The review on OnePlus 9 Pro

About the design

As for the OnePlus 9 Pro, it is with Less sharp-edged, considerably shinier, and more than a little weightier, the OnePlus 9 Pro has a very different look and feel from the OnePlus 8 Pro. The lovely matte finish from the 8 Pro has been replaced by a high-gloss mirror finish, seen below in Morning Mist color, which is silver to you and me. It’s more comfortable to grip due to thicker, less tapered 8.7mm sides, but it feels much more substantial in the hand. It weighs 197 grams, with a slight bias toward the camera module, making it feel slightly top-heavy.

The camera module is in the top-left on the rear panel. It’s resplendent with Hasselblad’s branding, and contains four cameras, a sensor, a flash, and a microphone. It’s not as individual-looking as the OnePlus 8 Pro, or the Samsung Galaxy S21+, but it is fairly flush against the body. It’s all neat and undeniably functional, but there’s not much character. This is a problem with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s look generally — it’s not unattractive, but it doesn’t have much identity either.

Regarding the screen

The OnePlus indeed never really nailed its designs, yet it rarely made a misstep when it comes to the display screen. 6.7-inch AMOLED screen has a 3,216 x 1,220 pixel resolution for a 525 pixel-per-inch density, and a variable refresh rate from between 1Hz and 120Hz. The sides have a less pronounced curve and more noticeable bezels (but only just) compared to the OnePlus 8 Pro, to help avoid unwanted screen activations. I’ve still found the screen to be highly reactive to side touches, and I often accidentally open the camera app or attempt to change the wallpaper just by holding the phone in the hand.

It’s a beautiful screen, with rich colors and a natural tone that edges toward warm rather than cool, as well as spot-on contrast. By default, it’s set at an FHD+ resolution, but it’s worth taking the battery hit and having it at QHD+ when watching compatible videos.

As for its camera

In our year of waiting for the OnePlus 9 Pro, the company has been working on the camera development, which although good in the past, has not managed to surpass or sometimes even equal those of the competition. To change this, OnePlus is working with Hasselblad, Scandinavian manufacturer of mega-expensive cameras, and a company with a very profound photographic history. It’s a three-year partnership which begins with assistance on the software, and will move to the pair collaborating on hardware in the future.

In terms of Software and performance

OxygenOS version 11 with Android 11 is installed, and it’s superb. It’s essentially the same software seen on the OnePlus 8T, so don’t expect new features to go along with the new phone. Not that this matters, as OxygenOS is always a joy. Whether it’s the new always-on screen, the effective dark mode, the smooth menus, the beautiful fonts and overall design, the clear notifications, or deeper memory and power management tools, the software is among the very best you can use on an Android smartphone.