OnePlus 9RT launched: Flagship OnePlus power for under $600

OnePlus said there wouldn’t be T-series phones launched this year, but we’re guessing that only applied to the OnePlus 9T. Instead, the company has decided to launch the OnePlus 9RT, seemingly being positioned as a follow-up to the OnePlus 9R.

The biggest upgrade over the previous release might be the switch from a Snapdragon 870 SoC to the new generation Snapdragon 888 chipset. You’re also getting 8GB to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Otherwise, the core specs include a flat 6.62-inch 120Hz OLED screen (2,400 x 1,080, 600Hz touch response rate), and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W charging. In the case of the latter, OnePlus reckons you can get a full charge in 29 minutes, with the firm adding that the phone supports 33W PPS/PD charging too. Much like the OnePlus 9R, there’s no wireless charging capability here.

What else should you know?

We also see an upgraded main camera sensor on the OnePlus 9RT, as OnePlus switches from a 48MP 0.8-micron primary camera to a 50MP 1-micron pixel sensor. The shift to a slightly bigger sensor and slightly bigger pixels should make for improved low-light performance in theory.

The rest of the rear cameras consist of a 16MP 123-degree ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP macro lens. A 16MP selfie camera is available in a punch-hole cutout in the left-hand corner of the display.

Expect Color OS 12 atop Android 11 over here, although OnePlus will undoubtedly swap Color OS out for Oxygen OS if it opts for a global launch. Other specs include video upscaling tech, two ambient light sensors, an under-display fingerprint sensor, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 6.

The OnePlus 9RT will be available in China for now, starting at 3,299 yuan (~$512) for the 8GB/128GB model and 3,499 yuan (~$543) for the 8GB/256GB variant. The 12GB/256GB model will set you back 3,799 yuan (~$590).

In saying so, OnePlus is running a launch promotion for all three variants, with pricing pegged at 3,199 yuan (~$497), 3,399 yuan (~$528), and 3,699 yuan (~$574) respectively. There’s no official word on a wider launch right now, but we’re guessing India is on the cards if the OnePlus 9R’s availability was anything to go on.

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