OnePlus 12 vs Pixel 8 Pro: Tough Call, Clear Winner!

OnePlus is gunning for the Google Pixel. And it might just be onto a winner with the OnePlus 12.

Now, OnePlus has hopscotched between different concepts and price points for their flagship phones, with a word salad of Pro, T and R models cluttering the lineup. But with the 12, OnePlus has targeted the $800 price point in the US, or £849 including tax in the UK. That's a number that undercuts the Pixel in both countries.

And here's the thing: if you look down the spec sheet, it sure seems like you're getting a lot more phone for your money with the 12 compared to the 8 Pro. So is that the case? Or can the Pixel's legendary cameras and trademark AI magic make a case for its superiority?

0:00 Intro
0:53 Hardware + Design
5:18 Software + Features
7:40 Cameras + Photography
11:49 Videography + HDR
13:17 Conclusion

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[Yos]

Aqua touch on the OnePlus is the most underrated feature ever for me. Nobody is talking about it, but I'm constantly using my phone in the rain or while doing dishes or something!

[mikexia]

7:35 Even though Google said they'll support it for 7 years, I don't believe the chipset can live that long with the weaker performance. 8gen3 for 7years is definitely better than Tensor G3

[byazrov]

Most important part is left out. The price. OnePlus is 300 dollars cheaper (considering starting price configuration). 30%+ difference.

[TheMainCore]

It was a tough call between the 8 Pro and 12, but just ordered the 12. It will replace my OnePlus 5T, still fresh after six years! Its just the battery thats getting bad and the camera system thats a bit outdated.

[LuisAlbertoForever]

If only the Pixel 8 Pro had a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (or even Gen 2) with faster charging....

[marioherrerajr]

As a pixel 8 pro owner I will definitely buy the OnePlus next time

[murdrusgod]

Will buy pixel 8 pro if they Changed Rebranded Exynos Tensor chipset ! Paying 1000 dollar for what ? AI features what .

[perperikis]

I think it is enough already with the 7-years support fairytale. Pixel 8 is already 2 years behind in internal h/w. Just imagine for a moment how this will look in 2030. Or try to use a phone from 2016 instead and see how it feels. Besides, does anyone think that the next OS updates will keep rolling out all the next new features to P8 for the next 7 years ? All in all, you are comparing a phone that runs circles around Tensor-3 chip versus the pixel 8 that allows you to...move objects around in photos. Yeah, tough choice.

[sportsound]

One thing not enough reviewers mention is the OnePlus "eye friendly" OLED screen. OnePlus has tuned their PWM to over 2kHz compared to Samsung and Google's 240hz and for folks with dry-eye this is a real game changer....hopefully. I'm counting on it. My S24+ has been killing my eyes for the past few years.

[valeriobuzzinator]

Thanks for the video. Is it possible to download the photos of both in full resolution?

[jejunamja]

The Oneplus 12 is the easy winner here even if I'm a pixel fan . Camera wise I think if the pics aren't put next to each other I wonder you would think if there's any thing wrong with the Oneplus pics.

[lindigj]

Honestly I feel like for most people it isn't even close and the OP12 is the clear winner. I think you have to really be trying or absolutely obsessive about Pixel's cameras or just a constant Pixel user to be considering it when you're stacking these phones together.

Design is obviously subjective, but there is really very little that I like about the way the Pixel looks. I don't absolutely love the OP12 either, but neither is really offensive, and the Pixel to me is bordering on plain and boring.

Performance wise it isn't even close, and ultimately it sort of just comes down to software and cameras. Software is excellent on both, really, and both phones have some pretty cool software tricks. The main edge Pixel has there is the amount of support, but I mostly feel like that many years of support is excessive for most users anyways.

Also, while I do love the Pixel camera, I think it is way more of a tie on still photos than your assessment. I think there are a number of the pictures produced by the OP12 that look clearly better with the more natural look, especially a lot of the night shots, which look way overexposed and fake via Pixel's Night Sight. Further, there are shots on the OP12 where the sun is directly in the shot and the entire foreground is dark as a result, and I am 90% sure if you just tapped to focus on your subject, it would easily adjust for the lighting condition, but it seems as though you just point and shot the photo. Video on the other hand, I do think is an absolute clear win for Pixel, but I also think that content creators tend to put WAY too much emphasis on video capture, naturally, especially when discussing the selfie camera video capabilities.

In the end, I just think it is tough to ignore just how much you get with the OP12. Significantly faster processor, amazingly bright screen that can detect water separately from swipes, 50w fast wireless charging (which is being widely overlooked), 100w corded fast charging (and the charger comes in the box), wifi 7 (which I have read does not work on Pixel 8 but this may have changed in an update), an IR blaster, 16/512 configuration upgrade for free if you preorder, insane cooling via the largest cooling vapor chamber on a phone in the US, impressive gaming mode stuff (for a non gaming phone) like frame insertion techniques. It almost isn't a fair fight.

[iksytko]

What about the zoom feature on 8 pro that was suppose to release in December? Allowing Al to enhance zoomed in camera shots quality?

[wrakor]

8 Gen 3 made Google Tensor even more irrelevant. A mid-range chip at flag ship pricing just doesn't cut it.

[sadiecredeur]

Currently using the pixel 7 pro & was really hoping they would fix the absolutely WASHED out colors on the screen with the 8 but nope.. as someone predominantly using the device for taking photos and editing photos on the go, it's looking like I'm ready to try out the one plus

[hdtravel]

The OnePlus 12 is just a really really awesome phone - I ordered one immediately after the keynote - that 50 watt wireless charging is rocking

[harrychenhaoxia]

OnePlus wins in every category except camera but who cares? It's not like OnePlus having a really bad camera. I don't know who would buy pixel

[MB-jzuu]

Maybe if the pixel didn't have a chipset that is 2 generations behind it would be nice. How is this phone going to perform 2 years from now or even further. The oneplus is gonna be silly smooth 2 years from now with all that ram and powerful gen3 chipset

[ddvantandar-kwkl]

Great 2 quick question 4k 60fps reconding? Hdmi out or 3.2 usb ?

[JRwyattt]

Why would you compare a dedicated 5x periscope, on the pixel to the 5x on the one plus when there periscope starts at 6x that’s def being bias