Three months after the launch of the OnePlus 9RT, the affordable flagship is set to make its first appearance outside of China. OnePlus India today sent out invites for a virtual launch event scheduled for January 14, where the company will formally launch the OnePlus 9RT in that country.
For those unaware, the OnePlus 9RT is the only “T” series smartphone that OnePlus announced in 2021, having decided against launching the OnePlus 9T last year. Interestingly, the 9RT is somewhat of a successor to the OnePlus 9R — an affordable flagship from the company that first launched in India alongside its pricier 9 series siblings.
How does it compare?
Even though the OnePlus 9RT sits a notch below the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9Pro in the hierarchy, it is still a flagship-class device in its own right. The phone gets the same chip as its pricier siblings — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, — and offers up to 256GB storage and 12GB of RAM on the top variants.
As expected, the camera is one area where the signs of cost-cutting are apparent.
Lacking Hasselblad branding, the rear-facing triple-camera array on the OnePlus 9RT includes a 50MP primary camera, a 16MP ultra-wide camera, and a frivolous 2MP depth sensor — all with no OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). The front-facing camera uses a 16MP sensor housed within a hole-punch cutout. Also, there is no mention of any IP rating on the device, even though past experience tells us that the phone would be reasonably adept at repelling water. Of course, do not take it with you in the pool.
One area where OnePlus hasn’t cut corners on the OnePlus 9RT is the screen, which is a 6.62-inch AMOLED with FHD+ resolution, support for a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ compatibility. And yes, the charging speeds are flagship-grade, too, with the 4,500 mAh battery supporting 65-watt fast charging with the supplied charger-cable combo.
In China, the OnePlus 9RT launched with Android 11, and that is likely the case when it gets to India later this month. We do expect the OnePlus 9RT to get Android 12 in the next few months — even though OnePlus’ recent track record with updates has been less than stellar. In China, the OnePlus 9RT retails for 3299 yuan ($520) for the base variant, going up to 3799 yuan ($600) for the top variant.
The India launch also opens the possibility of the OnePlus 9RT getting an even broader release in select European markets, although OnePlus has yet to formally talk about such an eventuality.