OnePlus 9R confirmed: A budget 9-series model coming to India

On March 23, we will finally see the official launch of the OnePlus 9 series. We’ve known for a while now that the launch would include a OnePlus 9 and a OnePlus 9 Pro. However, speculation has abounded that there would be a third, cheaper model in the family.

Related: OnePlus 9 series: Everything we know so far

Now, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that is the case. The third entry in the 9-series line will be known as the OnePlus 9R. In an exclusive interview with News 18, an Indian news outlet, Lau confirmed the phone’s name as well as its apparent Indian exclusivity.

Unfortunately, Lau didn’t divulge much as far as specs, pricing, or other nitty-gritty details. However, he did have a few things to say that shed light on what to expect.

OnePlus 9R: Taking the Nord a step further

In the interview, Lau references the OnePlus Nord. He mentions that the phone has been very successful in India and OnePlus fans have given it high praise. He then says this:

With the OnePlus 9R, we are looking to go even further to bring out a balanced handset with the latest technology and class-leading industrial design that can deliver a superior user experience overall and can also offer fast and smooth experiences for daily usage and heavy gameplay.

This is a classic example of Lau’s promotional tactic of dropping multiple buzzwords into a run-on sentence. However, we can still glean a bit about the phone from this statement. For example, the fact that the phone is not in the Nord series but in the 9-series heavily suggests that it will be more powerful than the Nord. Lau’s wording of “go even further” backs up the idea that the 9R could be like the Nord, but better.

Lau’s reference to “heavy gameplay” is also interesting. The OnePlus 9R is almost certainly not a “gaming phone,” but if it’s going to keep up with mobile games, it’s going to need a powerful chipset. It’s possible the 9R could have a lower-grade chipset than the Snapdragon 888 we expect to see in the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, but a higher-grade chipset than the Snapdragon 765G in the OnePlus Nord. This could mean the new Snapdragon 870 or even the Snapdragon 865, which is last year’s flagship model.

Finally, the teaser image above confirms that the OnePlus 9R will have 5G connectivity. This is interesting because India doesn’t have a 5G network, and Lau confirmed that the phone is an India exclusive, at least for now. This also backs up the idea that the 9R could have an 800-series chipset of some kind.

March 23 is only a few days away at this point, so we’ll know everything soon enough!