OnePlus 7 Pro vs Galaxy S10

Price When Reviewed

OnePlus 7 Pro: From $669

Samsung Galaxy S10: From $899.99

OnePlus has always competed in the mid-range of the smartphone market, at least in terms of price. But with the OnePlus 7 Pro is now taking on the flagship end in a different way. Here we compare the new phone with the mighty Samsung and its Galaxy S10.

The firm also has the OnePlus 7, which is a mid-range phone, but it’s a minor update to the 6T so it’s the Pro model that’s really exciting this year and hitting all the headlines. But can OnePlus really move up into the big league?

Price

The OnePlus7 Pro is available now from  OnePlus or  John Lewis and comes in at a starting price of £649/$669. That will get you 6/128GB but you can also opt for 8/256GB and 12/256GB models.

Despite that price being in the flagship category, it’s still a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S10 which starts at £799/$899. Then goes to £999/$1149 if you want 512GB instead of 128GB. The Galaxy S10e is closer in price to the 7 Pro at £669/$749.

See below for a full price comparison.

	OnePlus 7 Pro	Galaxy S10
6+128GB	£649/$669	–
8+128GB	–	£799/$899
8+256GB	£699/$699	–
8+512GB	–	£999/$1149
12+256GB	£799/$749	–

Design & Build

Whether you prefer the style of OnePlus or Samsung is a personal choice. We think both are stunning phones in their own ways. There are some important differences here to point out though which could swing your decision.

Although both devices have a fingerprint scanner built into the screen, OnePlus offers a full display here – ie one without a notch or any other interruptions. The Galaxy S10 has a punch-hole camera which means the front facing lens is completely surrounded by the display – an island in a sea of pixels. The same is true of the Galaxy S10e out of interest.

It does mean the camera is more accessible, but the OnePlus 7 Pro’s pops up out of the top in a pretty cool futuristic way. 

One key thing to bear in mind is that the Galaxy S10 is a much more manageable phone in terms of size. It’s more compact and is 7.8- vs 8.8mm, with the weight being a huge difference at 157- vs 206g. If you don’t want a big and heavy phone then the OnePlus might not be a good choice.

Despite it’s bigger frame, the 7 Pro doesn’t have a headphone jack but this is something Samsung provides so there’s no need to faff around with a USB-C dongle.

There’s also the fact that OnePlus does not officially offer waterproofing, where the entire Galaxy S10 range has IP68 rating so you can dunk it without worry.

Specs & Features

These phones are both top-notch when it comes to the core things we look for in a smartphone. However, there are some smaller differences that might be important to you personally.

Screen

As mentioned earlier, if you don’t want a big phone then the OnePlus 7 Pro isn’t the best choice. It’s got an almost tablet-sized 6.67in screen. If you are keen on the size then it’s got plenty to offer, without mentioning the lack of a camera getting in the way. It’s 2340 x 1080 with a 402ppi pixel density which is decent. More important is that the so called Fluid AMOLED has a 90Hz refresh rate so it’s extremely smooth.

Like the 7 Pro, the Galaxy S10 is HDR10+ compatible and has a lower resolution of 1440 x 3040 but the smaller screen size of 6.1in actually results in a higher pixel density of 550ppi.

Pixel density wars aside, we’d say the main things are are the size difference, 90Hz refresh rate on the 7 Pro and the lack of a punch-hole camera.

Internals

Although both models run on a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, the Galaxy S10 range in Europe runs on an Exynos 9820. 

They’re both high-end processors so it’s probably more important to pick which model is right for you in terms of memory and storage.

There are five different options here as neither phone comes with the same combination of capacities. OnePlus offers 6/128GB, 8/256GB and 12G/256GB. 

So although it goes up to a whopping 12GB of RAM, Samsung offers something different with 8/128GB and 8/512GB. More RAM as standard (at a higher price) and double the amount of storage if you’re happy to pay for it.

The Galaxy S10 is the only phone here with a microSD card slot.

Cameras

OnePlus has always had decent cameras, but ones that tended to be a little off the pace. Perhaps understandable considering the price difference to flagship rivals.

The 7 Pro changes that though with a 48Mp, f/1.6, OIS, IMX586 main sensor along with an ultra-wide (117 degree) 16Mp camera and an 8Mp telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. Then there’s the pop-up 16Mp camera selfie camera.

The Galaxy S10 has an equally impressive array of cameras but with different benefits. The main sensor is 12Mp but has an innovative dual-aperture so it can switch between f/1.5 and 2.4 when needed. It then has a 12Mp telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and a 16Mp ultra-wide angle (123 degrees). The front camera is 10Mp which is lower than the OnePlus but can shoot 4K video.

Battery and charging

The extra weight of the OnePlus 7 Pro might be worth it for the larger battery. It’s 4000mAh and has whopping 30W Warp charging. 

It does lack wireless charging though which you do get with the Galaxy S10. In fact, the S10 can reverse wireless charge other devices which is pretty cool. The S10 has a 3400mAh and 15W fast charging (wired or wireless).

Software

Although these phones both run Android, they use their own user interfaces – aka skins – that you won’t find on other phones.

We prefer the more stock approch of OnePlus but Samsung’s software is better these days and if you have previous experience of either then familiarity is often a bit lure for users.

Verdict

We love the OnePlus 7 Pro and gave it a rare 5 star review, thanks to its gorgeous design, amazing specs and affordable price. That doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone here though.

It might have an amazing screen and cameras, but the lower price does mean you miss out on things like wireless charging and waterproofing. Oh and a headphone jack. It’s also a big and heavy phone which might put you off.

So it depends on what you care about the most. The Galaxy S10 might be more expensive but you do get a lot of extras – the things missing on the 7 Pro importantly – which might be deal-breakers to you.

The OnePlus just pips it for us but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S10 is the one you want either – remembering the S10e is a closer rival if price is an issue.

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