Image Source: Oneplus.com
If you’re on the market for an Android phone that offers great value, the latest OnePlus Series 9 may just be the smartphone you are looking for.
The OnePlus 9 was officially released in Malaysia on 17th May 2021 and made available for purchase on Shopee and Lazada platforms. Compared to its prior flagships, the OnePlus 9 comes with striking improvements, offering greater specs and value for its cost!
Here’s what you need to know about the OnePlus 9 Series.
OnePlus 9 Series in Malaysia: Price and Specs
The OnePlus 9 Series comes in 2 models, which are the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro.
In Malaysia, both models are only available in one configuration with limited color options. The retail pricing for each are:
- OnePlus 9 12GB RAM + 256GB – RM3,699
- OnePlus 9 Pro 12GB RAM + 256GB – RM4,299
OnePlus 9 vs OnePlus 9 Pro: What’s Different in Specs
| OnePlus 9 | OnePlus 9 Pro | |
| Price | RM 3,699 | RM 4,299 |
| Network | GSM/ CDMA/ HSPA/ LTE/ 5G | GSM/ CDMA/ HSPA/ LTE/ 5G |
| Platform | Android 11, OxygenOS 11.2.7.7 | Android 11, OxygenOS 11.2.7.7 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 1 Hz to 120 Hz |
| Body | 160 x 74.2 x 8.7 mm, 192g | 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm, 197g |
| Display | 6.55 inches, FHD (2400 X 1080) | 6.7 inches, QHD (3168 X 1440) |
| Selfie Camera | 16MP | 16MP |
| Rear Camera | 48MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide, 2MP monochrome | 48MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto, 2MP monochrome |
| Features | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB | 256GB |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired, 15W wireless | 65W wired, 50W wireless |
| Colors | Astral Black | Morning Mist |
Today’s Best Deals
OnePlus 9 price starts at RM 2,199.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
At a glance, the OnePlus 9 Series comes with a long list of top-of-the-line specs.
But what makes this niche Android phone stand out among popular brands like Samsung or Apple is not just the tech specifications, but rather how well they translate into one of the best experiences you can get.
Battery Life and Charging
The OnePlus 9 uses the standard 4,500 mAh battery, which is enough to last you through a day of moderately heavy usage.
Though you may hear of other flagship phones that have larger batteries for longer durations, the edge with the OnePlus 9 lineup lies in its super-fast charging speeds.
The OnePlus 9, when coupled with the Warp Charge 65T charger in the box will let you charge ridiculously fast – from 1% to 100% in under half an hour. While the Pro 9 fully charges to 100% in just 43 minutes.
With this, you don’t even need to bother plugging the standard OnePlus or 9 Pro in at night because just a couple of minutes on the plug or with a power bank, and you’d quickly have enough to get through the day.
This works due to the mobile company’s proprietary charging technology that splits the device battery into two roughly 2,250 mAh battery cells that are charged in parallel when connected to the 65W wired charger.
And while both models support wireless charging, you may want to note that the basic OnePlus 9 only allows up to 15W whereas the OnePlus 9 Pro has a much higher ceiling limit at 50W.
Camera and Photo Samples
After its speedy charging capabilities, the next standout spec on the OnePlus 9 is its cameras.
Thanks to a partnership with famous Swedish photography company Hasselblad, the OnePlus 9 is the first to feature a triple rear camera setup that consists of a wide, ultra-wide, and monochrome camera offering better color correction for a more natural effect.
Specifically, the triple camera array is made up of the 48MP f/1.8 main camera (Sony IMX689), a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens (Sony IMX766), and a 2MP monochrome lens. Together, the setup delivers great results in auto mode and can produce some stunning images to rival those from the very best camera phones.
Additionally, the camera sees better low-light performance and digital zoom, along with some fun new features like the macro-simulating close-range effect on the ultra-wide camera.
With the OnePlus 9 Pro’s camera, you get a quad-camera array with an extra 8MP telephoto camera and an updated IMX789 Sony sensor on the main camera supporting Omni-directional Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF).
This gives the pricier sibling a 3.3X zooming advantage with optical image stabilization (OIS) that makes both regular and ultra-wide photos look great.
For selfies, both devices offer the same 16MP front camera with an f/2.4 aperture which safely sits in a punch-hole protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, while giving your portraits more detail.
I mean, just take a look at these amazing photos taken from the selfie camera.
Image Source: LapthrinX
Meanwhile, in the video department, both phones are upgraded to support video recordings at up to 8K at 30 frames per second and 4K video at 120 frames per second.
Among the many supported features of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro cameras is a Pro mode by Hasselblad which gives you a bunch of manual controls for 12-bit raw shooting, allowing more room for creativity when editing in post.
Screen and Display
Image Source: The Verge
Both OnePlus 9 devices come with AMOLED displays that push up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Paired with a new feature called Hyper Touch, the devices can boost their touch sampling rate to 360Hz which provides great touch sensitivity when playing games.
Coming in at a higher price tag, the OnePlus 9 Pro not only sports a slightly larger 6.7-inch display with higher 3216 x 1440 resolution, but it also has a new low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display technology.
With a new LTPO backplane fitted in the AMOLED panel, this allows the device to dynamically scale from 120Hz down to as low as 1Hz when a high refresh rate is not needed.
For example, if you are watching a 60fps video on YouTube, the display will refresh at 60Hz while reading ebooks, or viewing still images may put your display as low as 1Hz.
Overall, this makes it more efficient for power consumption and gives you a more responsive visual feedback that translates to a richer, smoother experience when you are swiping around your phone.
Design and Handling
There’s no denying it. Apart from a more conventional rectangular camera block, the OnePlus 9 Series follows an almost identical design aesthetic to its immediate predecessor, the OnePlus 8T, and the OnePlus 8 Pro before that.
It has the same glass-fronted 6.55-inch display and glass back, as well as the exact same placements for the button and the signature three-stage toggle on its right that allows you to conveniently switch from silent to vibrate to ringing without even waking up the phone.
There’s still no headphone jack, but you can find stereo speakers in the usual downward fashion with the volume control buttons on the left side of the device. If you want wired audio, you will have to get a separate adapter and plug it into the USB-C port on the bottom.
Still, the OnePlus 9 duo shows several small differences.
This time around, the curvature of the edges of the glass were dialed back and it gives fewer issues with accidentally triggering it with slight touches though the problem still persists.
Even though the phones share the same look, the 9 Pro is more premium with an aluminum (not plastic) frame and you also get full IP68 for dust and water resistance.
Though we are limited to just the glossy Astral Black for the OnePlus 9 in Malaysia, color-wise the phone also offers two other colors which are: the light-blue Arctic Sky with a matte finish and the purplish Winter Mist that has a beautiful gradient effect.
Likewise, the OnePlus 9 Pro only offers a single color option in Malaysia, which is the Morning Mist inspired by the soothing glow of mist at dawn. Two other available options being Pine Green and Stellar Black
Performance and Experience
Running on the cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and 12GB RAM that pushes up to120Hz refresh rate, the experience when using the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro is simply seamless no matter if you are gaming or using apps.
And as we have highlighted, the quality of the full HD AMOLED display delivers an excellent experience no matter if you are watching YouTube or gaming. Especially with the OnePlus 9 Pro and its upgraded 6.7-inch QHD display will definitely give you a top-notch screen experience.
Both devices feature dual stereo speakers tuned by Dolby Atmos. Apart from 5G support, it also supports dual-frequency GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and 802.11ax WiFi 6 with 2×2 MIMO.
And with the phone interface being the recent Oxygen OS11 based on Android 11, overall the phone offers better memory optimization compared to previous versions and allows for more customization options.
A few noteworthy highlights include the OnePlus’ Quick Gestures that lets you swipe around the screen while it is off to trigger certain commands. The flexibility even extends to allowing you to do a quick reply in landscape mode or use Parallel Apps for installing duplicate copies of apps.
The setback for OnePlus devices, however, is that there’s no microSD support here and you are restricted to the built-in storage available.
Should You Buy the OnePlus 9?
Ultimately, if you’re hunting for an Android phone that delivers on all fronts at an affordable price, the new OnePlus 9 is definitely worth considering. Even at its basic tier, the smartphone gives premium features typically reserved for Pro models.
Then again, your smartphone decision should really be based on your needs. If you are looking for a model that offers speedy charging and excellent performance, with a great photography experience, you can’t go wrong with the OnePlus 9.
Today’s Best Deals
OnePlus 9 price starts at RM 2,199.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
