OnePlus 8 was launched at a starting price of $699 on April 14 in the States. The very next day, Apple dropped its second-generation iPhone SE for $399. Looking at the prices, it makes no sense comparing the two phones. However, it must be noted that they are priced almost equally in India. The iPhone SE is priced at Rs 42,500, whereas the OnePlus 8 just undercuts it at Rs 41,999. And, here’s why you should buy Apple’s latest offering over OnePlus’.

A13 Bionic, ‘nuf said

First things first, the iPhone SE packs the same chip that you get in the iPhone 11 Pro. The latter costs over Rs 1,00,000 in India and iPhone SE is likely to provide similar performance as the chart-topper. The Apple A13 Bionic SoC is a powerhouse. It beats the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip in benchmark tests like Geekbench 5. Yes, it doesn’t offer 5G, but do you really need it right now? Even the 5G spectrum auctions are yet to take place in the country.

iPhone SE will last longer than the OnePlus 8

Secondly, the iPhone SE beats every Android device, hands down, when it comes to software support. The phone ships with iOS 13, and it will get iOS 14 later this year. Further, you can expect it to get the iOS 15, iOS 16 and even the iOS 17 update. On the other hand, OnePlus 8 runs Android 10. It is guaranteed to get the Android 11 update. However, things are expected to slow-down after that.

Yes, the company says it will provide OS support for two years, but looking at the history, and time it takes for the manufacturer to update its old devices, I won’t count on that.

Look, I’m not saying OnePlus is not good with updates, in fact, it is one of the best when it comes to Android manufacturers, but it’s not up there with Apple.

That brings me to the third point, a longer life span! You are spending 42k – if you double the storage it’s 45k – you wouldn’t want your device to give up on you in a couple of years, would you? In fact, the iPhone X still runs smooth as day one. It was launched way back in 2017. I wouldn’t expect this kind of performance from any Android device. Similarly, the iPhone SE is likely to last longer than its Android competitor.

iPhone = Better resale value

A longer life span means a better resale value. If you’d like to sell your iPhone SE in a couple of years, I’m sure you’ll get much more out of it than an OnePlus 8.

The new iPhone SE doesn’t feature the fancy 2020-design. It has big-bezels, yes. But you get what matters the most, the performance, the longevity, the smoothness, the overall experience!

As for OnePlus 8 Pro model, it is a ridiculously good buy for Rs 54,999.

Update:

Looking at the comments here, I want to make it clear that I didn’t want to make this a spec comparison. I don’t think it is ever wise to compare iPhone specs to Android specs. The two operating systems have different demands.

Whereas iOS can pull it off with less RAM, Android needs as much as it can get. Megapixel count is also something that doesn’t matter, as software processing and other variables are more important. Yes, OnePlus 8’s camera system is more versatile, hands-down. But I wouldn’t judge the two by megapixel count. I’m looking forward to using and testing the two phones.
Also, this isn’t a review. It’s an opinion piece.