OnePlus 9RT specifications and software
The second major change in the phone has been made in its performance. The OnePlus 9RT has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip as the OnePlus 9. This is the only phone in the 9 series that comes equipped with eight 5G bands, thanks to which it will not be easily outdated in the times to come. OnePlus has also said that three Wi-Fi antennas have been used in the phone instead of two for better stability during gaming. Apart from this, the size of the vapor chamber cooling system has also been increased, which makes the phone less hot. The touch response of the phone’s screen has also been improved, which reaches up to 600Hz in some games.
This phone lacks IP rating and wireless charging. Samsung offers these features in its FE series and the price of the handset, especially the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, gives a tough competition to the 9RT in comparison.
My unit had OxygenOS 11.3 based on Android 11. Its next version, which will be based on Android 12, is currently in the development stage and will come to the phone via OTA update. However, the curtain has not been lifted from the time of its release. The interface of the phone is quite clean and comes with mild bloatware. Google’s SMS app and dialer app are available in the phone, which also supports call recording. A lot of customization options are also available for fonts and wallpapers.
OnePlus 9RT performance and battery life
The OnePlus 9RT proved to be quite reliable in everyday use. Thanks to its sturdy body and fast software, it delivered an amazing experience. The in-display fingerprint sensor is extremely fast and the phone’s menus can be navigated quickly. Switching between apps was also very fast.
The multimedia playback of the phone is very good. Rendering of standard and HDR video is excellent. The content viewing experience on streaming apps like Netflix was good due to the HDR capability of the display. I really liked the sound of the stereo speakers and the support for Dolby Atmos lets you set a variety of sound profiles. The processor is strong and the games run smoothly. It was a lot of fun playing Fortnite and the increased graphics quality made for an even better experience. Similar experience was also found in Call of Duty: Mobile. The touch response of the display also helps in enhancing the gaming experience. The phone handled heating very well. Even after a long gaming time, there was slight heating in the phone.
We also liked the battery performance of the OnePlus 9RT. The phone packs a 4,500mAh capacity battery, which lasted 20 hours and 16 minutes in our internal test. In this, we played HD video clips in a loop until the phone was turned off. This is a lot more than the Oneplus 9R or Oneplus 9. In general usage, which includes gaming, calls, camera, social media apps, etc., for a short period of time, the phone was able to comfortably last one and a half days on a single charge. Charging is quite fast. The Warp Charge 65T charging brick that comes with the phone charged the battery from 0 to 100 percent just before 30 minutes.
OnePlus 9RT cameras
Compared to OnePlus 9R, the primary camera of 9RT has been improved. The 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor has been given in the 9RT. The same camera was used as the ultra-wide camera in the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. A special feature of this sensor is DOL-HDR support. This feature comes in handy when the subject is standing directly in front of the sunlight while recording a video. In such a situation, this feature captures video in high dynamic range and the light falling from the rear side on the subject is controlled to a great extent. We saw this feature in the primary camera of OnePlus 9 Pro. Low-light photo quality has also been greatly improved.
Rest of the sensors are same as they were in 9R. These include a 16-megapixel Sony IMX481 ultra-wide camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. It has a lower resolution than the 9R’s macro camera. The selfie camera is the same one that is running on many OnePlus phones. This is an average camera and can only record videos up to 1080p.
The camera app found in the phone has been taken from OnePlus’ sister company OPPO’s Color OS. It has AI Scene Improvement feature, which can be turned on or off. Apart from this, dual view recording option is available. There’s also a Hi-Res mode, which lets you create a 108-megapixel photo by combining multiple frames shot with the main camera.
While shooting video during day time, the main camera captured the details well. After turning on the AI option, the colors looked slightly artificial. Sometimes the photos of portrait mode came out good, sometimes bad, because sometimes some parts of the subject became blurred. The camera offers up to 10X digital zoom and since the camera resolution is quite high, the photos look good even after cropping.
The ultra wide camera captures a very large area, but the quality drops a bit here. The macro camera takes good clicks in high enough light, but it disappoints in low light. The main camera captured decent photos in low light without even starting the night mode, but zooming in showed that they were over-processed. The ultra-wide camera disappointed in low light. The selfie camera performed well in daylight, but the face looked soft and the skin tone was not accurate.
This phone can shoot videos up to 4K at 60fps. Video quality is good in adequate light and video stabilization also impresses. With the help of DOL-HDR feature, videos were recorded better even in the light falling from behind the subject. However, the highlights in the background became over-boosted. Low-light video quality is a bit disappointing. Due to the side effect of stabilization of the recorded video while walking, grains were seen as well as jitter was also seen in the video.
Verdict
OnePlus 9RT is a powerful smartphone. It is beautifully made and the performance is also excellent. The upgrade to the main camera makes it a tough competitor, but the performance of the rest of the cameras disappoints, especially in low-light. The phone battery is good. This phone beats OnePlus 9R and OnePlus 9. If the price of OnePlus 9R is reduced substantially, then only it can be seen as an option.
OnePlus 9RT offers more value than OnePlus 9, but still I would call it expensive. OnePlus has been very late in its launch and Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G, Realme GT and Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G prove to be more value for money devices than this. If you have been waiting for the OnePlus 10 series to arrive in India, then this wait can be quite long. Right now the company has just announced the series. It would also be wrong to speculate about when it will be launched in India.
OnePlus 9RT is a strong flagship phone, but if its price falls by a few thousand rupees, then it can prove to be a best smartphone deal. If you can’t wait, there are few such options from Xiaomi, Realme and Samsung for less than this in the market.
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