The OnePlus 9 addresses the brand’s photography shortcomings, with camera smarts courtesy of Sony and Hasselblad.
The OnePlus 9 is the latest flagship – alongside the OnePlus 9 Pro – from a brand that, despite shifting its phone strategy to compete directly with other premium handsets, had until now kept coming up short in one category: cameras. To address this deficiency, OnePlus has partnered with legendary photography company Hasselblad in a three-year plan to improve the photo capabilities of its smartphones. The OnePlus 9 is the first attempt to right the ship, and the improvements are noticeable, with better color fidelity and improved low-light performance. The digital zoom has also been improved, while there are some fun new tricks like the macro-simulating close-range effect on the ultra-wide camera. As much as the cameras have changed, the rest of the phone hasn’t: the design is virtually the same, from the placement of the buttons to the display to the size, which is nearly identical to that of its immediate predecessor, the OnePlus 8T, and the OnePlus 8 before that. The display hasn’t changed, either, but there’s no complaining about the sharp 6.55-inch Full HD Plus resolution AMOLED display. The OnePlus 9 packs the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, and while the 8GB / 128GB or 12GB / 256GB RAM and storage options are the same as for its predecessor, they’re on a par with other flagship phones in its price range (most notably, the Samsung S21). What the OnePlus 9 does better is recharge its 4,500mAh battery extremely quickly – from empty to 100% in around half an hour with its Warp Charge 65T charger. Ultimately, the OnePlus 9 provides great performance and battery life for its price, while shoring up its camera offering, and it all makes for a serious-value package. Sure, the phone inherits a lot from the OnePlus 8T, but with its greatest weakness addressed, the newest affordable flagship makes a strong case to be the best phone at its price tier. The OnePlus 9 launched on March 23, and is available to buy now in the US. It’s also now available to buy in the UK, though the wait was longer there, with the phone not going on sale until April 26. It isn’t on sale in Australia, and nor will it be, as the company doesn’t sell phones there currently. The OnePlus 9 starts at $729 / £629 (about AU$940) for the 8GB of RAM / 128GB of storage model, while bumping that up to 12GB of RAM / 256GB of storage raises the price to £729 (about $829, AU$1,070). You can buy both models in the UK, but those in the US are only able to buy the 8GB of RAM variant. That price makes the OnePlus 9 slightly cheaper than, and competitive with, the Samsung S21, which starts at $799 / £769 / AU$1,249. But it also makes the phone very good value compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro; while it misses out on a couple of key features and flourishes (telephoto lens,50W wireless charging), it’s much more affordable than its pricier sibling, which starts at $969 / £829 (about AU$1,250). In the US, it is sold by online vendors Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, and on OnePlus.com. Only T-Mobile carries the phone, and it will work on Verizon (LTE and 5G, though the phone doesn’t support mmWave) and AT&T (LTE only so far). The OnePlus 9 comes in three colors: the light-purple Winter Mist with a gradient effect, the light-blue Arctic Sky with matte finish, and the glossy Astral Black. There’s no getting around it: the OnePlus 9 has a very similar design to its predecessor, the OnePlus 8T, aside from the obviously different camera block. It has the same glass-fronted 6.55-inch display and glass back as its predecessor, and the same lock button and signature OnePlus ring/vibrate/silent toggle on the right side and volume rocker button on the left, all of which are in easy reach when you’re casually holding the phone. There’s also the same USB-C port on the bottom with the speaker to the right, as well as a second speaker out of the earpiece.
