OnePlus 9RT hands-on review

This being an iterative upgrade, there’s nothing drastically different about the OnePlus 9RT’s design, and it looks like any of the 9 series devices. That said, the company has played around a bit with the colourway and finish. 

There are two colours to choose from – Nano Silver and Hacker Black. We’ve got the latter for review, and it gets this silken glass-like finish. The back feels really smooth to touch, and OnePlus has added a bit of sheen to the surface which shines under the light. A combination of the glass front and the shiny back panel screams premium so we really don’t feel like hiding it inside the case that comes in the box.

There are quite a bit of upgrades under the hood. Starting with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip which offers more processing power to handle day-to-day tasks, multitasking, and gaming with ease. It also manages to remain significantly cool under heavy load. We’ve played a couple of games, shot 4K videos, and even watched high-res content. Through thick and thin, the OnePlus 9RT remained as cool as Dhoni during a crunch match. 

The 6.62in Fluid AMOLED screen up front looks good and sharp, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything super smooth. The touch sampling rate of 300Hz makes the whole experience even smoother, and it can be cranked up to a whopping 600Hz during gaming!

For photography, there’s a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary camera that has a larger sensor than the one found on the previous device. In essence, this should translate into brighter and sharper photos. We are waiting to try out the hi-res mode, which combines multiple shots from the 50MP camera to create a 108MP output. 

Accompanying the primary lens is a 16MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera at the back. Up front for selfies and video calls, there’s a 16MP snapper.

In the little time that we’ve spent with the OnePlus 9RT, there’s a lot to like. The size and design make it comfortable to hold, and there’s more than enough power on offer for your gaming and other needs. 

With prices starting from ₹42,999, the device faces a lot of competition from the likes of the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. We will be putting the OnePlus 9RT through its paces in the coming days, so stay tuned for a more detailed review.