OnePlus steady rise to the top cannot be understated. Beating their rivals on price while providing top tier performance is something that not everyone can say. Yet, for all their success a cloud continues to hang over them when it comes to their camera performance. Has that been rectified and can they now push to the summit?

Design

  • Finishes: Morning Mist, Forest Green, Stellar Black
  • Dimensions: 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7mm / Weight: 197g
  • IP68 water- and dust-resistant rating
  • Stereo speakers

The OnePlus 9 Pro has three finishes and my least favourite is the Morning Mist. The shiny back is a put-off but it wouldn’t be an issue when you put it in a case. Don’t be surprised if you notice fingerprints on this handset. The glass is glossy and slippery making it the perfect fingerprint magnet.

But let’s give credit when credit is due. The designers did a great job with the camera bump. Creating a rectangle at the back is easy let alone making sure that the colour-matched. Great job.

Apart from that OnePlus hasn’t strayed away from its usual design. While the phone may look big it’s comfortable to hold due to the curved back towards the edge. This is smart, as OnePlus want to continue to provide a great viewing experience and don’t want to compromise on screen size.

Display

  • 6.7-inch AMOLED display
    • QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3216 pixels; 525ppi)
    • 120Hz refresh rate

Nothing unusual here with what’s currently on the market. Which is a good thing. Following on from their relative (Oppo Find X3 Pro) the OnePlus also has a 6.7 -inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate. Expect bright, vivid and sharpness and the ability to change the dynamic through settings. Thankfully there’s a battery saver mode that you can switch on if you want to choose QHD+ resolution, meaning, you can change to a lower resolution if battery saving is right at the top of your list.

The cool features remaining such as night mode, automatically adjusting the colour of your screen to a setting that’s easy on the eye during the late hours of the evening, reading mode, a black and white feel for you to enjoy reading your books or even the latest articles. The small things matter.

OnePlus plus Hasselblad. Does it work?

  • Quad camera system:
    • Main: 48-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.43in sensor (Sony IMX789), optical stabilisation (OIS)
    • Ultra-wide: 50MP, f2.2, 1/1.56″ (Sony IMX766)
    • Tele (3.3x): 8MP f/2.4
    • Mono: 2MP
  • Front-facing camera: 16-megapixel
  • Video: 8K30p / 4K120p

OnePlus has followed the trend of going to Sony for high-end sensors. You’ll find the Sony primary and ultra-wide cameras at the rear delivering decent pictures. The primary camera has heavily been influenced by Hasselblad’s partnership so expect natural-looking colours and good detail. Expect sharp images with the ultra-wide but it may not produce the quality you expect in low-light with the primary.

Internal

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform, 5G connectivity
  • RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5
  • Storage: 128GB/256GB (UFS3.1)
  • 4,500mAh battery (2x 2250mAh cells)
  • Warp Charge 65T flash charging
  • Warp Charge 50 wireless charging

If there is anything you should bet on is OnePlus getting their design and internal specs right. As always, this flagship is fast and fluid.

Expect your browsing and game play to be smooth without any lags. It does the small stuff well too. Your Twitter feed loads without a hitch so constant scrolling isn’t an issue. Throw in 5G you have the bet of the best when it comes to download speed.

Without the right battery life, this wouldn’t be possible but with the 4,500mAh you’re in good hands. Expect a day of use with this depending on usage.

In every OnePlus battery life isn’t an issue when you factor in the 65W wired charger. The phone will go from 0-100 in 28 minutes which is crazy because others can’t say the same thing. A 10-minute charge will also give you an extra hour of juice so either way, it’s a win-win scenario.

But that’s not all. Wireless charging is also a thing. OnePlus Warp Charge gives you a full charge in 43 minutes. So you can get into the shower, get dressed, eat and come back to a phone ready to be used. Game-changer.

Oxygen OS 11 (overlays Android 11)

Oxygen OS 11 went through a refresh which has altered the Google experience making it easier for you to reach corners of the phone with your thumb. Navigations and buttons have moved down slightly to prevent that awkward stretch.

Final thoughts

It’s been evident for a while that OnePlus has one glaring issue that needed to be addressed; the camera. With the recent attempt, it’s going to be interesting to witness whether or not they have been successful in dealing with it.

But as always, OnePlus has done a great job with not just the design of the phone but what’s in it. With the display continue to shine alongside its charging features and battery function has created a phone that is meant to be not only be used passively but used with joy as you watch shows, browse ticktock and play some of your favourite games.