in full screen (especially when you get blinded by the sunlight hitting those edges).
THE EDGE OF THE DISPLAY ON THE OP 8 PRO (RIGHT) SHOWS A BIT MORE PRONOUNCED SHADOW AND COLOR FRINGING THAN MY S8+'S (LEFT) CURVED SCREEN
Now that we're talking about the negatives anyway, there are two more things about the screen that irk me:
For one, the screen (at least my example, I haven’t heard anyone else talk about it yet) has a considerable amount of screen retention when a strongly contrasting, static image is shown for a while at a time (for example, the buttons in the white buttons on black background in the camera app). It's a bit like ghosting but takes longer to disappear, yet it's also not quite as bad as permanent screen burn-in. Retention is quite normal for Oled displays, but I found that the effect can linger for quite a while on this screen, much more so than on my S8+ (perhaps because the OP 8 has a much higher peak brightness, exaggerating the effect). In most use cases, however, you won't be watching a static, grey screen to check for imperfections, so you probably won't notice it.
Another grasp I have -and this is really not a jab at OnePlus in particular, rather something all modern smartphones have these days- is the ever-increasing aspect ratio. I mean, I get that you want a device that can be held somewhat comfortably in one hand, despite the massive screen (although you’ll still have to do some serious acrobatics to reach the top of this screen single-handedly!). But the OP 8’s 19.8:9 ratio is not a standard for anything. It’s too wide for 16:9 (most tv shows and content on Netflix or YouTube) and not quite wide enough for 2.4:1 cinema. Even shows like Stranger Things that are recorded in a middle-ground 2:1 aspect ratio, still won’t quite utilize the full screen (which, as I mentioned in part 1 of this review, those black bars do conveniently hide the hole-punch). For all other content, the narrow aspect ratio doesn’t help either. Web pages aren't displayed larger but show more scrollable content at once in portrait mode, and photos with a standard 4:3 aspect ratio take up only a frustratingly small portion of the screen.
![[IMG]](https://forums-images.oneplus.net/data/webimg/2021/02-01/6017a11a17317.jpg)
That’s really all the negative rambling I have to do about the display, fortunately, there’s also a LOT of positive features that really set the OP8 pro’s screen apart. We’re of course looking at an Oled panel (the standard in phone screens these days), but OnePlus managed to squeeze in both a 120Hz refresh rate AND full QHD+ resolution (so no need to choose one or the other like with Samsung’s latest flagships). There’s also MEMC, which supposedly upscales lower framerate footage to look smoother, but I couldn’t tell any noteworthy difference and it didn’t work with Netflix (despite saying it’s compatible in the menu). On top of that, the screen also comes color calibrated and is supposed to be the most color-accurate phone display on the market right now. Since I like to store, view and edit all my photos (including those I make with my DSLR) on my phone, that’s a very nice perk to have. Screen settings include calibration options for sRGB (standard color gamut) and DCI-P3 (extended color gamut), but I like to stick to sRGB because I edit my photos in gamut and it’s the standard format used for most digital content.
I don’t have the tools to give concrete color accuracy specs, but I doubt anyone would actually be interested in those numbers anyway. What matters is that this is a fantastic-looking screen for consuming all kinds of content. Animations look and feel snappy and smooth because of the high refresh rate, colors are bright and vivid (Even with the ‘muted’ sRGB settings it’s plenty vibrant for my taste), and HDR video content looks great with the screen set to the P3 gamut backed up by the high contrast ratio and deep blacks of the Oled panel.
Ok, I think that's it, I've rambled enough about the screen...
Last edited: Apr 18, 2020