A Smart Step for OnePlus, A Giant Leap For Camera Phones

After a hectic 2020 with nearly half a dozen phone releases, OnePlus are at it again with the announcement of the new 9 & 9 Pro smartphones – check out the CRISP. take in this review.

OnePlus has quickly made a name for itself producing high-spec, nicely designed handsets at affordable prices.

This year called for an iconic partnership alongside Hasselblad, a camera brand boasting an 80-year legacy in capturing some of history’s most memorable moments – including man’s first steps on the moon.

Dimensions & Details:

• Height 160.7mm
• Width 74.2mm
• Weight 192g
• Screen 6.55”
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Processor
• 120Hz Fluid AMOLED
• 8k/4k Video @ 30/60fps
• Winter Mist/Arctic Sky/Astral Black/Pine Green
• OxygenOS Android 11.5
• RAM 8GB/12GB
• Storage 128GB/256GB
• Battery 4500 mAh (not removable) – Warp Charge 65T
• Dual stereo speakers

 

Camera

The partnership with Hasselblad is a real statement of intent from OnePlus, as they look to develop seriously in the mobile market. The new triple camera system aims to produce a professional-level photography experience.

Using the camera felt familiar, but new at the same time. Switching between shooting modes is easy to navigate and most Android users will be able to migrate effortlessly. Pictures came out clear, with colour capture precise.

Pulling from Hasselblad’s expertise in perceiving superior natural colours resulted in wonderfully detailed photos.

The OnePlus 9 has a camera array that performs well in a range of scenarios, three lenses on a newly designed protrusion.

There’s a 48MP main camera that features faster focus speeds, 64x more colour information, a tilt-shift mode and the integration of a monochrome camera for detailed black and white photos. There’s also a 50MP ultra-wide camera, for crisp wide panoramic shots.

The main 48MP camera performed extremely well in good lighting – focusing was fast and reliable, images we took looked especially true to life, with natural-looking colours and contrast. Even with enhanced low light modes though, lack of illumination can cause quality to dip a tad.

Hasselblad photo mode is a new addition that brings Hasselblad-level sensor calibration to smartphones for the first time. This gives users the power to manually adjust ISO exposure time, white balance, focus, and more. Like many phone cameras these days, they are easy to use but challenging to master. But if you want professional-level photos this is a handy tool.

The main camera features 8K 30fps recording which is a whole 4Ks better than 4K. It looks ridiculously good.  You can have loads of fun with this camera and its super slow-mo recording. We did.

 

Performance & Design

The OnePlus 9 comes equipped with the Snapdragon 888 processor, providing responsive controls and exceptional performance.

Running on Android OxygenOS11 straight out the box, OnePlus offers the most intuitive, efficient and personalized Android experience yet on a familiar user interface.

It became obvious straight away every swipe and tap felt effortless and immediately responsive. The New Turbo boost 3.0 memory optimisation allows for users to keep more than 25% more apps open in the background than before. During trials, stacking numerous apps without resulting in any noticeable latency.

Of course, it comes 5G ready, provided by the fully integrated X60 Modem-RF System. Shack up with the correct mobile network and you can experience the Shangri-La of stable, speedy internet.

It looks stylish and feels premium in the hand. The ‘calming’ colour range of Winter Mist, Astral Black, Pine Green, and Arctic Sky make the OnePlus 9 subtle yet classy.

The 3D Gorilla Glass on the rear did a good job of keeping fingerprints to a minimum, whilst lightweight fibreglass around the frame keeps it light considering the amount of tech crammed inside.

Gaming and viewing video content didn’t only look great, but felt comfortable during extended use. The 9 and 9 Pro have the largest cooling systems ensuring optimal performance and comfort, whilst keeping the unit cool and preventing slowdown.

 

 

 

Battery

Most phones are expected to get through a whole day of moderate use, and the OnePlus 9 doesn’t disappoint.

Veering on the side of conservative we were easily able to get through the day, however if you work it hard a little top-up might be in order.

But that shouldn’t be a problem as the Warp Charge65T (a slight upgrade on the previous) is one of the fastest charging solutions we have ever seen.

The 4500mAh battery can go from 0-100% in about 40 minutes – it’s unreal just how quickly it charges. A wonderful new addition here is the ability to wireless charge and reverse wireless charge, two features absent from the last generation but welcome additions here.

 

Display & Price

Much like the 8T, the OnePlus 9 features a 6.55-inch display that feels large – but not overly so – as the screen layout has one-handed users in mind.

There are minimal bezels around the outside of the display, and a slight curve in the screen and a discreet hole punched front camera that maximizes the screen-to-body ratio for an expansive view.

OnePlus 9 has a 120Hz refresh rate screen, which means the display refreshes quicker than a standard 60Hz display – the standard until a flurry of devices last year.

Fast becoming a common feature on top-end phones and it means the screen looks smoother when you’re scrolling social media feeds or playing games.

A welcome addition is an IP68 rating for dust and water, something users have wanted and felt should have been included for a number of iterations.

Throw in a 2400×1080 resolution display and in our humble opinion the screen performance, clarity and brightness levels are comparable with some of the best in the business.

Pricing comes in for OnePlus 9 at £629 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or £729 for the 12GB/256GB model (reviewed here).

If you were more interested in the bigger brother, the OnePlus 9 Pro starts at £829, rising to £929 for the full-fat smartphone experience.

 

Verdict

Once again, OnePlus has blessed us with a high-quality flagship phone including great innovations.

If you want a good hyper quick charging battery, wonderful screen display, quality build, and a professional level camera option this is a good choice.

Affordability has been synonymous with their releases and again they have made this an affordable upgrade, £629 is fair for a base model offering numerous substantial upgrades.

The 9 Pro is more in line with current flagship offerings both in terms of quality and price. With the pairing of a smartwatch coming ‘soon’, the future is bright for OnePlus, a fledgeling manufacturer continuing to aim for the stars.

 

Review unit provided by OnePlus