A decade after launching its first smartphone, OnePlus is finally making its first Android tablet in the “OnePlus Pad,” coming in just a couple of short weeks.
Rumors have been swirling of OnePlus making its own tablet for quite some time, and earlier this morning leaked renders even offered a first look at the upcoming Android tablet. But now, OnePlus has explicitly confirmed that the “OnePlus Pad” is right around the corner.
Speaking to TechRadar, OnePlus confirmed that the OnePlus Pad, its first Android tablet, will be launching on February 7 alongside the OnePlus 11. The company also shared the first official teaser image for the tablet, which confirms this morning’s leak.
OnePlus says that its tablet is built from an aluminum body that has a slightly cambered frame (aka it’s rounded) along the sides. Apparently, that design choice was made to ensure the tablet was comfortable to hold for hours at a time. The company also points out that the circular rear camera module was placed in its central location rather than the more typical corner position because it is “more lined up with your own view.” Makes us wonder why the same isn’t true of the OnePlus 11.
The image above also gives an indication of the display compared to its bezels, which appear to be relatively thin, but big enough to house a front-facing camera. OnePlus’ tease that the tablet will be “smooth without equal” also hints that it might include a high refresh rate display.
The OnePlus Pad will launch on February 7 alongside the OnePlus 11, sporting a “Halo Green” color. There’s not much known about the spec sheet or any special features of the tablet, or even where it will be sold.
I turn 46 today so as Bday gift, I bring you the very first look at the #OnePlusPad!🥳
Here are the official specs and your first look of OnePlus 11
The OnePlus 11 is coming up quickly, and after announcing a launch event in India coming in February, the brand has now confirmed more details. The OnePlus 11 will launch in China on January 4, and the first official pictures have arrived.
Earlier this month, OnePlus announced its “Cloud 11” event which is set to take place in February. The event is confirmed to see the launch of the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 at least in India, but presumably also confirming some global details on top of that.
Shared on Weibo, OnePlus has added a few more details.
First and foremost, the initial launch of the OnePlus 11 will take place on January 4. That’s when the phone will launch in China exclusively ahead of its expansion to other countries.
OnePlus has also confirmed quite a few details regarding the specs of the OnePlus 11. The official specs include 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of storage using the new UFS 4.0 standard. Android 13 will also be on board out of the box, though with Oppo’s ColorOS for this Chinese model, which all comes alongside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that’s already been confirmed. OnePlus has yet to announce what the camera specs will include on OnePlus 11.
Alongside all of that, OnePlus has also shared the first official images of the OnePlus 11.
And, finally, 91Mobiles has published a handful of OnePlus 11 hands-on images. While there’s a bit of room for doubt on the authenticity of these, they do line up with the official shots quite well.
Qualcomm just announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 yesterday, and we already know one of the first phones that will use it. Unsurprisingly, the OnePlus 11 will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
OnePlus confirmed on Weibo that the OnePlus 11 “will be the first” to offer the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It remains to be seen if the device will truly be the first smartphone using Qualcomm’s new chip, but it will certainly be the first from OnePlus.
There aren’t any other teasers of the device, but one thing that stands out as notable is that the device is simply called the “OnePlus 11” rather than the “OnePlus 11 Pro.” This would point to OnePlus perhaps going back on last year’s choice to launch the OnePlus 10 Pro but never formally launching a “OnePlus 10” – the closest we got was the OnePlus 10T, which was a starkly different device.
According to a rumor from earlier this year, OnePlus may end up releasing the OnePlus 11 in some capacity by the end of 2022. That’s well ahead of schedule – the OnePlus 10 Pro launched in China this past January and arrived globally in March.
Leaks have also shown off the design of a “OnePlus 11 Pro” with a circular camera module and an otherwise familiar design, as pictured above.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was just announced with a new layout, Arm’s new Cortex-X3 cores, Wi-Fi 7 support, AV1 decoding, and other big upgrades as well as a focus on power efficiency.
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with AV1, raytracing, 1+4+3 core config
Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as its new flagship Android chip with a big focus on AI performance.
This chip is built on a 4nm process with a different core configuration than last year. There’s the “Prime” Arm Cortex X3 clocked at 3.2GHz with four “Performance” (2.8GHz) and three “Efficiency” cores (2GHz). It was previously three and four, respectively, with Qualcomm finding a boost for multi-thread executions with this approach. Another optimization sees two of the Performance cores support both 64- and 32-bits operations so that older apps can run efficiently.
There’s support for up to 16GB of LP-DDR5x 4200 MHz RAM. Overall, Qualcomm says this Kryo CPU is up to 35% faster as new microarchitecture results in 40% more power efficiency (compared to 8 Gen 1).
The Adreno GPU touts up to 25% faster performance and 45% better power efficiency with Vulkan 1.3 support, while the “Adreno Display” features “OLED Aging Compensation” to combat burn-in. The other highlight is hardware-accelerated ray tracing when gaming that better simulates how light physically behaves in the real world from accurate reflections to better shadows.
The Snapdragon X70 5G model supports 5G+5G/4GDual-SIM Dual-Active, while the FastConnect 7800 powers low-latency Wi-Fi 7 and dual-Bluetooth connectivity. Other features include 4x carrier aggregation downlink and Snapdragon Satellite two-way messaging support. There’s also support for audio with dynamic head tracking.
The Qualcomm AI Engine is the other big focus with up to 4.35X increased AI performance thanks to a 2x bigger tensor accelerator. It features a dedicated power delivery system that doubles the connection between the Hexagon Processor and the Adreno GPU, as well as Spectra ISP, for higher bandwidth and lower latency. For AI tasks, the faster connection reduces the dependency on the system DDR memory. There’s also INT4 AI format support for 60% performance/watt improvement during sustained AI inferencing.
Meanwhile, the Sensing Hub features dual AI processors for audio and other sensors with a 2x performance increase and 50% more memory. Last year’s always-on camera has been rebranded to the Always-Sensing camera, with one possible use case being a phone reading a QR code in the background.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 features what Qualcomm calls a “Cognitive ISP” that can run real-time semantic segmentation to identify and then optimize for faces, hair, clothes, sky, and other common layers in a scene. This is made possible by the new power delivery system. There’s support for Samsung’s ISOCELL HP3 image sensor (200MP) and AV1 codec for up to 8K HDR at 60FPS video playback.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will appear in commercial devices by the end of 2022 with adoption from Asus ROG, Honor, iQOO, Motorola, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, Redmagic, Redmi, Sharp, Sony Corporation, Vivo, Xiaomi, Xingi/Meizu, and ZTE.
Android 13 is starting to expand past the beta stage on devices from Samsung, Vivo, and more after launching on Pixels earlier this year. OnePlus, though, is just now releasing a schedule for when to expect Android 13 on more devices, but only in its beta form.
So far, OnePlus has only released a “stable” version of Android 13 with OxygenOS 13 to a single device, the OnePlus 10 Pro. That was followed by open beta releases for theOnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, as well as theOnePlus 10R in September, and betas have also since been released for OnePlus 10T, OnePlus 8 series, and the OnePlus 9R/T.
Sometime in “Q4 2022,” OnePlus says the Android 13 beta will expand to the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. That’s all the brand says to expect through the end of 2022. From there, the first half of 2023 will see Android 13 beta releases for the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, Nord 2 5G, and Nord CE 5G. Note, of course, this is only talking about the beta releases, not the stable release.
OnePlus does add that the OnePlus Nord N20 will see a stable Android 13 release sometime in the first half of 2023 as well.
With this schedule, OnePlus also doubly confirms that devices from the OnePlus 7 series are seemingly not getting Android 13, which lines up with the brand’s stance of only promising two major Android updates to its flagships.
In a time where Samsung is providing a stable Android 13 update just two months behind Google and has active beta programs ongoing for both its flagship and budget models, it’s rough to see OnePlus making slow progress like this. OnePlus and Oppo touted “faster and smoother” updates as a benefit that users would enjoy as the two brands merged closer together, but it’s certainly not reflected in this schedule. Rather, we’re just seeing more ColorOS on OnePlus devices.
With Android 13 on the horizon, OnePlus is now finally offering OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series owners the opportunity to install Android 12 with the launch of the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta.
Announced in twoseparate posts on the OnePlus Forums, OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 can now be sideloaded on OnePlus 7/ OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T/ OnePlus 7T Pro units. The divisive update certainly bears a striking resemblance to Oppo’s ColorOS, that is despite protestations from OnePlus that the “unified platform” will not be coming after all.
Aesthetically, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between OxygenOS 12 on OnePlus 7 series devices and ColorOS or Realme UI on Oppo and Realme devices. However, a new software update is important and Android 12 offers a number of improvements to the core OS that will undoubtedly improve the daily experience you’ll have with a OnePlus 7 or OnePlus 7T series handset.
One caveat is that to install OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 on your OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, or OnePlus 7T Pro you will need to already be running OxygenOS 11.0.71 or 11.0.8.1 before proceeding. These builds contain prerequisites that are not contained within the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta ZIP files that are required for Android 12 to run correctly.
Both builds for the 7 and 7T series contain the June 2022 security patch, which means you’re up-to-date — at least for now. You can check out the full changelog below:
System
Newly added Smart Battery Engine, a feature that prolongs your battery life based on smart algorithms and biomimetic self-restoration technology
Redesigns app icons using new materials to give more depth and a greater sense of space and texture to the icons
Revamps the page layout based on the principle of reducing visual noise and optimizes the presentation of text and color to make key information stand out
Optimized desktop icons with improved textures, by using a design inspired by brand-new materials and uniting lights and layers
Optimized spam block rules: Adds a rule for blocking MMS messages
Games
Newly added the HyperBoost end-to-end frame rate stabilizer
Newly added Voice effect preview to allow you to record your voice effect or check your voice effect in real time
Dark mode
Dark mode now supports three adjustable levels, bringing a more personalized and comfortable user experience
Shelf
New additional style options for Cards, making data contents more visual and easier to read
Newly added access to OnePlus Scout in Shelf, allowing you to search multiple contents on your phone, including Apps, Settings, Media Data, etc
Work Life Balance
Work Life Balance feature is now available to all users, allowing you to effortlessly switch between Work and Life mode via quick settings
WLB 2.0 now supports automatic Work/Life mode switching, based on specific locations, Wi-Fi network, and time, also bringing customized App notification profiles according to the personalization
Gallery
Gallery now allows you to switch between different layouts with a two-finger pinch gesture, intelligently recognizing the best-quality pictures, and cropping the thumbnail based on the content, making the gallery layout more pleasing
Canvas AOD
Canvas AOD brings you new diverse styles of lines and colors, for a more personalized lock screen experience with inspiring visuals
Newly added multiple brushes and strokes and support for color adjustment
Optimized software algorithm and improved face recognition to better identify the features and skin color of different figures
Accessibility
Optimized categorization of functions by grouping them into vision, hearing, interactive actions, and general
TalkBack supports more system apps including Photos, Phone, Mail, and Calendar
Of course, before attempting to install, ensure you have at least 30% battery remaining and 4GB of onboard storage free. This process should not wipe any personal data on your device, but we would highly recommend backing up any important files and photos before joining the beta program. Downgrading or rolling back to Android 11 will cause you to lose device data if you are not happy with OxygenOS 12 and Android 12 on your OnePlus 7 or OnePlus 7T series handset.
After officially launching almost two months ago the Android 12-based LineageOS 19 is expanding to more handsets once again. This time those with the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro alongside the Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro and budget Mi A1 can now flash LineageOS 19 on their devices (h/t XDA). For those with the latter Xiaomi handsets, this is the most recent software build that you can access and might provide a more consistent update path moving forward.
While Android 12 is already available for the OnePlus 9 series and Poco X3 Pro, the Mi A1 shipped with Android One and has only been officially updated as far as Android 9 Pie. As mentioned, this might be a way to extend the lifespan of your devices given that support for older handsets from the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus can be sporadic or limited at best.
It’s also important to note that LineageOS 19 is actually based upon Android 12.1/12L, a build that is not yet officially available for the OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, and Poco X3 Pro. That means that if you truly want the latest and greatest version of Android on your smartphone, LineageOS 19 might provide you with that option.
Should you want to flash LineageOS 19 on your device, you can find build/device links with specific device installation instructions:
Google apps do not come pre-installed with LineageOS builds. You will, therefore, need to flash a GApps package to retain access to the Play Store and important Google apps and services. Luckily, there is a solid guide from the team behind the ROM that you can refer to here.
OnePlus promises to deliver regular system updates for its wide array of smartphones for at least two years and in some cases much longer for flagship models, but how is the April 2022 security update being handled?
OnePlus April 2022 security update — What’s new?
At the start of April, Google added the security patch as the fifth post-Android 12 update for all eligible Pixel devices after the previous addition of a substantial Feature Drop and version 12.1/12L upgrade. This OTA included a number of new tweaks to improve the experience on larger displays while simultaneously tuning the base Android 12 experience for devices.
Moving forward, this will be the basis for third-party OEM builds, but it’s still unclear when OnePlus phones will see it. It might be enveloped into the full Android 13 release at some point in future. Unlike Samsung, OnePlus is not quite as fast out of the blocks when it comes to Android updates. It took until April 20 before the latest security patch arrived on eligible handsets.
Late March saw the release of the OnePlus 10 Pro, which is likely to be given priority for future patches. That said, the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro have been supported very well since launch given that updates are often served on a bimonthly basis.
At this point in time, the April 2022 security patch has only arrived on a few OnePlus devices, but we expect that to change over the coming days and weeks. The April 2022 security update for OnePlus devices patches the DirtyPipe exploit, as this predominantly affected Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
OnePlus devices with the April 2022 update
OnePlus 9 series
Although superseded by the recent OnePlus 10 Pro, the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are running a newer security patch courtesy of the OxygenOS C.48 update. This patch includes some system stability improvements and the latest patch but very little else.
OnePlus 7T series
Although almost identical to the OnePlus 7 Pro with very similar internals and external design, the OxygenOS 11.0.7.1 update is now available for the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro. This patch includes the April 2022 security update and some general software stability improvements for the OnePlus duo.
OnePlus 7 series
Bearing the same build number as the April patch for OnePlus7T series devices, the OxygenOS 11.0.7.1 OTA is now rolling out for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro. Much like the OnePlus 7T patch, this update includes very little beyond the April security update.
OnePlus Nord series
The first device to actually get the latest April patch was, in fact, the OnePlus Nord 2. This upgraded follow-up to the original Nord is starting to see OxygenOS A.20, which includes the April 2022 security patch and some other tweaks as part of the update.
OxygenOS 11.0.6 is now rolling out for the most affordable Nord series handset. The Nord N100 might not be a powerful or “stacked” smartphone but it is getting the April security patch (via XDA). The update should be rolling out over the coming days to eligible handsets.
Devices still awaiting the April patch
While we’re seeing a very small pool of devices get the latest patch, a larger selection of the OnePlus hardware lineup is still updated with older 2022 security patches — with all devices noted below. As patches are often served on a bi-monthly cadence, you may see some devices skipped ahead of a wider rollout of an upcoming patch.
It’s also important to note that OnePlus has officially confirmed that the 6 and 6T series will no longer be updated or supported over the coming months. The 2018 flagship duo received a surprise update in mid-November and now will only be supported via third-party unofficial means moving forward.
OnePlus 10 series
OnePlus 10 Pro (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus 9 series
OnePlus 9 (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus 9 Pro (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus 9R (November 2021 patch)
OnePlus 9RT (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus 8 series
OnePlus 8 (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 8 Pro (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 8T (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 7 series
OnePlus 7 (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 7 Pro (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 7T (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus 7T Pro (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord series
OnePlus Nord (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord CE (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord 2 (December 2021 patch)
OnePlus Nord CE 2 (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord N10 5G (March 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord N100 (February 2022 patch)
OnePlus Nord N200 5G (March 2022 patch)
How can I get the April 2022 security patch on my OnePlus device?
OnePlus has a habit of rolling out updates for devices in a staged manner. That means that the initial release and subsequent confirmation on the OnePlus Forums don’t always indicate when you’ll be able to grab an OTA file and get your device updated/patched.
Our advice is to use a third-party application to get updates in a timely manner. The community-run Oxygen Updater allows you to sideload official update .zip files as soon as they are available publicly. While this will ensure you get updates right away, if you encounter problems, you may need to revert to an older build. This may require a device reset if problems are major.
OnePlus 9 Pro is still turning on? But Touch function doesn’t work at all ?
Why Pay More ?
We Do OnePlus 9 Pro Screen Replacement with the Factory Condition!
Hard to Find A OnePlus 9 Pro Screen Repairer ? Some Repairers Charge You Too Much?
We have been purchased OnePlus 9 Pro Parts in Bulks and Yes! All Technicians have been replacing OnePlus 9 Pro Screen ‘THOUSANDS TIMES’.
So It’s been Easier for us.
Yes ! 100% Guarantee Your Satisfaction.
Take Action Now.
Enjoy ‘Brand New Gangnam Style Repair Service’ in the Sydney CBD Repair Centre.
Both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro use the Snapdragon 888 processor with the Adreno 660 GPU, with either 128 or 256 GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage. Both have 8 GB or 12 GB of LPPDDR5 RAM. Both have stereo speakers with active noise cancellation and no audio jack, similar to the previous generation OnePlus 8/8Pro and OnePlus 8T.
An investigation by AnandTech revealed on July 6, 2021, that the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro throttle the performance of popular apps by limiting them to the processor’s slower cores. As a result, benchmarks in apps such as Google Chrome performed up to 85% slower than competing phones that use the same Snapdragon 888 processor, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Asus Zenfone 8.[9][10] News website Android Authority then performed their own tests, and found that both devices perform approximately 74% worse in Chrome benchmarks than the predecessor OnePlus 8. When running the same benchmark in the Microsoft Edge web browser, which is not throttled, the 9 Pro outperformed the OnePlus 8’s Chrome result by about 7%.[10] The next day, OnePlus admitted in a statement to multiple news outlets that it was throttling the performance of as many as 300 popular apps, claiming the decision was made after complaints from users about battery life and overheating issues with the devices.[11][12]
Multiple outlets criticised OnePlus for introducing the throttling feature without informing device owners.[13][14][15] The day after the AnandTech report, performance benchmarking app Geekbench removed the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro from its website, calling it “benchmark manipulation”.
Get Repaired By OnePlus Specialist Team Today.
Be Sure You Get the Correct Price & Right Repair Service.
It’s hard to find a phone repair shop. There are so many if them, all competing on price and not necessarily on quality or service. On top of that, how often does one need a phone repaired? So repeat business is also not something most phone repair shops will focus on. Let me do my bit and help out someone, who so obviously does things differently. These guys were fantastic in their communication, in their patience, knowledge, work quality, service and, believe it or not, with all that they were the best at pricing. I can only recommend them and hope that they will prosper and stay in business. I know where my next repair will be done, no more shopping around. Click Here To Read More …
My Samsung S6 had a cracked screen and not working at all. Within 1 hour David replaced the screen and got it working within that time. Excellent friendly service. I.would highly recommendSydney CBD Repair Centre for any phone repairs that you need done quickly. Click Here To Read More …
Staff were friendly. The service was efficient & speedy. We were told that if they found anything else to be fixed they would contact us first which instills trust. On returning to collect the mobile the staff were patient & helpful. Would definitely recommend!! Click Here To Read More …
Best service ive ever gotten. Very fast at what they do and at a great price, i highly recommend this business to everyone out there who has phone issues. Click Here To Read More …
Super friendly, fast, polite and centrally located. The sort of place that’s so good that you would eagerly recommend it to anyone – even though their phone may not need fixing. Click Here To Read More …
OnePlus 9 is still turning on? But Touch function doesn’t work at all ?
Why Pay More ?
We Do OnePlus 9 Screen Replacement with the Factory Condition!
Hard to Find A OnePlus 9 Screen Repairer ? Some Repairers Charge You Too Much?
We have been purchased OnePlus 9 Parts in Bulks and Yes! All Technicians have been replacing OnePlus 8T Screen ‘THOUSANDS TIMES’.
So It’s been Easier for us.
Yes ! 100% Guarantee Your Satisfaction.
Take Action Now.
Enjoy ‘Brand New Gangnam Style Repair Service’ in the Sydney CBD Repair Centre.
Both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro use the Snapdragon 888 processor with the Adreno 660 GPU, with either 128 or 256 GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage. Both have 8 GB or 12 GB of LPPDDR5 RAM. Both have stereo speakers with active noise cancellation and no audio jack, similar to the previous generation OnePlus 8/8Pro and OnePlus 8T.
An investigation by AnandTech revealed on July 6, 2021, that the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro throttle the performance of popular apps by limiting them to the processor’s slower cores. As a result, benchmarks in apps such as Google Chrome performed up to 85% slower than competing phones that use the same Snapdragon 888 processor, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Asus Zenfone 8.[9][10] News website Android Authority then performed their own tests, and found that both devices perform approximately 74% worse in Chrome benchmarks than the predecessor OnePlus 8. When running the same benchmark in the Microsoft Edge web browser, which is not throttled, the 9 Pro outperformed the OnePlus 8’s Chrome result by about 7%.[10] The next day, OnePlus admitted in a statement to multiple news outlets that it was throttling the performance of as many as 300 popular apps, claiming the decision was made after complaints from users about battery life and overheating issues with the devices.[11][12]
Multiple outlets criticised OnePlus for introducing the throttling feature without informing device owners.[13][14][15] The day after the AnandTech report, performance benchmarking app Geekbench removed the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro from its website, calling it “benchmark manipulation”.
Get Repaired By OnePlus Specialist Team Today.
Be Sure You Get the Correct Price & Right Repair Service.
It’s hard to find a phone repair shop. There are so many if them, all competing on price and not necessarily on quality or service. On top of that, how often does one need a phone repaired? So repeat business is also not something most phone repair shops will focus on. Let me do my bit and help out someone, who so obviously does things differently. These guys were fantastic in their communication, in their patience, knowledge, work quality, service and, believe it or not, with all that they were the best at pricing. I can only recommend them and hope that they will prosper and stay in business. I know where my next repair will be done, no more shopping around. Click Here To Read More …
My Samsung S6 had a cracked screen and not working at all. Within 1 hour David replaced the screen and got it working within that time. Excellent friendly service. I.would highly recommendSydney CBD Repair Centre for any phone repairs that you need done quickly. Click Here To Read More …
Staff were friendly. The service was efficient & speedy. We were told that if they found anything else to be fixed they would contact us first which instills trust. On returning to collect the mobile the staff were patient & helpful. Would definitely recommend!! Click Here To Read More …
Best service ive ever gotten. Very fast at what they do and at a great price, i highly recommend this business to everyone out there who has phone issues. Click Here To Read More …
Super friendly, fast, polite and centrally located. The sort of place that’s so good that you would eagerly recommend it to anyone – even though their phone may not need fixing. Click Here To Read More …
OnePlus‘ new lineup consists of its two flagship models: the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. With these devices, OnePlus establishes a new position with competing OEMs as it snags the Hasselblad camera brand in a new partnership to help it further develop OnePlus’ camera prowess. OnePlus is using the tagline “Your best shot”, so let’s see what all the fuss is about.
You may be asking exactly how Hasselblad was involved in the development of the OnePlus 9’s cameras. As per OnePlus, Hasselblad has collaborated with the OEM to calibrate the cameras’ sensors and tune the color optics to behave as they would on high-end Hasselblad cameras – known for their accurate colors and image output in 16-bit RAW. While the OnePlus 9 can’t quite shoot in 16-bit RAW, it does have the ability to do so in 12-bit color while using the camera’s Pro shooting mode.
In this review, we’re going to focus on the (slightly) smaller of the two. The OnePlus 9 does skip out on some of the features that are exclusive to the 9 Pro – which has extra camera features, a more premium display, and support for OnePlus new 50W wireless charger. Storage is now updated to UFS 3.1 for faster read/write speeds, as well.
The look and feel of the OnePlus 9‘s design do not deviate far from its predecessor. The OnePlus 9 keeps the flat display and the new plastic frame could fool anyone into thinking it was metal. Don’t worry though, the front and back panes are still made of Gorilla Glass. The punch-hole camera cutout remains in the same spot for now, and the main camera cluster gets a new arrangement.
Coming from the OnePlus 8, the 9 gets updated wired charging, updated camera modules, support for 120Hz refresh rate, and now supports bi-directional wireless charging, though only in select markets. The more obvious updates include the Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform, and a bump in battery capacity.
OnePlus 9 specs at a glance:
Body: 160.0×73.9×8.1mm, 183g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), plastic frame.
The OnePlus 9 now shares the same dual-cell battery setup that debuted on the OnePlus 8T. This means that the 9 supports OnePlus’ Warp Charge 65T. This tech quickly charges two smaller batteries that work in tandem and a full charge of the batteries’ combined 4,500 mAh capacity is promised in about half an hour.
The camera module has been updated to the Sony IMX689 – the same sensor from the OnePlus 8 Pro. The difference here is that this one is tuned with Hasselblad’s likeness. The ultrawide module is a significant upgrade. This is a large 50MP sensor that beefs up the performance of the ultrawide camera in low-light photography and when shooting video. It also has a fancy new lens that drastically minimizes distortion normally observed on ultrawide cameras – we’re excited to test it out.
Let’s dig into the OnePlus 9 and see what experience the entry-level OnePlus flagship has to offer. Let’s start with the contents of the phone’s packaging.
Unboxing
The OnePlus packaging has become a standard fare and the OnePlus 9 is no exception. Inside the now familiar red box is the phone at the top layer, followed by some paperwork, a silicone case in some markets, the 65W Warp Charge power adapter, and the usual red Type-C to Type-C USB 2.0 cable.
Unlike the opaque silicone case that comes with the 9 Pro, the OnePlus 8 silicone case is clear. We’re not sure why OnePlus chooses to omit this accessory in some markets and decides to leave it elsewhere. There will be aftermarket cases, obviously, along with some first-party options from OnePlus.
As usual, there are no audio accessories inside the package. Not even an audio adapter.
The competition
The OnePlus 9 starts at $729, which is a fairly serious price tag that gets it some fairly serious competition. For starters, it’s more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S21, which starts at $699 but can occasionally be found for a lower price. Probably the most underrated of the three new S21 phones, the standard S21 is still a great smartphone whose only real flaw is perhaps opting for a plastic back in a market full of glass phones.
But if that’s a real deal-breaker to you or if you just want something larger, then there’s the S21+, which goes for $799 or at times even $749. The S21+ is a fully-featured smartphone that leaves very little on the table and has the performance to match the price tag. Samsung may even throw in an accessory or two in some regions or offer a discount on them if you pick this up, which makes the deal even sweeter.
The newly launched ASUS ROG Phone 5 is also a tough competitor in this segment. ASUS has not just chosen to pack this phone with as many features as possible but also opted for an aggressive pricing at around the same price as the OnePlus 9. While clearly marketed as a gaming phone (and it’s a damn good at that), the ROG Phone 5 is also a fairly complete package, with respectable performance in nearly every area.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, then maybe you’d want to consider the Apple iPhone 12. Possibly the best value iPhone in a while, the standard iPhone 12 manages to pack great design and build quality, a high quality display, best in class performance, a high quality set of cameras, easy to use software with unparalleled software and game library, legendary customer support and a high resale value to boot. The iPhone 12 will also be appealing to those who are looking for a more compact smartphone but for those who want something even smaller, there’s the $100 cheaper iPhone 12 mini as well, which does basically everything the iPhone 12 does in a smaller size. Yes, the 60Hz display aren’t exactly modern and the lack of any kind of charger in the box may be frustrating to some but as a complete package, the iPhone 12 is still hard to beat.
Verdict
From being the hero of its own story to becoming the sidekick, the non-Pro line of OnePlus phones has had a tragic demotion over the years. We first saw this with the OnePlus 7 and two years later, not much has changed.
It’s clear the Pro device is going to get all the best stuff moving forward but at times it feels like OnePlus swings the cripple hammer too hard on the non-Pro mode. A plastic frame, no certified ingress protection, lower resolution display from last year’s model, no telephoto camera and downgraded main sensor, no 4K 120fps recording, no OIS, and no wireless charging outside of NA and Europe.
As reviewers, it’s hard to get excited about the OnePlus 9. Just as it was hard to get excited about the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 7. As a phone, it’s perfectly adequate and for the most part it’s quite nice to use. But at $729 starting price, it’s supposed to be nice. The brakes on the OnePlus price hike train stopped working years ago and the company clearly has no plans on slowing down. So then why are things being taken away instead of being added?
We can’t decipher these mixed signals. If the OnePlus 9 is available in your region at a reasonable price, then it is a reasonable phone to pick up. But if OnePlus wants to play the price hike game, it will have to do better than this.
Pros
Good display performance
Relatively clean software and great UI performance
Powerful loudspeakers
Good performance from the main wide and ultra-wide cameras
Fast charging
Cons
Plastic frame
No official IP rating
No OIS
No dedicated telephoto camera
Outdated front camera
Hasselblad partnership mostly a marketing gimmick
Monochrome camera is useless
No wireless charging outside of NA and Europe
Worse battery life performance than previous models
