OnePlus 8 Pro vs Pixel 4 XL: What to Know

Impressive phones like the OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy S20 will be available soon and buyers will have some tough choices to make. And while there are excellent phones already available like Google’s Pixel 4 XL, you might want to wait for the new OnePlus 8 Pro.

In this OnePlus 8 Pro vs Pixel 4 XL comparison we’ll go over everything we know so far, how the specs compare and break down the latest details to help you decide if you should wait or just buy the Pixel now instead.

OnePlus will release a few different versions of the OnePlus 8 this year, all with different screen sizes and pricing. And while the Pixel 4 comes in two sizes, this still makes the choice difficult for buyers. So, here’s how they compare and a few key details.

• The OnePlus 8 Pro launch event will likely be in March
• We’re expecting three different models: A Lite, Regular, and Pro
• Expect US carriers to offer OnePlus phones with 5G

Both of these phones run nearly stock Android and get super-fast updates, but that’s about it. Everything else about the screen, cameras, battery, and specs are much different. Keep in mind that some of this info could change between now and the expected March or April OnePlus 8 release date.

Pixel 4 XL vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Specifications

	Pixel 4 XL	OnePlus 8 Pro
Screen Size	6.3-inch P-OLED	6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED
Screen Resolution	3040 x 1440 & 90Hz	3140 x 1440 & 120Hz
Storage & RAM	64GB & 6GB RAM	64-128GB & 8GB RAM
Processor	Snapdragon 855	Snapdragon 865
Cameras	12MP main, 16MP telephoto	60MP main, 16MP telephoto, 13MP wide-angle lens, ToF
Front Camera	8 Megapixel & ToF	30 Megapixel
Software	Android 10	Android 10 (Oxygen OS 10)
Battery Size	3,700 mAh	4,500 mAh
Charging & Wireless Charging	18w Fast Charge & Wireless Charging	50w WARP Fast Charging
Fingerprint Sensor	None, Face Unlock Instead	Optical In-Display Sensor
MicroSD Expansion	No	No
Other Details	USB Type-C, WiFi 6, Dual Stereo Sound, IP68 Water Resistant	USB Type-C, WiFi 6, 5G, Water Resistance Unknown
Price	Launched at $899	TBA (Expected $699+)

As you can see, these two phones are very different. Not just in overall looks, but on the inside too. The OnePlus 8 Pro is closer to a Samsung Galaxy, while the Pixel 4 XL is closer to a mid-range phone.

They both have nice high-resolution screens but the size and refresh rates look very different, as does almost everything else. Considering the OnePlus 8 is newer it makes sense that it has several upgrades, but then when you add those to the dual cameras or small battery of the Pixel 4 XL, and it’s easy to see the OnePlus 8 Pro is clearly worth waiting for.

Looking at the sheet above you’ll see the OnePlus 8 has a bigger and better screen, more storage and RAM, a faster processor for better performance, a substantially bigger battery and faster charging for when the phone does die. Don’t get me wrong the Pixel 4 XL is a fast phone that performs great and has a very capable camera, but so do other devices on the market.

Similar to Google, we’re expecting a cheaper version of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro to have 64GB of storage, then another model for $100 more with 128GB — which is what most phones should have. Especially considering neither offers a MicroSD slot for storage expansion.

The biggest differences between these phones will be the screen, battery life, and camera experience. So, well break down those areas with more info for you below.

Pixel 4 XL vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Design & Display

The screen size and notch is probably the most important part of your purchase decision. Well, aside from maybe the cameras and price tag. You’ll quickly notice the OnePlus 8 Pro has a big edge-to-edge display with almost no bezels, while the Pixel 4 has some bezel on the bottom and an even bigger one at the top.

• Pixel 4 XL: 6.3-inch Quad-HD AMOLED 90 Hz Smooth Display
• OnePlus 8 Pro: 6.67-inch Quad HD 120Hz AMOLED Display

The OnePlus 8 Pro is ALL screen on the front. There’s no notch, and just a small little circle at the top left where they cut a spot out of the display for the front-facing camera. OnePlus ditched the popup camera this year and didn’t want a notch, and instead chose to cut a little hole in the screen similar to Samsung’s latest phones. It’s a beautiful design as you can see from our photos here.

Hiding under that big OnePlus 8 Pro screen is also an in-display fingerprint scanner. The phone takes a photo up through the screen of your fingerprint, confirms it, and unlocks. For what it’s worth the Pixel 4 XL doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor at all, and relies only on the face unlock or a password/pin.

As for Google’s Pixel 4 XL, no one liked the huge notch on the 3XL so Google went back to 2017 and returned the forehead above the screen. There’s a big black bezel at the top of the phone for the cameras, sensors, face unlock and speaker. There’s no notch or cutout, but there is a bezel. However, the rest of the screen is edge-to-edge and looks pretty good.

Another big area where OnePlus wins is the 120Hz refresh rate. This means the screen refreshes 120 times a second, and is twice as fast and smooth as older devices. However, last year Google went from 60Hz to 90Hz, so it’s better, but not quite as good as the OnePlus 8 Pro will be.

As for the rest of the design, they’re both big premium phones made of metal and glass, with glass covering both the front and the back. They’re fragile, have cameras bulging out of the back, and large. What’s crazy is the OnePlus 8 Pro isn’t much bigger physically thanks to tiny bezels, so don’t worry about it being too big to hold and use.

Pixel 4 XL vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Cameras

Next, we want to briefly mention the cameras on both of these phones, as that will be the strong suit and selling point for the Pixel 4 XL even though it’s older. Well, at least we think it will be.

Both the OnePlus 8 Pro and Pixel 4 XL have multiple cameras on the back, but the OnePlus 8 has four compared to just two with the Pixel.

• Pixel 4 XL: 12.3MP main, 16MP telephoto lens
• OnePlus 8 Pro: 60MP main, 16MP Telephoto, 13MP wide-angle lens, ToF

We all know what to expect from Google’s Pixel 4 camera experience. They didn’t go for 3-4 cameras like all of the competition, and instead uses software to make photos look amazing. And honestly, the Pixel 4 XL still takes some of the best photos of any smartphone. That said, software can’t take wide-angle photos, or zoom in very far without turning blurry and looking bad.

Leaks and sources suggest OnePlus will use a huge upgraded 60MP main camera for daily photo and video, then a similar setup as previous models for telephoto zoom, wide-angle photos and more. Yes, there are four cameras on the back overall. A main lens, zoom lens, wide-angle, and a ToF for depth-sensing.

If we had to guess, the Pixel 4 XL will still take better photos, but you’ll have more options and controls from the OnePlus 8 Pro. At the same time, this could finally be the year where OnePlus takes the cameras to the next level, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Pixel 4 XL vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Battery Life & Charging

Perhaps the weakest link for Google’s Pixel 4 XL (aside from the screen) is the poor battery life. Almost every review online praised the phone but hated that Google chose such a small battery, especially when literally every other manufacturer and all the competition had bigger batteries inside its phones.

Here are the numbers, which already shows the OnePlus 8 Pro will be better in this category. Plus, the 8 Pro has the company’s WARP fast charging technology, which will charge it almost twice as fast as the Pixel.

• Pixel 4 XL: 3700 mAh (18w fast wired charging, fast wireless charging)
• OnePlus 8 Pro: 4500 mAh (Rumored 50w WARP Charging) Otherwise OnPlus’ usual 30W fast charging

We won’t know more about battery life until the OnePlus 8 Pro arrives and we see how much impact the bigger screen, 120Hz and 5G have overall. Once we’re able to test them we’ll share the results here.

Pixel 4 XL vs OnePlus 8 Pro: 5G Connectivity & Carrier Support

There is a small chance you’re not too familiar with OnePlus phones, and that’s because until 2020 only T-Mobile in the United States sold their devices. If you wanted one you had to buy it online or switch to T-Mobile. That’s all about to change, which should help them better compete with not only Google’s Pixel, but also compete with Samsung and Apple.

Last year Google finally got all four major US carriers to offer the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Before that it was only available on Verizon, which hurt sales. Both brands have realized they need to offer 5G, and be on the shelves of every major carrier.

As a result, we’re hearing the OnePlus 8 Pro will be the first phone from OnePlus available on Verizon Wireless and it’ll come with 5G. We don’t know if 5G is optional or not, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

We don’t know if every carrier will offer the OnePlus 8 Pro or only Verizon and T-Mobile. Either way, it’ll be available unlocked and work with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and worldwide. The Pixel 4 XL is available right now from every major carrier but without 5G.

Honestly, 5G isn’t a huge concern or selling point yet but if you plan on keeping your next phone for more than a year you’ll want 5G. Basically, get the OnePlus 8 Pro because it’s future-proof.

Release Date & Pricing

As we just said, you can get the Pixel 4 XL just about everywhere, and at heavy discounts. Even the bigger Pixel 4 XL is now under $800 on Amazon. It’s still a great phone, but with so many new devices on the way we recommend waiting.

Unfortunately, we have no solid details on a OnePlus 8 Pro release date yet, but we do have an idea based on previous years. We believe OnePlus will likely announce the OnePlus 8 around the end of March or early April and release it near the end of April. The OnePlus 7 came out in May following a March launch event.

You can get a Pixel 4 XL right now, wait for the OnePlus 8 Pro, or even grab a Galaxy S20 sometime in March.

If there’s one area OnePlus continues to dominate the competition, which is why it’s a growing brand in the US and around the globe, it’s on pricing. As you can see above, the OnePlus 7 Pro last year was only $669, and compared favorably against the $1,000 Galaxy S10+. We’re expecting something similar here in 2020. Here’s our guess for pricing this year.

• Pixel 4 XL: $899 for 64GB (or 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage for $999)
• OnePlus 8 Pro: Starting at $699 (8GB RAM and 128GB storage model)

This new model will be expensive, but it won’t cost more than the Pixel 4 XL, which instantly makes it a great value considering everything it has to offer. Additionally, OnePlus usually offers a model with more RAM and storage for $100 more, making the 12GB RAM and 128GB OnePlus 8 Pro only $799, which is still cheaper than the base Pixel 4 XL.

Basically, you’ll want to wait for and buy one of OnePlus’ new phones. We’re hearing they’ll have a OnePus 8 Lite for around $449, then a regular OnePlus 8 that’s even cheaper than what’s detailed above. That said, we might only get the Pro model here in the United States.

Final Thoughts

In closing, it’s hard to completely compare these two phones this early, and we’ll have a lot more details in the coming months as more info leaks about the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Even without all of the information though it’s hard to argue with what we’re seeing. The OnePlus 8 Pro is better than the Pixel 4 XL in almost every category, and it’ll probably be better than the Pixel 5 too.

What this means is that while Google’s Pixel 4 XL is a great phone you’d probably enjoy, if you don’t absolutely need a new phone right now you’re better off waiting for the Galaxy S20 and OnePlus 8 lineup of phones all coming in the next few months.