OnePlus 9 Pro Analysis: Characteristics, Performance and Opinion

OnePlus repeats the formula and presents the two phones that will shape its newly released OnePlus 9 Series. However, in this review I am going to focus on the most capable model. A proposal that arrives loaded with interesting news and a proper name, that of Hasselblad. This is the experience with the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G.

OnePlus 9 Pro analysis

OnePlus is one of the few brands capable of generating that feeling of community among those who bet on its products and it is easy to understand that this has been the case, because for many years they have known or have always tried to offer their users what they asked for.

OnePlus 9 Pro Analysis

This year they focus on continuing to pursue the best user experience with OxygenOS and a leap in photographic quality thanks to the collaboration with Hasselblad.

An elegant design that does not break the mold

Physically OnePlus has been manufacturing devices with a high-quality finish and very striking aesthetics for a few generations. And it must be recognized that this new OnePlus 9Pro really does not break the mold and may even be familiar if we look at some proposals from its competition. Still, it’s a nice product to hold in your hand and to contemplate when it’s on the table.

Available in three colors, the one I have been able to try is silver with a very striking gradient. But I’m curious to see how green is in hand and, above all, black. And it is that this latest model offers a different finish that resembles that of OnePlus’ own covers with that sandstone-type material.

However, focusing on the one that came to me, I have to say that I like it a lot in general. And it is that although it is already very difficult to surprise, the truth is that it is appreciated that it is comfortable on a day-to-day basis despite its generous dimensions.

And yes, perhaps, the most striking thing about the design of this OnePlus is the main camera module in which you can see four sensors. Two of them of generous dimensions and of which I will tell you in more detail later.

Likewise, beyond the available colors, in the end most of us end up using these terminals with a cover to prevent any possible fall or friction from damaging the glass back. And here the good thing is that at the beginning you will find a cover in the box , although you can always choose other models with different finishes like the one that simulates carbon fiber and that is already a classic in the OnePlus accessories catalog.

The screen that deserves a high-end

When talking about design, it is inevitable not to also talk about the screen. In the end, it is not only the element with which we are going to interact, it is the one that occupies the largest percentage of the front. Here we have a panel where we quickly see the hole that integrates the front camera, but what matters is the image quality and the user experience when interacting with it.

On this occasion OnePlus has opted for a panel with AMOLED technology that it calls Fluid Display 2.0 . The motives? Well, to begin with, there is the use of LTPO technology with which the maximum 120 Hz refresh rate at which it is capable of working can be dynamically regulated according to the content.

That is, in moving images such as games (those that are compatible) it can go up to 120 Hz and offer a very pleasant fluidity. And when what you are going to show is nothing more than a photograph, lower it to a minimum, reducing resource consumption and positively impacting battery life. Logically in the settings you can set those 120 Hz with intelligent management or stay at the usual 60 Hz.

Of course, the 120 Hz refresh is not the only striking thing about the OnePlus 9 Pro. The company has also added improvements when it comes to sampling touches on the screen. In this way, with up to six times greater precision, the truth is that in all kinds of uses and especially with games, a very fast and precise response to touches is felt.

If we add to all this a calibration of color, brightness, contrast and support for technologies such as HDR10 +, they result in a screen that is very much enjoyed . It is difficult to find any kind of inconvenience and also determine whether or not it will be the best on the market, but it is clear that it is the screen that this OnePlus proposal deserves.

OxygenOS and the latest in hardware is a perfect match

If there is a brand capable of living up to and sometimes even surpassing Apple and Google in user experience with their respective systems, it is OnePlus. Still based on Android like the rest of the competitors, OxygenOS is one of the capable ones that offers the best performance and now even more so by having a technical sheet that includes the best in the market.

To start we have the Snapdragon 888 , two RAM configurations (8 and 12 GB) and again two for storage (128 and 256 GB UFS 3.1). With these three components plus a 5G modem, the performance that you will find with this new OnePlus phone is simply outstanding.

No matter what you intend to do with the phone, from using the operating system to demanding applications and games, everything runs smoothly. Something that really is not a surprise, since other processors on the market already have plenty of power for all this, but here it shows that we are facing Qualcomm’s high-end SoC, the one that all those terminals that aspire to be the best of this hard-fought category of the high-end.

It would be a bit of a waste of time to continue telling you what the experience is like, because it would even sound repetitive due to how well the equipment works. Although it is good to re-emphasize that much of that extra that you can notice compared to models with the same hardware is in its customization layer.

As I said before, OxygenOS offers details that you may not appreciate first, but over time they add value to the whole set and help that experience that many bet on, despite the fact that sometimes OnePlus does not offer everything. what is expected of them in other technical sections.

 Hasselblad cameras, what does it mean?

OnePlus knew that it needed to take a firm step in photographic matters and this year it gives it from the hand of Hasselblad. Of course, more than one may be wondering if this is nothing more than a marketing strategy like that of other manufacturers. Well, let me explain.

To start you should know that this OnePlus 9 Pro has five cameras in total . There is the front camera and then four that shape the rear or main. The latter is logically the most interesting and OnePlus has opted in this model for a scheme that we consider to be the most valued by many users. Because you forget about macro sensors that will have their utility, but are impractical on a day-to-day basis. At least, they are not as useful as having a telephoto lens as in this case this Pro model does.

So, here you find a  main sensor that has been designed together with Sony with the aim of adapting a series of needs and thus achieving very good performance. Then there is the wide angle, the telephoto lens and finally a monochrome sensor that they have played with on previous occasions.

Well, along with all these sensors, Hasselblad can be read on the camera package and you will wonder if they have made these cameras. No, OnePlus has been very clear and honest, the beginning of the collaboration they have planted with the iconic photographic manufacturer begins with a joint work at the software level.

What Hasselblad did was calibrate the color of its sensors so that the photographs had a very attractive final appearance. And then you will see results, but I anticipate that I personally liked it a lot. Especially when shooting in RAW format and you can get a lot more juice out of it.

Thus, with that ability to take RAW photographs with a color depth of 12 Bit, native dual ISO, different camera modes and the essential PRO mode for all those who want to experiment calmly, what the cameras of the OnePlus 9 Pro this year seems to me very to take into account.

In the same way, as you can see in the sample images, it must be said that as a point-and-shoot camera there are situations where it is a bit resistant to get the best capture . But it is also true that it is still early days and although the software is final, during the analysis I have been receiving updates that affected the camera and other components.

  

But in general, and apart from night photography that costs practically any smartphone, in less unfavorable situations it is capable of achieving very striking results. And as I said before, if you shoot in RAW format you will be able to touch the capture with greater freedom to achieve what you have in mind or stay very close.

Then there is the video issue where OnePlus first introduces 8K video recording at 30p , but that is not the important thing as it is not something that many will take advantage of. The best thing is that the 4K video improves and allows you to capture clips at 120 fps that make for very smooth slow motion cameras. In addition, some of those tricks that you like so much like the video portrait mode, continuous AF and the like are incorporated.

I would be lying if I said that it is the best camera today, but it is one that I personally have enjoyed the most. Because you have to frame wide scenes with the wide angle, everyday ones and with the highest possible quality thanks to the main sensor and a zoom that does not seek to be excessive, but does contribute in certain situations. In addition, the monochrome sensor for black and white has its point.

The new OnePlus fast charge

Having a battery to spare for the use you put to a phone every day is the biggest concern of all of us. Here OnePlus retains the same 4,500 mAh battery seen in the previous generation, but a series of technical improvements and the new components offer greater optimization and a surprising charging speed.

In a matter of duration, you can easily last the whole day. If you do not abuse games or use the camera, you can reach a day and a half or almost two, but even with intensive use you will not have many problems thanks to the new Warp Charge 65T charging system .

For giving you some information:

  • From 1% to 100% it took 31 minutes with cable charging thanks to the new 65W charger
  • 1% to 100% via new wireless charging, disabling sleep mode, in 45 minutes

That is, with the charger that includes the terminal in its box, the recharging process is super fast and that today is a luxury. But if you choose to purchase the wireless charger (sold separately), you will not only have the option of charging faster than other devices via cable, but also all the advantages that this type of solution offers.

And if you wonder what is the trick of all this good performance, well I will tell you that it is a set of improvements that apply to cables, chargers, encryption algorithms and the design of the battery itself, which is actually divided into two cells.

The only handicap of the OnePlus 9 Pro

There are many phones on the market and practically every week or every few days a new one is introduced that targets a specific audience. The OnePlus 9 Pro is a phone that knows perfectly who it is aimed at and that is good, because I do not think the brand is so concerned about ending up being the best-selling phone of the year as it is one of the ones that generates the most satisfaction to those who bet. for him.

I have to admit that due to OxygenOS, the OnePlus experience has always been very satisfactory to me , to the point of forgiving them that they rarely took firm steps on camera quality issues. This time that well-optimized layer takes advantage of a collaboration with Hasselblad that can give a lot of itself in future generations. And it is that if in addition to software they provide hardware, it can be very interesting.

However and with all this,  the OnePlus 9 Pro is a terminal that fulfills everything it promises . There may be things that can be improved and others that will not completely convince according to which users, but those who have been betting on previous proposals of the brand will find in this version a very round phone that if you have to look for some but it will be the price.

While it may be fair to ask for € 909 for the 8 + 128GB model and € 999 for the 12 + 256GB model, few users today are willing to shell out so much money. But if you are patient, in a matter of a couple of months it will surely drop in price and will be much more attractive and interesting than it already is right now. At least for me, the OnePlus 9 Pro is a call from top to bottom.