At a Glance
Our Verdict
There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S8 is the superior phone here with a number of features not found on the OnePlus 5T, and despite the difference in RRP you can pick up Samsung’s flagship for under £500 so that somewhat negates the 5T’s advantage. That said, the OnePlus 5T is still cheaper, has dual-cameras and more memory as standard so remains a legitimate option.
Best Prices Today: OnePlus 5T
Continuing its six-month cycle of new devices, OnePlus has a new flagship phone at the same price as before, but can it take down the king of the Android world? Here we compare the OnePlus 5T vs Galaxy S8.
Price
Although OnePlus phones have gotten more expensive recently, the firm has done an Apple by introducing a new model at the same price as its predecessor. So the 5T is just £449 to buy outright which is extremely reasonable.
| Galaxy S8 | OnePlus 5T | |
|---|---|---|
| 64GB | £689 | £449 |
| 128GB | – | £499 |
Design and build
The main upgrade for the OnePlus 5T is a larger screen and a bezel-free design. Understandably following in the footsteps of phones like the Galaxy S8. It also means the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back.
With a slightly larger screen, the 5T is a bit bigger and heavier than the S8 but not to an extent where it’s a big difference.
Both of these phones are very attractive and you’ll need to choose between the metal of the OnePlus 5T and glass of the Galaxy S8. Normally the former would offer more grip but we find both phones slippery and wanting of a case. Check out round up of the best cases for the OnePlus 5T here .
A key difference in this comparison is that the S8 is the only one with waterproofing, an IP68 rating which is the highest you’ll find on a phone. OnePlus can offer the 5T at a lower price by not having such features.
Otherwise the phones are largely the same, with the curved sides on the S8 screen another important difference. They both have USB-C and headphone ports.
Specs and features
There’s no clear winner here on specs as it depends what you want. The 5T offers a larger 6in display with an 18:9 aspect ration and similar Optic AMOLED technology. It has a lower resolution of 1080×2160 meaning a pixel density of 401ppi.
Meanwhile the Galaxy S8 offers its stunning Infinity Display that makes it stand out in the smartphone market. It’s got curved edges, eye popping SuperAMOLED tech and a Quad HD+ resolution 1440x 2960.
In the UK, these phones have difference processors with a Snapdragon 835 inside the 835 and the Exynos 8895 in the S8. OnePlus wins on memory with 6- or even 8GB of RAM where Samsung offers just 4GB. When it boils down to it, you’re getting top-end performance either way.
Both phones come with 64GB of storage as standard and while the 5T has a 128GB option, it doesn’t have the microSD card slot that the S8 has.
Cameras are a key difference in the spec sheet as the Galaxy S8 just has a single 12Mp camera, albeit a very good one. You might be more tempted by the dual-cameras on the 5T which are 16- and 20Mp with OnePlus touting low-light performance.
As mentioned earlier the fingerprint scanner is on the back for both phones but the Galaxy S8 has some additional features such as wireless charging and a heart rate monitor.
OnePlus 5T vs Galaxy S8 Specs Comparison
| Specification | Galaxy S8 | OnePlus 5T |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 7.1 Nougat |
| Available colours | Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Maple Gold | Midnight Black |
| Display | 5.8in Infinity Display 18:9 ( 1440×2960, 570ppi) Super AMOLED | 6.01in 18:9 ( 1080×2160, 401ppi) Optic AMOLED |
| Processor | Exynos 8895 octa-core (EMEA) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| Memory | 4GB | 6/8GB |
| Storage | 64GB | 64/128GB |
| Primary camera | 12Mp, f/1.7, 26mm, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash | 16+20Mp, f/1.7, phase detection autofocus, EIS, dual-LED flash |
| Front camera | 8Mp, f/1.7, autofocus, 1440p at 30fps | 16Mp, f/2.0, autofocus, 1080p |
| Video recording | 2160p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, HDR, dual-video rec | 2160p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps,720p at 120fps |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, rear |
| Wireless charging | Yes | No |
| Waterproof | IP68 | No |
| Dimensions | 68.1×148.9 x8mm | 75x156x7.3mm |
| Weight | 155g | 162g |
Related: Best OnePlus phones
Specs
OnePlus 5T: Specs
- Android Nougat 7.1.1
- 5.5in 2160 1080p Full HD AMOLED display, 401ppi
- 2.45GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
- Adreno 540 graphics
- 6/8GB RAM
- 64/128GB storage
- 16Mp and 20Mp rear cameras, f/1.7, support for 4K video at 30fps
- 16Mp front camera, f/2.0
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 4G
- Dual nano-SIM
- NFC
- 3,300mAh non-removable battery
- 156.1x75x7.3mm
- 162g
Best Prices Today: OnePlus 5T
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor

Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
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