The OnePlus 9 series will be unveiled globally on March 23 alongside the company’s first smartwatch. However, a new development confirms that there will be a third stage-sharing smartphone that will be cheaper than the other two: the OnePlus 9R.
In a recent interview, Pete Lau confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 9R and talked about what an exclusive device from India will look like for now, aiming to hit one more price point with the series. Interestingly, this first official mention of the affordable flagship came recently, and the company hasn’t revealed much else either.
On March 23, OnePlus will host a global launch event for the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus Watch, with the latter likely also being a region exclusive product at launch. This is almost a month ahead of the company’s usual timeline and will compete with other flagships with the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11.
Since OnePlus already has a number of budget smartphones in the Nord family, we expect the next OnePlus 9R to fall between the Nord and OnePlus 9 series, in terms of specs and price.
With launch just a day away, here’s everything we know and want to see on the OnePlus 9R.
Come to the point
OnePlus 9R price in India and release date
The OnePlus 9R is confirmed to share the stage with the other products on March 23. For now, it looks like it will be an India exclusive device as global availability is not yet mentioned.
The only real information we have is that it will be cheaper than the rest of the OnePlus 9 series. Considering that the main line of OnePlus flagships starts at over Rs 40,000, and the Nord already exists below Rs 30,000, We expect the OnePlus 9R price to be in the middle, around the Rs 35,000 mark. The company hasn’t had many offerings in this space in recent years, as it has shifted its focus to more premium offerings.
OnePlus 9R Specifications and Features
In the interview, it was confirmed that the OnePlus 9R will be a 5G device. Knowing it’s a flagship, that narrows the chipset choice to last year’s Snapdragon 888, Snapdragon 870, or Snapdragon 865. To keep costs low without skimping on performance, we expect the OnePlus 9R 5G to run on the Snapdragon 870 chipset – A new platform that the company had confirmed it will adopt in the near future.
For those who don’t know, it’s a new chipset that was announced earlier this year as an update to the Snapdragon 865, but with a higher 3.2GHz clock speed.
A teaser on Amazon.in shows the OnePlus 9R with physical shoulder triggers, which not only reaffirms that it will be a gaming phone, but also suggests that the company will release dedicated accessories at some point.
We assume that the OnePlus 9R will retain the 120Hz AMOLED display, aimed at gamers. A large battery and fast charging are also expected to make the cut. It remains to be seen whether it gets a Hasselblad camera upgrade like its siblings or not.
OnePlus 9R what do we want to see?
(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)
A price of less than Rs 40,000
With the OnePlus Nord price set at Rs 29,999 and the OnePlus 9 expected to cost around Rs 45,000, it would make sense for the OnePlus 9R to occupy the mid-price band with a starting price of around Rs 35,000, assuming other flagship smartphones. affordable under Rs 40,000 like the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro and the Realme X7 Pro.
A bigger battery
The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are confirmed to include a 4,500 mAh battery. Given that the OnePlus 9R will be a gaming phone where ergonomics can take a backseat, we expect to see a bigger battery inside.
65W fast charge
Recent OnePlus devices are among the fastest-charging smartphones available, taking about 30 minutes to fully charge. We’d like the 65W load to come to the OnePlus 9R as well.
Capable cameras
With OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, OnePlus partners with Hasselblad to enhance the camera experience. Since the 9R is something of a gaming device, our expectations are not too high. However, it would be nice if it at least offered the same photography hardware as the OnePlus 8 Pro and didn’t go down.
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