The OnePlus 8 Pro could sport IP68 water and dust resistance

It tried to please fans last year by offering some degree of water resistance on the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro without obtaining an official rating. This was demonstrated by dunking both phones in a bucket, but OnePlus told users not to do the same and warned that its warranty doesn’t cover water damage.

Now, with the feature gradually becoming a standard across the entire smartphone industry and flagship brands pushing to improve their ratings beyond existing standards, the Chinese company may have finally bowed to pressure.

Upgraded displays and cameras are also expected

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are expected to feature 6.5-inch and 6.65-inch Fluid AMOLED displays respectively. But unlike their predecessors, which supported smooth 90Hz refresh rates, OnePlus is reportedly going to fit both phones with its recently announced 120Hz panels.

The notch and pop-up camera technologies used last year are also being replaced with subtler punch-hole implementations. This allows for one selfie camera and minimal bezels around the curved-edge screens.

As for the back of these phones, it looks like the regular OnePlus 8 is going to feature a vertical camera setup rather than a circular module. It houses three individual sensors, which are understood to be the primary camera, ultra-wide-angle shooter, and 3x telephoto alternative.

The OnePlus 8 Pro, on the other hand, is expected to incorporate upgraded cameras and an additional Time-of-Flight sensor to better compete with the likes of the Galaxy S20+ and other rival flagships.

Powering the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will undoubtedly be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865. This chipset is bundled with a 5G modem as standard, which means both phones will support 5G networks as standard. 

The latter could lead to a rather noticeable price hike for this year's phone, but OnePlus is fortunately working on the cheaper OnePlus 8 Lite for those of you that aren't necessarily looking to purchase a 5G flagship just yet.

As standard, OnePlus will probably offer an 8/128GB storage option for both phones, although pricier configurations of up to 12/512GB could be on offer at launch. Also to be expected is Android 10 straight out of the box and support for wireless charging, something OnePlus has skipped on in the past.

The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are now expected to go official at some point in April. The company was originally planning an unveiling in March, but the recent coronavirus outbreak has delayed production and, therefore, the OnePlus 8 series international launch.