OnePlus sent me the 12GB RAM variant (with 256GB of storage), which is priced at Rs. 54,999. There’s also a variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage priced at Rs. 49,999. The OnePlus 9 has the same LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage as the 9 Pro. There are three colours on offer — Astral Black, Arctic Sky, and Winter Mist — but the latter is only available if you choose the top-end variant. The pastel lilac hue of the Winter Mist trim looks pretty but the glossy finish attracts fingerprints very easily.
OnePlus 9 design
In my first impressions of the OnePlus 9, I mentioned that for the first time, the company has used a polycarbonate frame for its flagship number series. We’ve recently seen Samsung make the same compromise with the construction of its non-Plus or non-Ultra flagship smartphones. I wouldn’t care so much if the OnePlus 9 was priced similar to the OnePlus 8T₹ 38,999’s launch price, but that’s not the case, which makes this extremely disappointing. It’s puzzling why a brand aspiring to make a name for itself in the premium smartphone segment would take such a backward step.Ads by
Click here to Buy From Amazon Now
Having said that, the OnePlus 9 still feels solidly built and the plastic frame does look like metal, even though it’s not. The only silver lining here is that it’s much lighter (183g) and slimmer (8.1mm) than the 9 Pro and even the 8T. The alert slider and buttons have good tactile feedback, similar to the ones on the 9 Pro. OnePlus has retained Corning Gorilla Glass for the front and back of the phone. At the bottom, you get a USB Type-C port, dual-SIM tray, and speaker.
The OnePlus 9 looks good but would have felt more premium with a metal frame, rather than plastic
The OnePlus 9 has a similar 6.55-inch AMOLED display as the 8T. It’s not an LTPO OLED screen like the one the 9 Pro has, which is fine considering the much lower cost. It has a full-HD+ resolution, is HDR-certified, and supports a 120Hz refresh rate. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor, which despite its awkwardly low placement, works very well. The 9’s display is flat, unlike the curved edges on the 9 Pro, but the borders are evenly slim all around. There’s a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera in the upper left corner.
The camera bump on the back isn’t very pronounced and has a similar shape as the one on the 9 Pro, minus a few sensors. The OnePlus 9 doesn’t look too different to the 9 Pro overall, which is a good thing now that we’ve all gotten used to it. The plastic frame still bugs me in the back of my mind, considering how much it costs, and is something which shouldn’t have been compromised. The box contents are similar to those of the 9 Pro, except for the case, which is transparent rather than opaque.
OnePlus 9 specifications and software
The OnePlus 9 uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G SoC as the 9 Pro, and in India, it only supports two 5G bands compared to more in other regions. This aside, the step-brotherly treatment rears its ugly head once again. In India, the OnePlus 9 does not receive an IP rating for dust and water resistance, and neither does it get wireless charging. OnePlus continues to reserve these features for its Pro model in India, but not in all parts of the world.
Click here to Buy From Amazon Now
The OnePlus 9 sold in Europe and North America supports 15W Qi wireless charging, which also makes it slightly thicker and heavier compared to the model sold in India. If you’re in the US and purchase the OnePlus 9 via T-Mobile, it will carry an IP68 badge. There is a rubber gasket around the SIM tray even on the Indian model, which seems to indicate some level of water ingress protection, but make of that what you will.
The OnePlus 9 (bottom) has a flat display compared to the curved sides of the OnePlus 9 Pro (top)
I think OnePlus should have given the 9 an
Digital Services 