The OnePlus 9T was expected to be the next OnePlus flagship phone, due in autumn 2021 – or so we thought, until OnePlus itself confirmed that it won’t be launching a 9T after all. It’s not all bad news, as the company has now revealed the OnePlus 9RT instead.
This ‘T’ version of the OnePlus 9R has already launched in China, and has finally arrived in India too.
Here’s everything we know about the 9RT – and why the OnePlus 9T has been cancelled.
When will the OnePlus 9RT be released outside China?
OnePlus launched the 9RT in China on 13 October, with the phone then going on sale from 19 October.
It then launched in India on 14 January – just days after the company unveiled the OnePlus 10 Pro in China – with sales beginning from 17 January. It was joined at the launch by the OnePlus Buds Z2 wireless headphones.
Much like the original OnePlus 9R, the 9RT isn’t expected to go on sale officially outside China and India, though will of course be available to import elsewhere.
How much does the OnePlus 9RT cost?
In China the 9RT starts from ¥3,299 (£375/$515) for an 8+128GB model, rising to ¥3,499 for 8+256GB (£400/$545) and ¥3,799 for 12+256GB (£435/$590).
In India, it starts from ₹42,999 for the 8+128GB model, jumping to ₹46,999 for the 12+256GB version.
Why has the OnePlus 9T been cancelled?
We’d heard from various leakers that there would be no OnePlus 9T this year, and eventually OnePlus itself confirmed the news to Pocket Lint. CEO Pete Lau told the site that the next flagship OnePlus phone – now known to be the OnePlus 10 Pro – would launch in 2022 (also now confirmed), meaning there will be no 9T or 9T Pro.
The 9T had felt inevitable following the launch of the OnePlus 9 series this spring – OnePlus has followed its flagships up with ‘T’ models for years, and despite the official confirmation we’re still not sure why the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro aren’t getting the same treatment – though the industry-wide chipset shortage is likely the problem.
It could also be that software is to blame. Lau told Pocket Lint that the company’s 2022 flagship will be the first to feature a new operating system that unifies OxygenOS with parent company Oppo’s ColorOS, all based on Android 12. Perhaps the company wanted to focus its efforts on prepping a new flagship to make the most of this new software, rather than splitting its efforts across multiple devices.
What are the specs of the OnePlus 9RT?
‘T’ variants aren’t always major advancements from the base models, but without the 9T and 9T Pro to worry about, OnePlus does seem to have pulled out all the stops for the 9RT.
The design hasn’t changed much, other than tweaks to the camera module that make it look a little more like the regular OnePlus 9. The main release is black and silver, though a green/blue variant also launched in China.
The screen is very slightly larger at 6.62in (up from 6.55in), with Gorilla Glass coating the front and back of the phone, and an aluminium frame.
The display is roughly the same: similar size, same resolution, same 120Hz refresh rate, but it is slightly better quality – it’s now an E4 AMOLED, which should net improved colours and contrast compared to the 9R. It also has a 600Hz touch sampling rate.
The bigger change is to the chipset, where we now find the Snapdragon 888, a decent jump in performance from the Snapdragon 870 used in the 9R.
It’s paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, available in the usual OnePlus configurations: 8+128GB, 8+256GB, and 12+256GB – though it’s possible that a 6+128GB option will be added for the Indian launch.
As for power, the phone will use the same 4500mAh battery as the original 9R, so there’ll be no change there. It’s also still 65W charging, but has had a slight upgrade to the more efficient OnePlus 65T charging tech, so should get a full charge in 29 minutes.
After the chipset, the camera is the other major upgrade for the 9RT. The phone now uses the 50Mp Sony IMX766, used for the wide-angle cameras in the 9 and 9 Pro, and also used for the main sensor in the more recent Nord 2 – which is how it’s used here, where it also supports OIS.
The 50Mp main camera is joined by a 16Mp ultrawide and a macro lens, while for selfies you’ll find a 16Mp punch-hole camera on the front of the phone.
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Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.