OnePlus 9 Pro Review

OnePlus has provided us with a test unit that one of our writers can test. Read our full review.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is the latest demonstration of the brand’s dedication to making the best smartphones on the market at a lower price than typical flagship models. Shoppers looking for a stylish, high-end experience will find a long list of noteworthy features such as a prominent 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 5G connectivity over supported networks, and a responsive Snapdragon 888 processor that loads whatever you want to use more often. Hassle-free apps and games.

Also new to the OnePlus 9 Pro and its slightly smaller sibling, the OnePlus 9 is the long-awaited collaboration with Hasselblad, an authority and powerhouse in the world of photography and camera lenses. This update is a big step forward for OnePlus phones and puts it in good company with other premium models like the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Design: refined but elegant

OnePlus 9 Pro is sophisticated and a reflective but slightly matte back. The Morning Mist model I tested read silver with a rainbow effect based on how the light fell on it. It’s not a causality; OnePlus uses the so-called gradient refraction effect, which gradually changes the color at the edges from silver to black. The new four-camera system is also prominently displayed in the top right corner of the device and attracts attention.

Like other OnePlus models, the 9 Pro is slightly too big: 6.4 centimeters in length and 6.9 grams. It is not very compact or pocket sized. The slim design of 2.9 inches wide and 0.34 inches deep makes it less heavy than I expected in my little hands. While I believe the compact iPhone SE (2020) is the right phone and fits comfortably in my hand, the 9 Pro’s slim design makes it easy to use thumb input without cramping or straining, even with one hand.

One downside to this device’s rather sleek design is that it’s a little too slippery to handle without a protective case. I got to use the OnePlus case designed for this model, which is also very eye-catching and compensates for the loss of the right to view color tones. The case is also a bit slippery, so I still handled it with great care. Although OnePlus credits this device with an IP68 degree of water and dust resistance, I found this device a little too delicate to risk exposure or rough handling.

New: advanced camera technology and warp speed charging

OnePlus 9 Pro (and OnePlus 9) benefit from a new flagship camera system in partnership with Hasselblad, which is a big step up from the OnePlus 8 series. OnePlus customers who wanted a little more from the camera system will be pleased with this. Update, which brings improved colors to every shot with natural color calibration.

Translation: Colors stand out like never before on a OnePlus flagship. On the 9 Pro, four cameras, including a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and 8K video capabilities, take photos to the next level.

Performance: agile without effort

OnePlus 9 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which can be found in other Android models such as Samsung S21 and S21 Ultra. It is the fastest and latest processor of the Qualcomm 800 series chipsets, and its advanced technology powers everything from camera systems to gaming support and 5G connectivity. According to OnePlus, the Snapdragon 888 offers 25% faster performance than the previous Snapdragon 865.

This top-of-the-line Android processor doesn’t disappoint the 9 Pro, which comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It passed the PC Mark Work 2.0 test with flying colors, earning 11,929. The graphics tests were equally impressive: 57 fps in the GFXBench Car Chase 2.0 and 60 fps in the T-Rex benchmark.

In addition to enjoying light games, I also noticed the instant app downloads from the Play Store and the speed with which everything from Gmail to streaming apps like Spotify, Netflix and Discovery + loaded and played content seamlessly.

Connectivity: Impressive 5G performance

The OnePlus 9 Pro supports 5G, but only on certain networks. At the time of writing, this applies to T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon customers. I was able to test T-Mobile 5G in Chicago with a non-carrier Ting SIM. According to T-Mobile’s testing, the average 5G download speed in several cities across the country (including Chicago) is around 218 M bps.

On the Okla. Speed test, I saw a peak speed of 315 M bps, although many other readings in my neighborhood and home were closer to 214-267 M bps. It was fast enough to stream Netflix without any hiccups. LTE speeds were comparable; I saw a maximum speed of 237 M bps. At home, I took advantage of the OnePlus 9 Pro’s dual-band Wi-Fi support and found equally stellar wireless performance at around 187Mbps.

Image quality: Clearly vivid

The OnePlus 9 Pro features a prominent 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a resolution of 3,216 x 1,440 and a refresh rate of 120Hz, making web browsing, gaming and media streaming always smooth.

If you don’t always need this QHD+ brightness, you can save battery in FHD+ mode at 2412×1080. For sharp playback of a wide variety of content, other settings such as Vibrant Color Effect Pro, Motion Graphics Smoothing and Ultra High Video Resolution ensure video playback with near flawless and sharp results.

Sound quality: clear and pleasantly nuanced

The OnePlus 9 Pro has surprisingly nuanced dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. Streaming music or podcasts without headphones was fun. The sound was clear and never recorded as tinny or muffled. Game audio sounded especially immersive without headphones.

Although with headphones that have the aptX audio codec, I have noticed an improvement in sound quality that I had not experienced with this accessory on other devices. I also noticed subtle differences when switching between music and movie modes in the Dolby Atmos settings. The headphone adjustments made the listening experience even more rewarding in Nuanced and Warm modes.

Camera / video quality – a playground for beginners and professionals

One of the biggest changes in the OnePlus 9 Pro is the new elevated and advanced camera system. The quad-camera setup includes: a 48-megapixel Sony main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 3.3x optical zoom, and a mono camera.

This system also offers 4K, 8K, slow motion and time-lapse video, as well as 1080p recording. This beats many shooting modes, including Pro mode, which gives you full control over shutter speed, aperture, and white balance.

Battery: Solid performance with very fast charging

The OnePlus 9 Pro offers solid battery performance throughout the day and up to a day and a half before needing a charge. Unsurprisingly, heavier media use like gaming and streaming Netflix drained the battery faster than normal day-to-day use, as it relied more on productivity apps and generally lighter usage. To extend battery life, I took advantage of settings such as lowering the refresh rate to 60Hz and FHD resolution instead of QHD.

Software: ventilated and customizable oxygen control system

Like the previous OnePlus 8T, the 9 Pro runs on Oxygen OS 11, which is based on Android 11. The latest version gives users even more power, including an always-on display with different clock styles for quick and visible information. . Zen Mode is another enhancement designed to encourage users to completely switch off the device for a period of time.

Final judgment

A new version of a luxury smartphone.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is a competent product in essential areas such as connectivity, design, camera technology and speed. This top-of-the-range Android smartphone holds its own against premium competition, offering significant performance benefits at a slightly lower price. Whether you want something different or you’re a longtime OnePlus fan, the Hasselblad camera collaboration, fast charging capabilities, and smartwatch integration are all compelling reasons to pass up or trade up this new phone.