Today OnePlus unveiled its latest smartphones, the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro and on this occasion we also got a Media Kit unboxing ready for you. The Media Kit is meant for journalists and includes both handsets, a 50W wireless charger and two cases. The OnePlus 9 already got a separate video and text unboxing here and now it’s time to check out the OnePlus 9 Pro first impressions and unboxing. I think you should visit cccf for more details.
The device is priced at around $1100 and you can get it from here, with a $10 voucher. 2021 is the year when OnePlus started working with Swedish firm Hasselblad, the company that put a camera on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission. They calibrated the cameras on the new devices, which is detailed below.
Unboxing
OnePlus 9 Pro comes inside the typical rectangular red box, filled with useful accessories. We’ve got a 65W wired charger, a case, USB-C to USB-C cable, a manual and metal key used to access the slots.
Design:
The smartphone is made of aluminum and glass with more curves than the OnePlus 9. It has IP68 certification as an extra from the basic model. It’s available in the Morning Mist hue we possess, Pine Green and Stellar Black. It measures 8.7 mm in thickness and weighs 197 grams. The back side of the phone we’ve tested has a mirror look towards the bottom and a more frosted one towards the top side. The handset is well built, solid, comfy and quite easy to wield, in spite of the large diagonal. It’s not slippery, but the back side draws a lot of fingerprints.
The camera module manages to not protrude, in spite of having so much innovative tech on board.
Hardware:
- Display: 6.7 inch LTPO AMOLED, 10-bit, Adaptive 120Hz, 3216 x 1440 pixels
- Processor: Snapdragon 888
- Configurations 8/12 GB RAM LPDDR5 + 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
- Selfie camera: 16 MP (Fixed Focus, IMX471)
- Back camera: 48 MP (IMX789, OIS, EIS, 7P, f/1.8) + 50 MP (ultra-wide, IMX766, 7P, f/2.2) + 8 mpx (telephoto) + 2 mpx (monochrome)
- Video capture: 8K 30fps, 4K 30/60/120fps
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6 dual-band, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS
- Audio: stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, NC
- Security: in display fingerprint scanner, face unlock
- Battery: 4500 mAh, 65W wired charger, 15W wired charger
- OS: Android 11, OxygenOS 11
- Size: 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm, 197 grams
- Colors: Morning Mist, Pine Green, Stellar Black
Camera:
And we’ve finally reached the camera, the core aspect of the new smartphone. Hasselblad and OnePlus have worked together for a few months and this is the result. The two sides have struck a deal that covers 3 years and investments of $150 million, plus 4 R&D labs across the globe. The device uses a main 16 megapixel selfie shooter, with Sony IMX471 sensor, cut in a punch hole. It has fixed focus and EIS.
At the back we find a main 48 megapixel camera with Sony IMX789 sensor, 7P lens, OIS and EIS together, as well as a F/1.8 aperture. Next up is an ultrawide camera with a LARGE sensor, a Sony IMX766, with F/2.2 aperture and freeform lens. This one has an unique curvature, which allows it to ditch distorsion, so while some phones have 10 or 20% distortion, this one only has 1%. It helps with Macro capture at 4 cm and this sensor is 3.2 times larger than the one from the ultrawide camera of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
We also get a telephoto 8 megapixel back camera, with 3.3X optical zoom (30X digital zoom), and a 2 MP Monochrome camera. A LED flash is also here, as well as multi autofocus, 8K 30 FPS filming and 4K 120 FPS video. Hasselblad takes care of the color calibration, in order to make them more natural. They provide the core tech behind the Pro Mode. We have 12 bit RAW capture, which captures 64 times more info than classic 10 bit capture on other phones. then there’s DOL-HDR, which keeps the subject always clear in backlit environments.
Then there’s Nightscape Video 2.0, that triggers an ultrawide video at night, even when walking and filming. Timelapse videos are available and Portrait Video.
Software and Impressions:
OnePlus 9 Pro runs on Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 on top, plus it also brings a Turbo Boost 3.0 mode that better handles RAM we also get a Pro Gamer mode and OnePlus remains the only company that supports Fortnite at 90 FPS. For me this device is a welcome step up from the previous generation, that felt lacking even compared to the great camera on the OnePlus 7 Pro. We have excellent gaming features, Hasselblad with the color calibration and we may just have witnessed the birth of the best ultrawide camera on the market.
We’ll see! In the meantime you can get the phone from here.
