OnePlus 9 Pro Test

Proud of a partnership with Hasselblad, the OnePlus 9 Pro presents itself as the most high-end smartphone ever offered by the brand, with an emphasis on photography. Is it successful? Answer in our test.

OnePlus has been offering very competitive smartphones for years, which for some can compete with ultra high-end phones. The only downside: a photo section usually too set back to claim to match the best on the market. With its 9 series, OnePlus has therefore partnered with Hasselblad to offer the best possible image quality. Here is our test of the OnePlus 9 Pro, the one that may finally be able to play in the big leagues.

This test was carried out with a OnePlus 9 Pro 12/256 GB provided by the brand.

BRILLIANT DESIGN, IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD

What looks more like a OnePlus smartphone than another OnePlus smartphone? For 4 years now, the brand has found its typical design and only changes it in small steps, but it would be dishonest to blame it for it is so effective. Unsurprisingly, the OnePlus 9 Pro looks a lot like the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Understand by this that it takes a traditional design with a glass back with rounded edges to simplify handling, as is now the standard on many cell phone unlock store, and at the front a curved screen discreetly pierced at the top on the left to integrate the front camera.

Behind this very traditional design hides a lot of rather pleasant small improvements, starting with the positioning of the keys. Whether it’s the power button or those for adjusting the volume, they are all ideally positioned to always fall under your finger when you want to use them. This is a small improvement over the OnePlus 8T which required stretching your finger a little too much to turn up the volume. Even the Alert Slider, allowing you to switch from one audio profile to another (silent / ring / vibrate), is very easily accessible although its use is less regular.

THE DEFECTS OF THE ONEPLUS 8 PRO FIXED

In 2020, OnePlus showed its know-how with sublime screens on the OnePlus 8 range, but the 8 Pro suffered from a particularly annoying problem: very poorly managed curved edges causing color changes and difficulty in using touch on the edges of the screen. In 2021, the OnePlus 9 Pro corrects these defects as well as possible and therefore only a magnificent screen remains, finally free from notable defects in use (although we still observe a different tint of the borders at certain angles).

On paper we are in the presence of a 6.7-inch Amoled LTPO panel in QHD + definition (1440 x 3216 pixels, or 525 PPP) with an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. Its calibration also allows to support sRGB and Display P3 spectra, but also HDR10 +. Suffice to say that on this point, OnePlus stands at the level of Samsung and Apple, the best in the field. Note all the same that by default, the phone is set to Full HD +, with a “vivid” setting a little less realistic.

OXYGENOS ALWAYS ON TOP

Like the OnePlus 8T, the OnePlus 9 Pro is marketed under Android 11 with an OxygenOS interface (here in version 11.2 at the time of our test) and a security update dating from March 1, 2021. We also know the seriousness of the brand on the software monitoring of its smartphones, promising regular and extended updates over time.

Compared to the phone launched last October, do not expect any major novelty here, everything is reproduced identically. The brand simply emphasizes in its communication on the Turbo Boost 3.0 mode to “ keep 25% more applications open in the background ”.

THE POWER OF THE SNAPDRAGON 888

Like every year, the OnePlus 9 Pro is equipped with the best in terms of power. We therefore find on board a Snapdragon 888 coupled with 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and storage space in UFS 3.1. A configuration similar to the Oppo Find X3 Pro or the Xiaomi Mi 11 . It is therefore not surprising to see the three smartphones neck and neck in the benchmarks . (Note that the Oppo Find X3 Pro appears weaker on tests requiring a display, its definition being set to QHD + by default.)

AUDIO

Like almost all smartphones of the moment, the OnePlus 9 Pro offers stereo sound with a main speaker located on the lower edge, next to the USB-C port, and a second above the screen, serving also for calls. If this configuration makes it possible to take advantage of two sound channels, we find the same problem here as with the competition: the loudspeaker dedicated to calls is less powerful and less precise than the main one, causing a slight imbalance when listening. The devices that have managed to offer a perfect balance can nevertheless be counted on the fingers of a ninja turtle hand.

THE FIRST FRUIT OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH HASSELBLAD

Often criticized on its photo part, OnePlus wanted to put the package to improve on its 9 series and relies for this on the know-how of its new partner, Hasselblad. This iconic Swedish brand is particularly known for having been used by the first astronauts to set foot on the Moon in 1969. Here, the manufacturer shared its expertise to help the Chinese brand to better calibrate its sensor and thus software improve its colorimetry. . However, it will be necessary to wait for the next generations for this partnership to really have an impact on the equipment.

This OnePlus 9 Pro is therefore equipped with 4 modules:

Wide-angle: IMX789 (1 / 1.43 ”) 48 Mpx (2.24 μm in 12 Mpx), 7P, f / 1.8 aperture, 23 mm, OIS;
Ultra wide-angle: IMX766 (1 / 1.56 ”) 50 MP, freeform 7P lens , aperture f / 2.2, 14mm;
Telephoto: 8 Mpx (1 µm), f / 2.4 aperture, OIS;
Monochrome: 2 Mpx.

Also Read: iPhone 13 VS Galaxy S22 Ultra VS Google Pixel 6

THE PHOTO APPLICATION IN THE COLORS OF HASSELBLAD

To mark its partnership, OnePlus has given its photo application the air of Hasselblad. The trigger button therefore turns orange instead of white. If this will potentially appeal to fans of the Swedish brand, we lose a little accessibility when switching to video capture, since the button then turns red. The difference is less marked and people with a visual impairment could be embarrassed.

RECHARGING SPEED IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Always at the forefront in terms of autonomy and recharging, OnePlus offers with the 9 Pro a summary of everything it can do best. On board is a 4500 mAh battery divided into two cells, which allows it to take advantage of a fast charge of 65 W (10 V / 6.5 A), or a wireless charging of 50 W. Yes, it’s faster than what many wired smartphones offer, even more expensive.

THE LATEST CONNECTIVITY (EXCEPT WIFI 6E)

Snapdragon 888 requires, the OnePlus 9 Pro is equipped with all the latest communication standards, or almost. We find on board 4G and 5G compatible with all the bands available in France, but also WiFi 6 (not 6E on the other hand), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and all possible satellite guidance systems. Be careful, however, at the time of writing, an update (still unavailable) is necessary to benefit from 5G.