Introduction
Reviewing the OnePlus 9R feels like a deja vu. Except it’s not just a fleeting feeling. We have reviewed this phone before. Back then, it was known as the OnePlus 8T.
It’s not often that we see a manufacturer launch basically the same phone twice in a row, but that seems to be the case here. Calling OnePlus 9R similar to OnePlus 8T would be an understatement. After all, they are almost exactly the same phone.
An overview of OnePlus 9R specifications:
- Body: 161.0×74.1×8.4mm, 189g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame.
- Screen: 6.55 “Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10 +, 1080x2400px resolution, 20: 9 aspect ratio, 402ppi; Always on display.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650.
- Memory: 128 GB 8 GB RAM, 256 GB 12 GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS / software: Android 11, OxygenOS 11.
- Rear camera: Wide (head): 48 MP, f / 1.7, 26 mm, 1 / 2.0 “, 0.8 µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 16 MP, f / 2.2, 14 mm, 123 °, 1 / 3.6 “, 1.0 μm; Macro: 5 MP, f / 2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f / 2.4.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f / 2.4, (wide), 1 / 3.06 “, 1.0 .m.
- Video recording: Rear camera: 4K @ 30 / 60fps, 1080p @ 30/60 / 240fps, Auto HDR, Gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p @ 30 fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 65W, 1-100% in 39 minutes (announced).
- Various: Fingerprint reader (on display, optical); NFC.
Okay, there are a few differences. Perhaps most important is the fact that the OnePlus 9R is currently exclusive to India with no announced plans to release it elsewhere. The OnePlus 9R is also launched at a lower price than the OnePlus 8T did, starting at INR 39,999 versus INR 43,999 of the OnePlus 8T.
The other differences are less meaningful. OnePlus 9R runs on the new Snapdragon 870 instead of 865. Calling it “new” greatly exaggerates the situation, as it is pretty much the same part as the 865, but with an overclock on the CPU and GPU. And finally, the OnePlus 9R has also received a slight facelift and comes in two new color options.
Is that enough for the OnePlus 9R to be a separate phone? We’ll just have to figure it out.
Unboxing
OnePlus 9R comes with a fairly standard OnePlus packaging consisting of phone, charger, cable and a clear silicone case. The packaging is identical to the OnePlus 8T, except for one major difference.
Both the OnePlus 9R and 8T claim to come with the Warp Charge 65 charger, but they are not the same models. OnePlus 8T comes with WC065A21GB in India while OnePlus 9R comes with WC065B22GB. The difference is that while both can send 65W of power to a compatible OnePlus device, the OnePlus 8T charger can also send up to 45W to a USB power supply (PD) and PPS-compatible devices (Programmable Power Supply).
OnePlus 8T charger on the left and OnePlus 9R charger on the right
On the other hand, the OnePlus 9R charger drops back to standard 10W charging when connected to a non-OnePlus device. It also has a standard USB-A port as opposed to the USB-C port on the 8T charger, which is necessary to support USB PD. This does not change anything for charging the OnePlus 9R itself. Still, if you also intend to use the charger for other devices around you, especially USB PD devices, then the OnePlus 9R charger will not be anywhere as good as the OnePlus 8Ts charger.
