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[The Lab] Geared for Grea"T"ness? A review of OnePlus 9RT 5G by SRD. Jan 24, 2022

SRD. , Jan 24, 2022 :

Hello Everyone,

"The lab" is one of the prestigious review mechanisms in the OnePlus Community for its enthusiast members to try their hands on the newly launched products & it's one of the toughest ones to earn a spot.
I feel honoured to be a part of the review squad for the recently launched OnePlus9RT 5G. Thank you @Daniel D.& @dsmonteiro, @Leah L., and the "The Lab" team for accepting me as a reviewer. I promise I'll do justice to the review.
Let's start with a small introduction. My name is SR Dash AKA SRD. an Electrical Engineer by profession & a tech enthusiast. I joined this wonderful community two years back. From the beginning, I am a fan of OnePlus. But rest assured, my review will be completely unbiased.

In the past, the OnePlus T series devices are proven as a better value for money, be it the OnePlus 3T, 5T, 6T, 7T, or 8T. Each one of them was able to earn respect from the tech industry.

OnePlus 9RT5G is the upgraded extension of the OnePlus 9R and was launched in India on 14th January'22 after three months from the launch date in China. It is advertised as one of the most powerful and performance-oriented smartphones geared with plenty of upgraded hardware & software features over the 9R.

Will OnePlus 9RT deliver to the expectation of the best T-series yet? let's find out.

Before diving into the device, let's have a look at the specification sheet:

• Color options: Nano Silver/Hacker Black
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888 SOC (Octa-core)
• 6.62” AMOLED FHD+ Screen(1080*2400), 120 Hz Display
• RAM 8/12GB LPDDR5, 128/256 GB Internal storage, UFS 3.1
• Dual nano-SIM,
• Triple rear camera 50 MP Main(f/1.8) with OIS + 16 MP Ultrawide(f/2.2) + 2 MP Macro,
• Front Camera 16 MP (f/2.4)
• 4Kvideo at 30/60 fps, super slo Mo at 1080p at 240 fps.
• 4500 mAH ( Dual cell) battery with 65T WARP charging
• OxygenOS based on Android™ 11
• 198.5 gram weight

​

My review unit is a Hacker Black, 12/256 GB variant.
I shall divide the review into 2 phases -

Phase-1:

Unboxing & Initial Impressions

Phase-2:

Complete Review comprising of the following sections

• Design

• Display

• Camera

• Battery Power Management

• Performance

• Operating System

• Audio & Connectivity

• Summary

Throughout the review, I'll rate various functionalities in terms of stars, 5 being the highest.
So, Let's get started -

Unboxing & Initial Impressions​

Only a few days were left for the launch event when the winners were announced. We were expecting the device before the launch event but, the Indian logistics team was a little hard on us it seems.

Anyway, we still were the first few people to have our hands on the device, and most importantly, the device was assembled on 12.01.2022. ( fresh from the factory!)
A small unboxing Video for you.



The package arrived on 18th January & my daughter was so excited that she decided to surprise me with a welcome letter with the carton box. Read it yourself.

Spoiler: It's just a personal Touch

( I can't help, but feel special in this case )
The carton box was a typical brown cardboard box. It seems like Real me delivered something during the packaging of the device.

(@Starcommander I checked it lately).

Unboxing a OnePlus device has its charm. Anyone who has unboxed one knows how satisfying the box sliding feels. OnePlus 9RT is no different. I brought a knife for the unboxing, but it was not required. The wrapper got peeled off easily. (Good implementation )





The trademark red brick box contained the following -

1. OnePlus 9RT with the plastic screen protector
2. Welcome Letter with the SIM ejector tool
3. Safety Information
4. Red Cable Club invitation card
5. Quick start guide
6. Stickers
7. 65 Watt Warp charge Adapter
8. Charging Cable ( Type A to Type C)
9. A soft-touch TPU case ( not the typical transparent case which turns yellow after a few months)

Everything about the package is red & white.



After the satisfying snap sound from the smooth gliding of the box, the OnePlus 9RT could be seen with a plastic protection cover. (At least it'll protect the device till a good screen protector is applied to the phone; I am afraid this is a newly launched device & I am yet to find one).

I kept the phone besides to check what else was included in the box.

It took me a while to find the paperwork package that was placed at the backside of the top cover. I like such hide-and-seek games.


Nowadays, OEMs have started removing components, OnePlus is yet to remove one.

Nobody reads the paperwork, but the OnePlus welcome letters have that personal touch it's a crossword this time solving which one can get a cashback or some exclusive prizes ( too much marketing, eh!).

A Red Cable Club invitation card was also included ( Now it's a global Club).

The SIM ejector tool is a standard one. There is nothing to talk about it.

The Safety Information includes Warranty clauses & SAR value, again standard and nothing to discuss much.

The stickers are always good to have ( Sorry, I won't use them at the back of my MacBook), but I used one on the power brick.


The Charging brick is a square-shaped one like the 30T. The design has a flaw. Sometimes it's difficult to accommodate the width in a 5Amp socket & it gets overlapped with a switch. I prefer the 65 W charger supplied with the OnePlus 8T( With a Type-C port).

1. 30 T WARP charge ( Type-A to Type-C) 2. 65 W WARP charge ( Type-C to Type-C) 3. 65 W WARP charge ( Type-A to Type-C) ( This device)​

Coming to the Charging Cable, it's a type-A to Type-C. ( why OnePlus why ?) The reds are getting whites these days.

Red Type-A connector ( OnePlus 7T); White Type-A connector ( OnePlus 9RT)​

I guess you can see that poor quality photography ( visible blemishes) in this picture ( Don't blame me. It's shot on OnePlus 9RT 2 MP camera)

Now, let's come back to what matters the most, the device itself.
When the screen protector was removed, I was like, Oh boy! What a beauty!

I had a crush on the frosted glass back design of my OnePlus 7T, and this was the second generation frosted glass design. The Starry glimmering dark shade just took my heart in the first look itself. The touch & feel of the device was awesome. It's a glass back but feels metallic as well.

Look at it yourself and admire the beauty.












P.S. It's fragile! No gorilla or Chimpanzee can protect the glass from a sudden fall onto a concrete/ rocky floor. (It might protect, but why take a chance ?)

I almost stared at it for around 10 minutes and thanked the OnePlus community for selecting me for the lab and allowing me to have this device. The name hacker Black is somewhat weird, but I love the color material & finishing of the OnePlus 9RT. The thick bezel was something I didn't like.

The TPU cover feels good to the palm and grips perfectly. The embossed Never Settle & OnePlus logo compliments the device & importantly, it protects the phone from accidental falls.



The phone doesn't feel like a brick. It's comfortable to hold, thanks to the form factor.

The camera module looks beautiful, though there is no Hasselblad emblem. ( A compliment about the looks only, there are plenty of things to be discussed on camera, so stay tuned to the camera segment).

A cleaning cloth & an OTG cable could have been a welcome inclusion in the box.


A quick overview of the Initial Impressions on the device:

Things I like so far:

• The color, material, Finish.
• The form factor of the device
• The typical OnePlus stuff ( Alert slider, in-display fingerprint scanner)
• Inclusion of fast charger
• Haptic feedback
• Less third-party apps pre-installed
• 8 numbers 5G bands in India

Things I didn't like so far:

• Lack of wireless charging support
• 2 MP macro camera
• Design of Charging adapter
• Bezel thickness
• Android 11 ( A new device deserves the latest one)
• USB 2.0
• No official IP certification
• Oversaturated colors ( won't discuss much here)

Rating:

4.5/5 stars

While the unboxing experience was good, I have noticed plenty of missing features and downgraded hardware /software. I'll discuss this in detail.

My impression on display, performance, OS, camera, Power management, connectivity is reserved. So, stay tuned to my subsequent posts in this thread.