The OnePlus 9 series is the next step for OnePlus’ flagship smartphones. OnePlus is expecting to up the ante in 2021, following the release of the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, and 8T flagships in 2020. The OnePlus 9 series will allegedly consist out of three devices this time around. That will be a first for the company’s flagship lineup, as the company released two handsets simultaneously, at the most, thus far.
Based on some reliable information that surfaced thus far, the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 9E, 9R or 9 Lite (one of these names will be used) will become official. In this article, we’ll basically round up everything we know thus far, and share it with you, so that it’s easier to keep up with all the rumors and leaks. Quite a bit of information did surface already, even though these three devices are not expected to launch for the next couple of months. Before we begin, it’s worth noting that the OnePlus 9 allegedly carries the “Lemonade” codename.
This article will be regularly updated with new information on the OnePlus 9 series (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on March 16.
Familiar, but solid design
The OnePlus 9 series won’t bring massive changes when it comes to the design. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will resemble their predecessors, while the OnePlus 9E / 9R / 9 Lite is still a mystery, to adegree. Both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro did surface already, by the way. Those two devices are expected to be made out of metal and glass. The OnePlus 9 will include less cameras, and it will also ship with a flat display. That handset will be a bit smaller than the ‘Pro’ model as well.
Both smartphones will include a display camera hole in the top-left corner. The bezels will be minimal, and the back side on both smartphones will be curved towards the edges. The OnePlus 9 Pro’s rear camera housing will be larger as well. OnePlus’ logo will be placed on the back of both phones, and you’ll also get the expected physical button placement. The power / lock key will be on the right, along with the alert slider. The volume up and down buttons will be placed on the left side.
Stereo speakers will be a part of both phones. The main one will be bottom-firing, while the secondary will likely be placed above the display, and be front-firing. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro surfaced in CAD-based renders. The OnePlus 9 also popped up in real-life images, well, a prototype of that handset. On top of everything, the OnePlus 9 Pro schematics also appeared. You can check out all of those in separate galleries below.
OnePlus 9 render:
OnePlus 9 Pro renders:
OnePlus 9 real-life images:
OnePlus 9 Pro schematics:
OnePlus 9 series official images:
On top of everything design-related leaks we’ve talked about, well… OnePlus kind of confirmed the design of the phone itself. The device appeared in two teaser videos for the OnePlus 9 series, and you can check out those two images below. They only show the back side of the OnePlus 9 Pro, but that is more than enough to confirm the leaks.
OnePlus 9 series seemingly-official renders:
A prominent tipster, @OnLeaks, also shared what seem to be official images of the OnePlus 9 series. He managed to get them ahead of time, and shared them with the public. In the gallery below, you can check out what the two phones look like. Chances are these images are legit, by the way, so they’re probably the most accurate representation of the two devices we have thus far.
OnePlus 9 Pro “Morning Mist” official images:
On top of all the renders that have leaked, both OnePlus’ CEO and the company shared official renders of the OnePlus 9 Pro. The OnePlus 9 Pro “Morning Mist” model has been revealed officially via social media channels. You can check out quite a few of these renders in the gallery below.
Snapdragon 888 & blazing fast charging, both wired and wireless
As is the case every year, the regular and ‘Pro’ OnePlus models will have some similarities in the spec department. They won’t be the same, though. Having said that, let’s talk about the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro first. Before we begin talking about them separately, do note that Android 11 will come pre-installed on both phones, along with OnePlus’ OxygenOS.
The OnePlus 9 is expected to feature a flat display, which will measure 6.55 inches according to the leaked info, just like the OnePlus 8T. It will offer a 120Hz refresh rate, and likely fullHD+ resolution on top of that. The Snapdragon 888 will fuel this smartphone, while you can expect to get at least 8 GB of RAM in the package. That may actually be the only RAM variant, we’ll see. 65W fast wired charging will be included, the same as on the OnePlus 8T. The OnePlus 9 will include a 4,500mAh battery, and wireless charging, unlike its predecessor, but it won’t be as fast as the wireless charging on the ‘Pro’ model.
The ‘Pro’ model will offer a higher-res display, IP rating & more
The OnePlus 9 Pro, on the other hand, will also be fueled by the Snapdragon 888. The device will include a curved display, which will be larger than the one on the OnePlus 9. It will allegedly be a 6.78-inch panel, and you can expect an OLED WQHD+ LTPO display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It will also be curved. OnePlus actually confirmed some display info already.. The OnePlus 9 Pro will likely arrive in both 8 GB and 12 GB RAM variants, confirmed to be LPDDR5. It is also rumored to offer an IP rating for water and dust resistance, unlike its siblings. The device will offer a 4,500mAh battery as well, along with 65W fast wired charging, and 50W fast wireless charging. It is also expected to offer reverse wireless charging, the same as the OnePlus 9. Do note that both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will ship with chargers, the company has confirmed.
The OnePlus 9R will be a mid-range phone
The OnePlus 9R / 9E will be a mid-range phone, if the leaked specs are to be believed. The phone is said to ship with the Snapdragon 690 SoC, along with a 6.5-inch fullHD+ 90Hz AMOLED display. A 64-megapixel main camera will be placed on its back, an backed by an 8-megapixel ua-wide camera. A 5,000mAh battery was also mentioned, and the same goes for 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage.
‘Ua Shot’ cameras with large sensors
When it comes to cameras, we’re expecting three of them to be included on the back of the OnePlus 9, and four on the back of the ‘Pro’ model. One will be included on the front of each phone. Once again, the OnePlus 9R / 9E / Lite is still a mystery in this regard, we have almost no information on the phone’s cameras at this point. Based on the leaks, both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will include two fairly large camera sensors on the back. The rest of them will be smaller.
The OnePlus 9 is expected to feature 48, 50, and 2-megapixel units on the back. The 48-megapixel unit will be its main camera, while the 50-megapixel one will be an ua-wide camera. In regards to the OnePlus 9 Pro, you can expect to get 50, 48, 8, and 2-megapixel cameras. OnePlus acutally confirmed what sensors will it use for main and ua-wide cameras on the OnePlus 9 Pro. The Sony IMX789 48-megapixel camera will be the phone’s main unit. The Sony IMX766 50-megapixel unit will be used for a wide-angle camera. OnePlus also promised distortion-free ua-wide photography. The 2-megapixel unit is also rumored, and it may be a depth or monochrome camera. The fourth camera is allegedly reserved for an 8-megapixel unit, and that will be a telephoto camera with optical zoom. The OnePlus 9 Pro is also tipped to support 4K video recording at 120 FPS.
Both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro were rumored to include Leica lenses, but that won’t happen. What the two phones will ship, or at least the ‘Pro’ model, is Hasselblad cameras. When announcing the launch event, OnePlus also announced the partnership with Hasselblad, a well-known camera company. They agreed on a 3-year partnership, and the OnePlus 9 series will usher first results of that partnership.
Another thing worth noting is something called ‘Ua Shot’, which was spotted on the real-life image of the OnePlus 9. That seems to be the branding OnePlus will go with for its cameras. The OnePlus 9 series will miss out on periscope cameras, if rumors are to be believed.
OnePlus is expected to include some new camera features inside the OnePlus 9 series. The company is seeminly preparing several new camera modes, including Tilt-Shift, Starburst, Moon Mode, Hyperlapse, and Focus Peaking. If you’d like to check out some official camera samples, click here.
All OnePlus 9 series handsets will launch in March
The OnePlus 9 series will become official on March 23, the company has confirmed. The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro got announced in mid-April 2020, and their successors will arrive a bit sooner in 2021. Samsung announced its Galaxy S21 series around 6 weeks earlier than usual, and OnePlus is looking to push up the launch of its flagships for about 4 weeks as well. All three OnePlus 9 units are expected to arrive at the same time. Pre-orders for the devices are also expected to kick off on March 23, and both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro pre-orders may come with free earbuds.
The OnePlus 9 & 9 Pro will be available in these color variants
Now, in regards to color options, that information also surfaced. The OnePlus 9 will be offered in at least two color variants, Astral Black, Arctic Sky, and Winter Mist. The OnePlus 9 Pro, on the other hand, will ship in Stellar Black, Forest Green, and Morning Mist colors. Carrier variants may offer different color options. Renders of both smartphones actually surfaced in all of these color variants, you can check them out below.
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