One year had past, and the next-generation’s OnePlus 9 series smartphones are finally here with better design and more enticing specs. As usual, a total of two devices were introduced during the global launch event including the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.
OnePlus 9 Pro
Starting with the main highlight of the event, we have the OnePlus 9 Pro that’s built around a 6.7” LTPO AMOLED display which is dubbed as Fluid Display 2.0. Although the OnePlus 9 Pro retains the 120Hz refresh rate from last year’s OnePlus 8 Pro, but the new adaptive refresh rate is able to adjust automatically between 120Hz all the way down to 1Hz based on the onscreen content. This certainly helps in reducing the battery consumption which subsequently improves its overall battery life.
On top of that, the OnePlus 9 Pro also offers an ultra-sharp QHD+ screen resolution similar to what we saw on the OPPO Find X3 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Review). It further sweetens the deal with its support for 10-bit color depth, 1,300 nits peak brightness, as well as a responsive 240Hz touch sampling rate.
In the camera department, that’s where all the excitement lies. As we all know, the camera system one the OnePlus 9 series are co-developed with renowned Swedish camera company Hasselblad. That alone already sounds promising to begin with. Diving to the specifics, the quad-camera setup of the OnePlus 9 Pro is lead by a bespoke 48 megapixels Sony IMX789 primary shooter that comes with exciting features like dual native ISO, Digital Overlap HDR and OIS stabilization.
For the ultra-wide camera, it uses a 50 megapixels Sony IMX766 sensor just like the Find X3 Pro. What’s interesting is that the 50 megapixels ultra-wide shooter is equipped with a freeform lens which helps to drastically reduce distortion around the edges. Likewise, this camera also doubles up as a macro camera for capturing subjects as close as 4cm.
As for the other two cameras, they include a 2 megapixels monochrome camera as well as an 8 megapixels telephoto camera that offers up to 3.3x optical zoom and OIS stabilization. For videography, the OnePlus 9 Pro is able to capture 8K/30fps and 4K/120fps video with the main camera as well.
Under the hood, the OnePlus 9 Pro is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 888 mobile platform which will be paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 flash storage. Keeping its lights on will be a respectable 4,500mAh battery which carries support for an ultra-fast 65W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
In the U.S. market, the OnePlus 9 Pro is priced at US$969 and US$1,069 respectively for the 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB variants.
OnePlus 9
Next up, we also have the more affordable OnePlus 9 which arrives with a slightly smaller 6.55” AMOLED display that offers a downgraded FHD+ screen resolution and a non-adaptive 120Hz screen refresh rate. Most importantly, unlike the OnePlus 9 Pro which has a curved panel, the vanilla OnePlus 9 settles for a flat one instead.
In the camera department, the OnePlus 9 comes with three cameras at the back instead of four since the telephoto camera is omitted from the device. Similarly, OnePlus had also swapped the 48 megapixels IMX789 sensor with an older 48 megapixels Sony IMX689 sensor. Its also worth noting that the OIS stabilization on the primary shooter is absence on the OnePlus 9 as well. Despite that, it keeps the same 2 megapixels monochrome sensor.
Under the hood, the OnePlus 9 retains the same Snapdragon 888 chipset which will be coupled with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 flash storage. The device is backed by the same 4,500mAh battery and 65W fast wired charging support. However, its wireless charging has been downgraded to 15W instead.
In the U.S. market, the OnePlus 9 is priced at US$729 and US$829 respectively for its 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB models.
