One of this year's most anticipated smartphones is the OnePlus 9 Pro, which will launch as the firm's flagship offering for 2021. The OnePlus 9 Pro will likely be released alongside a cheaper vanilla version that will deliver a similar flagship experience with a few compromises at a more affordable price, making it a 'flagship killer' of sorts. Can the OnePlus 9 Pro itself, though, be a true flagship killer as it goes toe to toe with the best that Samsung has to offer?
Two years ago, OnePlus introduced a new 'Pro' phone in the OnePlus 7 series, offering several upgrades over the standard OnePlus 7 at a higher price. The OnePlus 7 Pro was meant to compete with the big boys like Samsung, Apple, and Huawei by providing the same premium smartphone experience without comprises. No other OnePlus Pro phone has echoed this strategy better than the OnePlus 8 Pro.
More than just regular generational improvements, the OnePlus 8 Pro addressed other shortcomings of its predecessor, like offering an IP68 rating and wireless charging. OnePlus also stepped up its game in camera performance, replacing the OnePlus 7 Pro’s Sony IMX586 with a bigger and better Sony IMX689, while retaining the IMX586 sensor for the ultrawide camera. The new upgrades made the OnePlus 8 Pro one of the best smartphones of 2020. However, those upgrades came at a cost, $899 to be precise, which wasn’t too far off from the best that Samsung and Apple had on offer. In many ways, the OnePlus 8 Pro could be deemed the first truly premium smartphone by the company, while its successor has the potential to be the best Android smartphone of 2021.
How The OnePlus 9 Pro Could Become The Best
First off, the OnePlus 9 Pro is already set to receive an upgrade in overall performance, including CPU, GPU, AI, and camera, courtesy of the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Qualcomm has confirmed that the Snapdragon 888 offers a 25 percent gain in performance and power efficiency over the Snapdragon 865 chip, which is in itself a substantial generational bump. Moreover, the Snapdragon 888 has a better image signal processor than its predecessor. So, whether or not OnePlus decides to upgrade the camera hardware on the 9 Pro, the addition of the Snapdragon 888 chip alone ensures better image processing. Factoring in a generational camera upgrade that is to be expected, the OnePlus 9 Pro could easily give the Galaxy S21, Google Pixel 5, and Apple iPhone 12 a run for their money.
Improved cameras and performance aside, the OnePlus 8 Pro already had one of the best, if not the best, displays on a smartphone in 2020, emerging as the only handset with a screen that could run at 120Hz in Quad HD+ resolution. This means even a marginal panel upgrade could make the OnePlus 9 Pro’s display the best in its class. Additionally, the OnePlus 9 Pro will have even better battery life than its predecessor even if its capacity is the same, as the Snapdragon 888 offers better power efficiency than its predecessor. The integrated modem on the new Snapdragon mobile platform also provides more room inside the phone that can be used for improved battery capacity, cooling, and so on.
The last factor OnePlus will have to tackle in building the best Android phone of 2021 is pricing it right. In the last couple of years, smartphone prices have skyrocketed to new highs. Apple’s top-end iPhone 12 Pro Max had a starting price of $1,099, while Samsung’s powerhouse Galaxy S21 Ultra costs $1,199 for the base configuration. However, both Apple and Samsung offer very-capable smartphones in the form of the iPhone 12 Pro and Galaxy S21+ for $999, making $899 a sweet spot for the OnePlus 8 Pro. In contrast, a price tag of $799 may just make it the best flagship smartphone of 2021, especially among value-oriented consumers. A $799 price tag will pit the OnePlus 9 Pro against the iPhone 12 and Galaxy S21, both of which have a few comprises, making OnePlus’ no comprise strategy a winning one. While introducing a generational upgrade for less might seem far-fetched, it should be noted that the OnePlus 8 Pro launched in India at a starting price of Rs 54,999, or roughly $755.
Source: OnePlus