OnePlus 9 & 9 Pro Review: A Coming of Age Story By GadgetMatch

From its humble beginnings as the little startup that could, the disrupted that made us realize top of line phones didn't need to be expensive. OnePlus has come of age now, a full-fledged player in the smartphone space OnePlus wants you to know that they can make a smartphone, that's just as good as any of your favorites and this year, they're stepping it up with a partnership with Hasselblad, but is it enough to make its own mark and is this phone one that you should go out and buy hi? I'm Michael josh, your gadget, matchmaker helping you find the right device to meet your needs. This is our OnePlus, 9 and 9. Pro review before we dive in a bit of an introduction is in order. This is the OnePlus 9, and this is the OnePlus 9 pro shape-wise they're, similar to last year's phones, but one might argue they also resemble some of its competitors. The galaxy s21 series, for example, like the s21, its camera module, is now flushed against the left-hand side of the phone with a rim around each camera module for emphasis.

Unfortunately, the similarities stop where it matters most. Both phones have a glossy back, that's unforgiving. When it comes to fingerprints, I much prefer the matte finish on last year's OnePlus 8 pro. By the way, I should point out that the OnePlus 9 has a polycarbonate frame while the OnePlus 9 pro aluminum. That said in the hand, both phones still feel premium, possibly a bit of lighter, but I have no complaints apart from their glossy finish.

Color options differ depending on region, there's winter mist, arctic sky and astral black for the nine and morning mist, pine, green and stellar black. For the nine pro check with your reseller before you fall in love with a color option that you might not be even able to get. Usually I wouldn't review these two phones together. In fact, in the past I haven't, but this year intrinsically the OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro are more similar than they are different. They share the same snapdragon 8 soc, with integrated 5g, the same superfast ddr5 ram and UFS 3.1 storage, the same dual cell 4 500 William hour battery and buttery smooth 120 hertz displays. So if your concern is that you're getting an inferior phone, if you choose the cheaper OnePlus 9, rest assured that isn't the case and overall real world experience is pretty similar.

Also, here is how they are different. The OnePlus 9 pro has a higher resolution display versus the regular OnePlus 9 quads, HD, plus versus full HD, plus perfectly fine, with full HD plus. In fact the 9 pro is set to full HD plus out of the box. Unlike last year's OnePlus 8, the OnePlus 9 has a flat display on the pro model. It's still curved, but not as much as it's been in the past.

The company says this was intentional, so you don't accidentally touch the screen with your fingers when you don't mean to in my week with a phone accidental touches weren't that much of an issue, but mileage may differ from person to person. I don't mind these subtle curves, as they give the illusion of an all display smartphone. But, to be honest, I still prefer the flat display, so you're not really losing anything here where you might appreciate an improvement is with regard to the new power efficient panel. That's on the 9 pro it's still AMOLED, but it's different based on technology called LPO, which we first saw on the Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra earlier this year. These new displays are said to consume 50 percent, less power with an adaptive refresh rate that shifts between 1 hertz to the full 120 hertz, depending on what you're doing, there's also something called hyper touch, which gamers will recognize as touch sampling rate.

That's the time in milliseconds that it takes for an action to happen after you tap on the screen on the OnePlus 9 pro it's 360 hertz, and for context that number on the gaming specific ROG phone 5 is 300. Hertz hyper touch reduces latency by 25 to 30 milliseconds. Currently, though, it's only available on PUBG mobile Call of Duty, mobile League of Legends and brawl stars. So what does all of this mean? Let me break it down for you. Clearly, the OnePlus 9 pro has the more superior display, but do you need it? I personally believe that you don't so only get the OnePlus 9 pro if you want that higher resolution screen and if you game and could benefit from that faster touch, sampling rate.

The whole game plan for one plus is not just to be a contender, but to really make their mark by being the best at something, and one area where I think they're doing an incredible job is in the field of charging. The OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro have 4 500 William hour, dual cell batteries, that last more than a day of average use, which is all one, could ask for really to be able to get through a full day with heavy use, and in the case of the OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro I did, while many of its competitors aren't bundling chargers anymore, both phones, ship with warp charge, 65t chargers, and thanks to both this fast charger and the fact that they have dual cell batteries, two batteries, basically charging speeds are insanely fast. A 10-minute charge fills up the phone's tank. A third of the way, a full charge from zero, takes just a minute over 30 yep half an hour for a full charge. Now, where the phones defer is wireless charging, the OnePlus 9 supports 15 watt QI charging, but the OnePlus 9 pro supports warp charge wireless 50.

In my tests I got a full charge from hero in 43 minutes. That's faster than wired charging on some of its competitors. For example, in my tests, the galaxy s21 ultra took 70 minutes to get a full charge with a Samsung wired charger. That's a wired charger, so 43 minutes wirelessly. That's pretty incredible.

Of course, you'll need this specific charger which OnePlus is releasing alongside the OnePlus 9 pro it's an optional purchase that will set you back 70 bucks. This charger has two coils, so it will work vertically like this or even horizontally, if that's more your cup of tea. Last but not least, the OnePlus 9 pro also supports reverse wireless charging, just swipe down from the quick settings panel to turn it on, and you can charge other devices with tree charging like the iPhone. Hopefully, their upcoming line of wireless buds will have wireless charging built into their cases, because that would be a pretty nifty feature to have. Okay, my take every smartphone brand claims to have some sort of fast charging.

But if you take a look at these numbers, those numbers don't look so fast. After all, neither Samsung nor Apple can deliver these charging speeds outside the US. Asus Xiaomi and Huawei have more comparable offerings. The good news is that both the OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro have the same battery capacities and take the same 30 minutes to fully charge. So should you pay extra for superfast wireless charging? This might be an unpopular opinion, but I say no: do you really want to spend 70 bucks for an extra wireless charger and even if you did- or even if I gave you the charger, would you really need it most? Folks who use wireless charging will use it to charge their phone at night, but unless you're going to just take a nap, eight hours is more than enough to fully wirelessly charge.

Your smartphone. If there's one area where the OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro are potentially different, at least on paper, it's in the camera department- and this is where I spent most of my time- knowing that at the end of this section, I needed to be able to give you a recommendation on whether to get the OnePlus 9 versus the 9 pro, or vice versa, based on, if that camera is worth that extra spends. But before we dive in. Let's address this Hasselblad partnership, what does it really mean? Smartphone manufacturers, partnering with prestigious camera or lens companies, isn't necessarily new top of my head. I can think of Huawei's partnership with Lacey and Nokia's long time.

Partnership with mass the OnePlus Hasselblad partnership will last for at least three years, and the goal eventually is to work together on building hardware. But for now its more software focused with Hasselblad working closely with OnePlus on sensor, calibration and color tuning real-life samples coming right up. There are also subtle: nods to Hasselblad, like an orange shutter button, just like those found on Hasselblad cameras and the same shutter sound here, give it a listen. Hasselblad's users will also find similarities in pro mode UI, with Hasselblad's camera software and speaking of pro mode, this Hasselblad pro camera mode will let you shoot 12-bit raw images. Now, let's take a look at the hardware.

Both phones have the same new and improved 50 megapixel ultra-wide angle, camera OnePlus says its new free form lens is meant to reduce distortion. That is common in ultra-wide angle. Lenses both have the same dedicated 2, megapixel, monochrome camera. Now here's where it starts to get different. The OnePlus 9's main camera uses the sensor of last year's 8 pro, while the 9 pro uses Sony's new mix, 789 sensors and finally, the OnePlus 9 pro has a fourth camera: a dedicated 8, megapixel telephoto lens with 3.3 x, optical zoom, and up to 30 x, digital zoom. All right now that that's out of the way, let's dive into the exciting part here, are a few photos taken with the monochrome camera I probably ranted about this year, but it really feels like an unnecessary afterthought padding so that they can say they have three or four cameras that you don't really need, and it's not even easy to get to from the camera app.

You need to dive into color filters and swipe all the way to the end, just to take a black and white photo. Next, let's take a look at some zoom samples. Here's a photo of the w hotel at Union Square on the left, 1x shot using the OnePlus 9 and on the right 3.3 x, shot on the 9 pro now, there's nothing stopping you from zooming in digitally on the 9. We'll bring that up. But it's not going to be as detailed as an optical zoom lens on the 9 pro.

You can also go all the way up to 30x digitally, but it's not that good. So I wouldn't as someone who loves traveling, I would really think twice about getting a phone without a zoom lens, but ask yourself if it's as important to you as it is to me now. Let's take a look at some ultra-wide angle, samples. Both phones share the same sensor, so let's compare it to the OnePlus 8 pro, instead, first off the bat, this new sensor is noticeably wider than on last year's model, which is much welcome. Otherwise, what's the use of calling it an ultra-wide angle, camera no, it's still not as wide as the s21 ultra or the iPhone 12, but it gets the job done, especially during the day, but, more importantly, it does a better job at night in more challenging lighting situations.

Finally, let's compare photos from the main cameras of the OnePlus 9 9 pro versus the 8 pro and some of its competitors. Let's start here looks like the 1x lens is a bit wider. This year also notice two blue lights, fit into the frame of the OnePlus, 9 and 9 pro, but not on the 8 pro here's another shot on the 8 pro and the 9 pro there's a bit more punch in the 9 pros photo noticeable in the blues reflected on the windows, so definitely an improvement over last year, but how does it fare versus its competitors? Let's start with this one near perfect, shooting conditions and a photogenic subject, a bright sunny day, a colorful mural, rich blue sky and a white wall off to the side. I, like the nine pros, photo best because of the rich blues in the sky, and I'd probably post this one without edit, which one was the most color accurate, I'm not sure all came out great. Thus, the Hasselblad color tuning make a difference, maybe not so much it's the same situation here in the shade.

I love this little slice of Europe by NYU's Deutsche house. One would be hard-pressed to actually pick one over the others. Here's a more challenging scenario, color paintings in the foreground or in the shade. While the background is bright, I'm not sure if you can see the difference on your screens, but the OnePlus 9 pro produces a cooler photo while the 9s21 ultra and the iPhone 12 preserve the cooler tones of the subject in the shade, but give the background more warmth, because it's in the sun, if you zoom into the arch you'll, find the s21 ultra and the iPhone 12 preserve more detail, but really I'm nitpicking here. Similar situation same results, city bikes in the shade bright buildings.

In the background, the 9 pro s21 ultra and iPhone 12 balance the cool and warm parts of this photo very well most of the time. The results are pretty similar, like this curry versed photo also love the creamy depth of field. In all of these photos. The point, I guess is that the OnePlus 9 and the 9 pro can keep up with the best. There were even times when I preferred the OnePlus 9 and 9 pros photos like when chai and I went out for brunch.

The iPhone 12's photo was bland. The s21 went overboard with the saturation. The OnePlus 8 pro was a bit muted, while the 9 and the 9 pro especially, were more balanced. One area that has been drastically improved is HDR to test it. Chai stood directly in front of the sun notice, the 8 pro versus the 9 and 9 pros photos, but you shouldn't really shoot against the sun anyway, they're much better.

All great photos, if you ask me, maybe the cute subject, helps. Finally, let's take a look at some night shots. Definitely the more challenging shooting situation first of a cocktail at blue hour. I think all phones did a similar job here so to really test all five phones. We turned off all the lights, with only whatever available light was in the room and my arm resting on a table given how there wasn't very much light to begin with.

All five phones did a great job at being able to bring in as much light as possible with a long exposure shot. However, the iPhone 12 did the best job being able to illuminate the subject and preserve the colors in the scene. Finally, let's talk about video thanks to its new snapdragon processor. This year, both phones can shoot 8k, video and the pro model can also shoot 4k video at 120 frames per. Second, we only upload in 1080p, but here's a 4k 120fps sample scaled down.

The pro model also has improved HDR performance thanks to new tech, it's called DOL HDR and because it's only available on the 9 pro, I was curious to see how big of a difference it actually makes. So I shot these samples side by side. The footage on the right is the 9 and the 9 pro is on the left. Do you notice a difference? Sounds off in the comments section below OnePlus says they also improved nights cape video bumping up to version 2.0 and since the OnePlus 9 and 8 pro have the same sensors. I shot this side-by-side comparison before we wrap up the section.

There are two software features that I want to show you the first one is called tilt shift mode which recreates a photography technique that makes life-size scenes. Look miniature finally time-lapse. Video doesn't require that you stay nice and steady. In fact, it even works, while you're walking here's a sample shot using the wide angle lens. This last bit can be a little confusing, so I've decided to spend some time to explain the OnePlus 9 pro has an ip68 rating.

The OnePlus 9 sold at T-Mobile also has an ip68 rating, but the unlocked OnePlus 9 does not have an IP rating. Now I think it's safe to assume that the OnePlus 9 is water and dust resistant, but it does cost money to get that certification. I don't think OnePlus wanted to pay for that, so that they could bring down the base price. That said, warranty doesn't really cover water damage anyway, so I think it's best to earn on the safe side and not to submerge your OnePlus, 9 or 9 pro in a swimming pool right. So how much do these phones cost? First, let's look at last year's pricing for context.

The OnePlus 8 started at 6.99 for the 8 gigabyte 128 gig model for the same exact configuration the OnePlus 9 starts at 7.29, a 30 increase, not bad, considering inflation and what this phone offers. I think it's a good deal a better one. Even than last year's OnePlus 8. , the 12 gig plus 256 gigabyte model is 829 now just a reminder. Both phones do not have a micro SD card slot for expandable storage.

So if 128 gigabytes is a little short for you consider spending extra on more storage. Last year's OnePlus 8 pro started at 8.99 for the eight one, two eight gig model, the OnePlus 9 pro starts at 969. A 70 dollar increase, the OnePlus. Nine in nine pro will be available starting April 2nd, but you can pre-order now on oneplus. com the phone will be available, unlocked from oneplus.

com Amazon, best buy and b h or with a contract exclusively from T-Mobile. So is the OnePlus 9 or 9 pro your gadget match. While I appreciate how OnePlus went all out the OnePlus 9 pro, it's only the more affordable OnePlus 9 that gets the gadget match seal of approval. It really is the more well-rounded phone of the two and offers the better value for money. My thoughts on the Hasselblad partnership.

It's a great marketing move, but I don't think it has the same ring to it as say: Lacey and Huawei. While OnePlus has made great claims about improved color accuracy, the improvements this year are more incremental, which can be expected from any new release. Maybe we'll just have to wait and see. Instead, I think the OnePlus one headline feature is its superfast charging and props to them for being able to offer something its competitors aren't. Overall, the OnePlus 9 comes with a host of nifty improvements, but is lacking in flare still at 729, it's 70 less than the starting price of the galaxy s21, and so it has the potential to appeal to those who are looking for a cheaper option to the Samsung Galaxy, and that was our OnePlus 9 and 9 pro review.

What are your thoughts? Let me know down below and while you're at it subscribe to this YouTube channel, if you haven't already and hit that bell icon so that you get notified as soon as we upload. Every new video follow me on social media for all the behind the scenes, fun stuff and, as always, make gadgetmatch. com your daily habit until the next video. I'm Michael josh, thanks for dropping by you.

Source : GadgetMatch