OnePlus started its innings in the mobile space as a flagship killer and within a short span logged itself amongst the top contenders in the premium smartphone race. OnePlus had also recently expanded its venture in the affordable smartphone space with the Nord smartphone lineup. But, the demand for high-end flagship phones isn’t slowing down despite the availability of budget Nord phones. In India as well, OnePlus has a strong presence in the flagship smartphone segment. This year’s first high-end device in the country from the brand comes in the form of the OnePlus 9RT 5G.
The OnePlus 9RT 5G is primarily an upgraded version of the OnePlus 9R which debuted alongside the standard OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro in India last year. And when we speak of upgrades, it’s a subtle change that both the OnePlus 9RT 5G and OnePlus 9R have in terms of hardware and design. An octa-core Snapdragon 888 processor, 50MP triple cameras combined with frosted glass design makes it all premium.
The OnePlus 9RT India price has been set at Rs. 42,999 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model, while the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant can be purchased at Rs. 46,999. But with the upcoming OnePlus 10 Pro in India, does the OnePlus 9RT still makes for a good choice? Or you should wait for the next OnePlus flagship? This OnePlus 9RT 5G detailed review will help clear the confusion.
Pros:
- Bright and vivid display enhances viewing experience
- Powerful camera performace
- 65W fast charging
Cons:
- No IPX certification for water and dust resistivity
- Dated Android OS
OnePlus 9RT 5G Review: Subtle Yet Premium Appeal
The OnePlus 9RT 5G doesn’t bring an entirely new design language and has a strong resemblance to the previous-gen OnePlus 9 series phones. The frosted glass back panel layered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 gives this handset a distinctive appeal. We have received the Hacker Black color variant which has a mix of matte and shimmering texture that is feather smooth to touch. So, the premium factor isn’t limited to the looks here but also the touch and feel.
It really gets difficult to resist using the OnePlus 9RT without any case or cover. Besides, the rear panel is smudge resistant and isn’t a fingerprint magnet. This definitely is a respite for users who love to flaunt their handsets without any added skin. But since the back panel has glass layering, we would suggest you use the case that ships with the retail box.
The placement of keys and ports are also tactical. The volume keys are placed on the left panel, while the right spine accommodates the power key along with the alert slider. This physical key to keep toggle between the silent, vibration, and ringtone mode is personally one of my favorite features. This is primarily due to the fact you don’t have to unlock the device every time you wish to put your device on silent mode.
The bottom panel has the USB Type-C port along with the speaker grille and the hybrid SIM slot. Using this OnePlus flagship phone with a single hand is a decent experience. The handset has a tall form factor but is easy to use with general tasks that are limited to web surfing and media playback. Any extensive usage such as gaming will require both your hand’s easy operability. It would have been a complete package if it came along with an IPX certification.
OnePlus 9RT 5G Review: Bright And Vivid Display Panel
OnePlus has been following a standard norm of packing its flagship phones with high-end displays. The OnePlus 9RT 5G is packed with a 6.62-inch display which delivers 1080 x 2400 pixels FHD+ screen resolution and has an aspect ratio of 20:9. OnePlus has packed the same Samsung E4 AMOLED panel as the standard 9R here. So, the performance delivery by the panel isn’t much different on both units. The 9RT’s AMOLED display is crisp with color production and is surely a treat for users who prefer binge-watching shows and movies on smartphones.
However, the default color temperature is slightly better here compared to the previous generation OnePlus phones. It isn’t a warmer tone you get on the OnePlus 9RT 5G’s display rather you see balanced color output. The 9RT panel has good viewing angles, but you might notice slight color shifts if you are viewing the panel from different edges.
But this isn’t any major concern that might hamper your viewing experience. The Samsung panel further offers 339 PPI pixel density and a 120Hz refresh rate that allows for smoother frame transitions with every app. The brightness levels are high here. So, you wouldn’t have any difficulties with viewing content under direct sunlight. The viewing experience isn’t solely good for video consumption but also a gaming.
OnePlus 9RT Review: Overall Performance And User Experience
The OnePlus 9RT is amongst the top flagships that are driven by the Snapdragon 888 processor. This is Qualcomm’s last year’s premium octa-core chipset that is built on a 5nm fabrication process. Now the OnePlus 9RT 5G is prowess in itself. Throughout its usage, we didn’t experience any lags or hiccups with performance. Power delivery has been at a peak despite multiple intensive apps is running in the background.
Enhancing the chipset’s capabilities with performance delivery is the supported Adreno 660 GPU and 8GB/12GB RAM configuration. The high RAM capacity makes sure the handset doesn’t flinch easily with heavy tasks, while the Adreno series chipset helps with rendering high-end graphics swiftly.
Besides, you can always go for the high-end 12GB RAM model which will make sure there aren’t any issues with multitasking and also a gaming. That said, the gaming experience has also been superior with the OnePlus 9RT 5G. I have tested the performance with several graphics-intensive games including Shadow Fight 4 and Real Racing 3.
The company has also tucked in a Haptic motor that enhances the gaming experience by delivering better vibration feedback. We also didn’t experience any device warm-up or heat-up issues despite prolonged usage. This includes consistent web surfing and media playback. The device’s temperature is stable throughout the usage.
The built-in liquid cooling vapor chamber helps keep the temperatures in check while extensive gaming. Likewise, the RAM capacity, the OnePlus 9RT 5G’s storage configuration are also dual. You can either select the basic 128GB model or can opt for the 256GB storage model. It is worth adding that the 9RT 5G also doesn’t support any expandable storage. So, if storage crunch has been your concern, you should go for the high-end 256GB storage variant.
Where the OnePlus 9 Pro lags behind is the firmware. The device ships with Android 11 OS instead of the latest Android 12 OS. While Android 11 OS isn’t completely dated, it has been a while since Google had introduced the Android 12 OS already, installing the newer Android version would have made more sense.
So, expect a similar user experience as older generation OnePlus phones including the remaining OnePlus 9 series phones (vanilla OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro). As of now, OnePlus hasn’t officially confirmed when it plans to release the Android 12 OS stable update to the OnePlus 9RT. One of the bugs which I would like to highlight is with the in-house calendar app. While the device is able to open Google calendar successfully, the OnePlus calendar app fails to load each time. That’s the case despite a reboot.
OnePlus 9RT 5G Review: How’s The Imaging Performance?
OnePlus has been a hit amongst the Indian audience for offering a complete package in terms of smartphone hardware. The brand has good expertise with camera hardware that is evident with most of its flagship range of phones. The optics used by the OnePlus 9RT 5G includes three cameras at the rear and a single selfie snapper. We’ll start off with the rear camera performance. The OnePlus 9RT 5G is packed with a 50MP main camera with an f/1.7 aperture.
It is a Sony IMX766 primary lens that comes with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), EIS (Electrical Image Stabilization) and is combined with a 16MP ultrawide sensor that has an f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree FoV. The camera setup also features a 2MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture for macro photography.
The camera hardware is slightly upgraded compared to the standard OnePlus 9R. The main difference is the primary sensor which is bigger than the 48MP sensor used on the standard OnePlus 9R. The shots captured have solid detailings when captured in broad daylight. The above-captured click is one good example of the high level of detailing that the OnePlus 9RT main camera. The edge detection is good. The images don’t get dilapidated at any given point, even when you zoom the image.
The imaging experience is decent with low-light shots. There is a dedicated Night Mode that improves the quality of shots captured at night or in areas that aren’t well lit. You might not be able to see any major differences in the output but definitely low levels of noise or grains in the captured shots.
The OnePlus 9RT 5G’s camera app has a dedicated Hi-Res mode which enhances the clarity levels. You can also access several other shooting modes such as Expert, macro, panorama, and Portrait. The rear cameras are capable of shooting 1080p and 720p slow-motion videos at 240 fps and 480 fps respectively. Additionally, the cameras can also record 1080p@30fps time-lapse videos.
The cameras don’t disappoint with the performance of the remaining shooting modes. The dedicated ultrawide sensor captures the widest frames without distorting the structure. The portrait shots are also well defined. The background blurs don’t look artificial. The dedicated large wide-angle sensor captures widest of the frames. So, no complains there. The stabilization with video recording is good.
OnePlus 9RT 5G Battery Backup
The OnePlus 9RT 5G has the exact same battery hardware as the standard OnePlus 9R. The handset draws its juice via a 4,500 mAh battery unit. This might be a smaller sized unit compared to most of the premium mid-range phones that offers atealest 5,000 mAh battery.
However, the power delivery is ample and the device lasts more than half a dayon a single charge. You can expect a screen run time of 7- 8 hours with moderate usage. The OnePlus 9RT features 65W fast charging which refules the handset under an hour.
OnePlus 9RT Final Verdict: Should You Buy Or Wait For The Upcoming Model?
The OnePlus 9RT 5G is undeniably one of the most powerful packages that you can buy under Rs. 50,000 in India. The only drawback in our opinion is the missing latest Android version, i.e, Android 12 and an IPX certification. It is a workhorse in terms of performance, but with the latest model coming, it would be wise to wait. That’s because the OnePlus 10 Pro has better set of camera hardware and also a new-generation flagship processor. But, if you want to save on some bucks later on without any compromises with performance, the 9RT 5G would be a good fit.
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