Over the years, OnePlus phones have evolved, transitioning itself into a flagship, fighting against the likes of Samsung¡¯s Galaxy S and Note series. And with The OnePlus 9 Pro, this transition seems to have gotten complete, offering premium specs, build and features for a price tag that¡¯s not so affordable, but is it really worth it? Let¡¯s find out.?
The Pro line of OnePlus phones get a large, curved display and the 9 Pro is no exception. We¡¯re looking at a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED panel sporting a resolution of 1440 x 3216 pixels with a 120Hz refresh rate.Firstly, this display is gorgeous AF -- whether it¡¯s the colours that pop up on it or the detail, or the butter-smooth refresh rate.
The curved display was surprisingly not so curvy, unlike its predecessors, making it a lot easier to manage. It surely is a long device though (and slightly heavy too, at 197 grams), so make sure your hands are ready to do the hard work if you¡¯re a power user or someone who does a lot of texting.?
Under the hood, the OnePlus 9 Pro phone is equipped with Qualcomm¡¯s latest and greatest Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor paired with Adreno 660 GPU. The device comes with 8GB/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage variants. Whether it was juggling between multiple apps running at a time or shifting between several Chrome tabs, the phone was able to take the load effortlessly. Even while using two apps (Google Docs & Google Chrome) simultaneously via split-screen, the phone managed to keep its cool.?
?In terms of gaming, playing resource-hungry titles like Call Of Duty Mobile, Garena Free Fire on settings maxed out, the device didn¡¯t break a sweat. Playing those games for over half an hour and the phone did get a little hot, but nothing that was too uncomfortable. Overall, the OnePlus 9 Pro performed exactly how a flagship phone at this price point is expected to.?
One of the biggest features of this year¡¯s OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are the cameras. They¡¯ve been made in collaboration with legendary camera maker Hasselblad and have calibrated it to shoot images like professional Hasselblad cameras while delivering the most natural colours and that¡¯s clearly evident from the images it was able to capture. Let¡¯s start with the optical hardware first.?
You¡¯re getting a 48-megapixel primary shooter with a Sony IMX789 sensor, a second 50-megapixel ultrawide shooter with a Sony IMX766 sensor. You also get an 8-megapixel telephoto shooter with 3.3x optical zoom and a 2.4-megapixel depth sensor which also doubles as a Mono sensor.
While looking at the sensors and the resolution the cameras seem well equipped, you should also know that these camera lenses are really big, in fact, they¡¯re larger than the ones you find on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.?
The cameras managed to capture some really amazing pictures. Many might be wondering why aren¡¯t the images bright and dynamic, but that¡¯s what OnePlus was aiming for -- a flat and natural colour profile.?
Along with this, the cameras manage to capture the details so beautifully.?
Even in low light, despite being in darker conditions, the camera manages to fill the image with light and depth, eliminating the need to actually use flash in several situations.?
The camera also offers 12-bit RAW image capture in a Hasselblad Pro mode that gives you more control over your image, while enhancing the colour depth of the image.?
The Pro mode would come in handy if you¡¯re well-versed with shooting with a DSLR. The monochrome sensor also clicks decent shots, but you could get a similar result by adding a filter later in edits.
The front 16-megapixel camera too doesn¡¯t disappoint in capturing some really cool selfies, but it definitely gets outshined by its siblings at the back.?
The OnePlus 9 Pro is powered by a 4500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging via a USB-C cable and WARP Charger (included in the box) as well as 50W wireless charging via proprietary WARP Wireless Charger (sold separately).?
On a single charge, the 4500mAh battery was more than sufficient to last a whole day with ease, with around 35 to 40 percent charge left (on a very busy day with constant 4G data on and casual gaming for 15-20 minutes overall) at the end of the day. Majorly this is thanks to the LTPO panel on the OnePlus 9 Pro that enables variable refresh rate depending on the kind of app you¡¯re using to offer not just a better user experience but also save battery life. The wired WARP charging was definitely a saviour as it helped to get a full charge in around 45 minutes, which is crazy.?
OnePlus, with the OnePlus 9 has managed to make a flagship that¡¯s absolutely compromise-free. Whether it's the display quality, the overall build and aesthetics of the device, the cameras or even the battery, the phone excels in each and every facet.?
And that¡¯s why in my opinion, it truly justifies the price tag of Rs 65,999. Yes, it¡¯s expensive, but only because it¡¯s offering one of the best combinations of design, features and performance you'll ever get in a smartphone of 2021, much like any other flagship in the market, and that surely doesn¡¯t come cheap.? ?