OnePlus 9 Pro 5G Review: Buy it for 'premium' Android experience

OnePlus 9 Pro 5G Review: The global smartphone brand OnePlus has impressed Indian mobile phone users with its range of flagship devices. After successfully launching the OnePlus 8 series last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company introduced the OnePlus 9 5G series in India in a bid to capture the premium smartphone market space in the country.

The die-hard OnePlus community in India eagerly waited for the OnePlus 9 5G and OnePlus 9 Pro 5G that succeed highly successful OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Touted as the best premium Android smartphone, the OnePlus 9 Pro focused on an improved camera technology developed in partnership with Swedish company Hasselblad to take on the rival brands - Xiaomi and Samsung in the market.

WATCH | Click on Zee Business Live TV Streaming Below:

The OnePlus 9 Pro 5G comes in two storage variants -- 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB -- at Rs 64,999 and Rs 69,999, and it is available in three color options -- Morning Mist, Pine, Green, and Stellar Black. I reviewed the (12GB+256GB) Morning Mist color model for more than two weeks and ​here's what I have to say about this premium smartphone from OnePlus.

Priced at Rs 64,999 for the base variant, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G is competing with Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, and Vivo X60 Pro+ in the Indian market right now. In terms of specifications and overall performance, you can see tough competition between Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G ( available and similar price range). OnePlus 9 Pro can be a perfect choice if you want to witness a premium Android experience. The smartphone comes with Hasselblad Cameras, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, OxygenOS 11 and offers smooth scrolling, amazing gaming controls with solid features, and a better viewing experience.

In terms of design and looks, the newly launched OnePlus 9 Pro 5G smartphone is undoubtedly beautiful in design, not bulky, and easy to hold. Even after holding it in your hands for a long duration, you won't complain. The device is sleek and beautiful. As the name suggests -- the OnePlus 9 PRO 5G, this device has a PRO design and looks. However, the important thing here is the device is a little slippery, so please keep this point in mind, The good thing about this flagship smartphone from the OnePlus, the back panel rarely attracts fingerprints. In terms of measurement, The OnePlus pro is extremely handy (163.20 x 73.60 x 8.70) mm and weighs 197.00 grams. The device has an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass on the curved front and back. Overall, the looks of this smartphone are really premium and appealing. It will definitely attract buyers' attention.

On the right side of the device, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G has a power button and a dedicated button to switch your phone mode to - silent, general, and vibration. Both the buttons worked perfectly fine during the review. On the left edge, you will see volume rockers and at the bottom there, the device features Type-C USB charging port, Dolby Atmos dual stereo speakers and a dedicated space for a SIM tray. The connectivity options on the OnePlus 9 Pro 5Ginclude 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The OnePlus 9 Pro 5G also comes with sensors such as In-display Fingerprint Sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, laser sensor, and a proximity sensor.

OnePlus 9 Pro 5G Camera Performance

On the rear side of the device, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G comes with a powerful quad-camera setup with a 48MP main camera with a Sony IMX789  sensor - that ensures faster focus speeds, greater color accuracy, cleaner daytime, and night shots, and reduced motion blur in the video,  50MP ultra-wide camera with Sony IMX766 sensor, which ensures enhanced image quality and lower noise. The ultra-wide camera also allows you to capture high-quality macro photos, with the ability to focus from as close as 4 cm away from your subject, The 8MP telephoto camera, which offers 3.3x (77mm) zoom with OIS to reduce blur, maxing out at 30x digital zoom. A dedicated monochrome camera works together with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s main camera to add detail and layering to black and white photos, while a new tilt-shift simulates the special miniature effect of a tilt-shift lens for more creative photos and a 2MP Monochrome sensor. The OnePlus Pro 5G also has a 16MP front camera for video calls and selfies.

The smartphone comes with many camera features including -  Nightscape, Super Macro, UltraShot HDR, Smart Scene Recognition, Portrait mode, Pro mode, Panorama, Tilt-shift mode, Focus Peaking, Cat/Dog Face Focus, Raw file, Filters, Super Stable, Video Nightscape, Video HDR, Video Portrait, Focus Tracking, Timelapse, Hyperlapse. I checked most of the features mentioned above during the review period, and I found that pictures in Portrait and Nightscape modes came out pretty brilliant. The device captured sharp, high-resolution images and detailed images in bright lighting conditions. Nightscape Mode, featuring intelligent multi-frame processing, adds clarity and detail to the images at night. Also, the partnership with Hasselblad, prominently displayed at the back with a quad-camera set up, has indeed helped the device capture more accurate and natural-looking colors to the photos. Hasselblad has helped tune the color processing algorithms of JPEG photos when you shoot in Auto or Pro mode.

The new Hasselblad Pro Mode offers incredibly accurate and natural color for a solid foundation for post-editing. It allows for an unprecedented amount of control for expert photographers to fine-tune their photos, with the ability to adjust ISO, focus, exposure time, white balance and more. You can also shoot in 12-bit RAW format for 64-times the color compared with 10-bit RAW traditionally found in other smartphones. Also, The OnePlus 9 Pro’s main camera features 16-times the pixel count of standard 1080p for high-quality videos. It can shoot at 4K 120fps, giving you more creative possibilities in shooting video and editing, with DOL-HDR ensuring you always get the subject in clear view in backlit environments. The OnePlus 9 Pro’s ultra-wide camera can also create time-lapse video when walking  In terms of overall camera performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G has justified its pricing.

One of the major USPs of the device is its display performance. The 6.7-inch screen with Fluid AMOLED display has offered great viewing and gaming experience. With its low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology, the OnePlus 9 Pro's display automatically adjusts the refresh rate from 120Hz all the way down to 1Hz depending on usage, leading to lower power consumption

The Hyper Touch technology also gives you a much faster response time when playing certain games by increasing the syncing speed between the processor and display to 360 Hz – up to six times faster than before. The display offers the most accurate and natural color reproduction, Also, the in-display fingerprint sensor worked fast and the overall experience while using the screen was smooth and responsive. I didn't face any issues even during heavy usage. The colors came out good on the screen in the direct sunlight as well.

In terms of performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro is equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, making the device suitable for heavy use. With 25 percent faster CPU performance and 35 percent faster graphics rendering plus the new 5nm process node, this chipset offers significant power savings, allowing for extensive usage on a single charge. It runs OxygenOS 11 which is based on Android 11. While playing games like Garena Free Fire, Battlegrounds Mobile India, and Call of Duty: Mobile on this device, we enjoyed lag-free gaming. The graphic quality on the advanced setting was up to the mark. Overall, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G was fast, smooth, switching between the apps and using multiple social media platforms was easy and the experience was up to the mark. Audio performance is a big plus here if you plan to buy the OnePlus 9 Pro. The bottom speaker did produce high-quality sound while playing games and watching videos.

In terms of battery performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a massive 4,500mAh battery with OnePlus’ powerful Warp Charge 65T technology and a 50W wireless charging, dramatically reducing the time spent on charging the phone. On less than normal usage, the device lasted for more than a day on a single charge. While watching videos on YouTube, movies, web series on OTT platforms on the OnePlus 9 Pro during the review period, we did not face any battery issues however the device did heat up on heavy usage and during heavy gaming sessions.  

Verdict: Available at the starting price of 64,999, the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G is a true flagship smartphone. The device offers a beautiful display, camera performance, and premium design. For those who are looking for a true premium experience in Android, this flagship mobile phone from OnePlus won't disappoint you. The OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely a good choice for the premium Android community in India.