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[The LAB] OnePlus 9 Pro REVIEW : A giant leap for OnePlus? Mar 26, 2021

Dhruv Kashyap · Apr 1, 2021

Dhruv Kashyap , Apr 1, 2021 :

Amazing Review Bro!
The Shots are 🔥

Nipu_1998 · Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 2, 2021 :

Dhruv Kashyap said: ↑

Amazing Review Bro!
The Shots are 🔥
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Bro

Nipu_1998 · Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 2, 2021 :

6/11

Audio

The OnePlus 9 Pro has a dual stereo speaker setup with the earpiece doubling up as the secondary loudspeaker. The setup can get pretty loud and the stereo separation is also good. But, owing to the fact that there is no dedicated stereo speaker at the top, the imbalance in the outputs between both speakers is evident at higher volumes. The device also supports Dolby Atoms with 3 custom profiles. I used the device with my OnePlus Buds and the audio output was a fairly enjoyable one.

Connectivity

The OnePlus 9 Pro is equipped with Qualcomm's new X60 5G modem and is said to offer low-latency 5G mobile speeds with support for carrier aggregation. I could not test the 5G Network performance as 5G is still not available here in my country. Also, the OnePlus 9 Pro supports only the N41 and N78 5G bands here in India and hence 5G support will remain an unanswered question till the 5G band auctions take place. OnePlus could have added support for a couple more 5G bands to its premium flagship device, as even midrange phones are now launching with support for more than four 5G bands. On my testing on Jio 4G connection, the device performed well and no call drops or connectivity issues were faced. The device also supports carrier aggregation.
The device has support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 ( with support for aptX. aptX HD, LDAC, and AAC codecs), and NFC.

Nipu_1998 · Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 2, 2021 :

7/11

Oxygen OS

The OnePlus 9 Pro ships with Oxygen OS 11, which is the latest iteration of oxygen OS. OOS 11 is built on top of Android 11 with an ample amount of productivity customization features.

Oxygen OS 11 has been a controversial change and design decisions taken by OnePlus, attracted mixed opinions from the users. The benefits of the new UI overhaul done by OnePlus comes for your help on a tall device like the OnePlus 9 Pro. The UI is optimized for one-handed use and this makes the overall usability of the device a lot better when compared to the conventional android UIs optimized for 16:9 screens. The changes like large headers and shifting of the most frequently interacted UI elements to a far more reachable position improves the usability of the device.

(Big bold changes)

OnePlus have carefully optimized its UI for modern-day hardware, meanwhile keeping the pure and bloat-free android experiences as its foundation.
The OOS 11 also comes with a handful of customization features like customizable AOD & ambient display, lock screen, system accent colours, icons, fonts and a lot more.

OOS 11 also has support for digital well-being features like the work-life balance mode, focus assist, and the iconic OnePlus Zen mode which will help you to isolate yourself from all digital distractions and stay focused on your goals. The skin also brings productivity features like parallel app support, lockbox, gesture controls, quick launch, quick reply and plenty others.

(Phone down..life On)

OnePlus 9 Pro comes with the Google Communication suite, consisting of Google Dialler, Messaging app, and Google duo for video calls.

The OOS11 was pretty aggressive on battery optimizations and this caused a delay in notifications from apps like Gmail, Slack, and telegram messenger during my usage. I had to remove these apps from the battery optimization settings to solve the issue.

OnePlus has also ditched the File dash option from the file manager of the OnePlus 9 pro and now you have to resort to nearby sharing to share files between android devices or some 3rd party offerings to send files from your phone to your laptops and other non- android devices.

screenshots of file managers from 8T and 9 pro

8T

9 pro

Nipu_1998 · Apr 3, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 3, 2021 :

8/11

CAMERAS

OnePlus phones were solid performers in the hardware and software front and could stand alongside their flagship counterparts in terms of performance. But, despite having good camera hardware, the OnePlus phones were not able to deliver good camera performance and lagged behind the competition in terms of their image quality and consistency. OnePlus has finally listened to the users and has announced their partnership with the renowned flagship camera brand in a move to improve the camera performance of their device and give it the flagship touch that was missing. In this review, we will be talking about the new camera hardware and analyzing the camera performance of the device in detail.

Camera Specifications

Let’s first speak about the camera specs of the OnePlus 9 Pro.

If you are already familiar with the camera specifications and modes, feel free to CLICK HERE and jump directly into the camera review section.

Primary camera

48 MP

Custom-made Sony IMX789 sensor with a Sensor Size of 1/1.43”.

Pixel size - 1.12 μm in full Res shots and 2.24 μm in pixel binned shots.

Optically stabilized 7P lens

Focal length - 23 mm

Aperture of f/1.8

Ultrawide camera

50MP

Sony IMX766 sensor with a Sensor Size of 1/1.56”.

Freeform lens

Focal Length -14mm

Aperture - f/2.2

The ultrawide camera also doubles up as a macro camera with a minimum focusing distance of 4cm.

Telephoto

8 MP

Optically stabilized with 3.3X zoom

Pixel size – 1.0 μm

Aperture – f/2.4

Monochrome sensor

2 MP

To increase the detail levels in B&W photos captured by the main camera.

Front camera

16 MP

Sony IMX 471

Pixel size – 1.0 μm

EIS

Fixed focus

Aperture – f/2.4

Camera UI

The OnePlus camera UI is simple yet feature-rich. All the camera modes are neatly arranged in the bottom tab and can switch between them by a simple swipe gesture to the sides or by swiping up from the bottom of the viewfinder for the neatly arranged camera mode menu.
The camera shutter button is replaced by the iconic Hasselblad Orange shutter button and the shutter sound has been changed to Hasselblad leaf shutter sound.

The camera modes include

Photo – includes the toggle to switch between Main, UW, and telephoto lenses with support for HDR on all three lenses. The ultrawide camera automatically switches to super macro mode for clicking close-up macro shots. The UW and main camera can capture 50 MP and 48 MP hi-Res shots respectively.

Portrait – Uses the main sensor to take portraits, not the telephoto

Nightscape – OnePlus’s home tuned night mode is supported both on the Main and UW lenses.

Hasselblad Pro mode – The pro-mode with Hasselblad color tuning and gives manual control over ISO, Shutter speed, Exposure, White Balance, and Focus with support for focus peaking and histogram. The pro mode also supports 12-bit RAW support.

Tilt-shift mode –helps to create a miniature effect

Panorama

Time lapse – supports 4K time lapse at up to 480 X speed on all three lenses and also supports for 5X hyper lapse on the main camera.

Video – The main camera has support for 8K @30 fps, 4K @120/60/30 fps,1080P @60/30fps, and also supports nightscape video and portrait video modes. The UW has support for 4K @60/30 fps and 1080P @60/30 fps. Also supports focus tracking and super steady modes(capped at 1080P/30 and 4K/30)

Slow motion- The slow-motion videos can be captured at 1080P @240 fps and 720P @480 fps.

Nipu_1998 · Apr 4, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 4, 2021 :

9/11
Now let's look how much does the HASSELBLAD HYPE transforms into real world usage.
Before jumping into the review, please note that in order to meet the upload limits of the forum, the images used for the review are compressed using YalmCo image compressor by @hennes .(A google drive with all camera samples will be linked HERE and will be updated regularly)

MAIN CAMERA

(Image shot on the main camera in 12MP)

The daylight shots produced from the camera have a good amount of detail, sharpness, contrast and accurate colours. The colour reproduction in the images is also on point and close to natural in most shots, but I sometimes an inconsistency in the saturation levels of different colours can be noticed. The colours, sometimes looks a bit muted or sometimes, the output has boosted reds and blues.This won't be a major issue for most users, but if you are someone who loves natural colour and needs to edit them on post, you may need to revisit the shot before wrapping up your shoot.These are minor inconsistencies in the software and can be easily solved via updates in future.

(Detailed with true to life colours)

The image processing algorithm in the OnePlus 9 Pro is a considerable improvement over the previous OnePlus devices, but still it still lacks the finishing which we expect from a flagship camera. The top-notch hardware is yet to be utilized to its full potential and I believe OnePlus can bring more improvements to the camera with this excellent hardware.
The camera system has an improved HDR performance comparing to its predecessors and does a good job in producing balanced images and is able to pull ample details from the highlights and shadows. But, the HDR has also got issues in delivering consistent and reliable performance. The HDR performance is good in 8/10 instances but in the remaining 2/10 conditions, the algorithm messes up and sometimes fails to bring out details from the shadows and also in some other shots, smoothens out the details in highlighted parts of the image. These are minor inconsistencies in the HDR and can be fixed via an update if OnePlus wishes to improve the performance further.

The main camera is also capable of producing good quality images in indoor lighting conditions. The sensor owing to its sheer size is capable of absorbing a lot of light in dim-lit environments and can produce usable images without the help of a dedicated night mode. The images come out great with a good amount of detail and the colours are good too.

The camera shines when you give it ample light, even in indoor lighting conditions.
Despite the camera having a laser autofocus module, In my usage, I felt the camera was slow to lock the focus and has some focus hunting issues for smaller and closer subjects and I had to manually set the focus by tapping the screen on multiple occasions to get the subject under focus.
This issue was only noticeable while clicking photos, but the videos had no focusing issues.

Another issue that concerns me is the shutter lag of the camera and this makes it difficult to shoot fast subjects like children pets and birds. The images that are produced post-processing are entirely different from the viewfinder view at the time of taking the shot. This also creates a ghosting effect for a fast-moving subject and can ruin the shot at times.

(two birds multiplied by the camera into six)

The nightscape mode opts for longer exposure times, thereby capturing more details, textures and brings up more details from the shadows.
The nightscape mode improves the low-light capabilities of the camera and makes the camera an good low-light shooter. The images produced in nightscape mode do tend to have a warmer tone especially when the scene has a light source in it.

( Nightscape off)

(Nightscape ON)

(Indoor samples at artificial lighting with Nightscape OFF and ON)

Overall, I would call the main camera a good shooter and is an improvement over the previous generations in terms of overall image quality, post-processing, HDR performance and low-light capabilities. The camera gets a thumbs up from me.

ULTRAWIDE

The device has a large ultrawide sensor combined with the free form lens with a large field of view, which helps to capture a different perspective of subjects. The images produced from the ultrawide in good lighting conditions have a good amount of detail, sharpness and dynamic range.

The freeform lens helps in reducing the distortion along edges to a certain extent and it is beneficial while shooting architectures. The ultrawide images produce good colours similar to the main camera, but the images do tend to have a warmer tone and this creates an inconsistency between the main and the UW cameras.

(UW vs Main camera- Notice the ultrawide having a warmer tone and the main camera boosting the blue sky)

(UW vs Main camera : UW having a warmer tone and the main camera boosts the blue of the sky)

The ultrawide falls short of the main camera in terms of low-light performance and the images have higher noise levels and are also soft. The nightscape does improve the low-light performance but it still falls behind the main camera nightscape shots.

(UW low light, nightscape OFF)

(UW low light, nightscape ON)

The UW camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro can be comfortably called one of the best ultrawide cameras on a mobile device and is a solid performer in well-lit environments.

The UW camera also doubles up as a macro camera and it is capable of shooting pretty good closeup shots of subjects. The macro shots were detailed and had good colour signs too.

(Main camera)

( UW Super macro 1X)

(UW super Macro 2X)

TELEPHOTO

The telephoto camera is the same as what we saw in the OnePlus 8 Pro but it's paired with a 3.3 X Zoom lens. The images from the telephoto are average. The photos from the telephoto have a darker tone and the image processing is entirely different from the other 2 lenses. The noise levels in the telephoto shots are also higher. The 3.3 X zoom factor can be a little bit irritating while setting up a frame and takes some time in getting used to it.

UW vs Main vs Telephoto samples

UW sample

Main camera sample

Telephoto sample

UW sample

Main camera sample

Telephoto Sample

MONOCHROME CAMERA

As expected, it's just a marketing gimmick. I don’t think that there is a need for a dedicated lens to capture B&W images since image-editing softwares are so progressed and anyone can turn a regular image into good looking monochrome one by just applying a filter.

FRONT CAMERA

The front shooter maintains decent skin tones and details but has poor HDR and low-light performance. The camera also has a focusing issue when multiple subjects are included in the frame. The front camera video recordings are capped at 1080P @30/60 fps and it’s a bummer considering the competition and even OnePlus’s midrange line-up offers the ability to shoot 4K videos from the front shooter.
The front portrait mode is a hit-or-a-miss
Overall, the front shooter is an average performer in terms of photo and video quality.

REAR CAMERA PORTRAITS

The OnePlus 9 Pro, despite having a telephoto camera, resorts to the main sensor and crops into it for taking portrait images. The portrait images have natural skin tones and an ample amount of background blur. The edge detection is also good for the most part, but it does struggle sometimes to detect the frames of spectacles and hair contours.

HASSELBLAD PRO MODE

The pro mode is the major area where the Hasselblad collaboration is evident. The whole UI is revamped with easier controls, focus peaking and the pro-mode now has support for 12-bit RAW images that provides colour information that can be tuned as per the editor’s preference in post.
The images shot on pro mode have true-to-life colours and the Hasselblad tuning is evident here. One thing is had noticed is that when clicking the images of the same subject under the same conditions, in the main camera auto setting, the pro mode in auto setting and manually adjusted pro mode to match the settings, is that when compared to auto mode images, the pro mode in auto settings produces blown out images and when the exposure, ISO and shutter speeds are manually matched to the auto settings, the images produced are darker.

CAMERA APP STABILITY AND OTHER ISSUES

Device tend to overheat while using the camera outdoors.
The camera app shows an overheating warning and refuses to click pictures or record video for a while.
The shooting could be continued only after keeping the device aside and waiting for it to cool down.
The overheating issue causes the entire device to slow down and stutter.

UPDATE on 9/4/2021 : The Oxygen OS 11.2.3.3 version update has improved the overall stability of the camera app and but i still see some overheating issues in the camera.

Nipu_1998 · Apr 4, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 4, 2021 :

10/11

VIDEO PERFORMANCE

The main sensor can shoot 8K videos at 30 fps and It’s a cool feature to play with, but do keep in mind the enormous storage space the footage would occupy

Coming to the more practical resolutions, the main sensor can shoot up to 4K @ 120 fps. The 4K 120 when slowed down could produce excellent slow-motion videos with a good amount of detail.

The videos from the main camera have good amount of details and the dynamic range performance is good too. The footages are well stabilized in the normal modes- thanks to the OIS and EIS and the super stable mode adds an extra layer of smoothness but at the expense of cropping into the frame.
It will also sometimes produce some jitteriness in the video and will be capped at 30 fps.

VIDEO SAMPLES

Main Camera

4K 60 fps

4K 30 super stable

Ultrawide Camera

4K 60 fps

Telephoto Camera

1080p 30fps

Slow Motion

1080p 240 fps

720P 240 fps

https://youtu.be/uUEoqyk_hqE

CONCLUSION

The cameras have improved a lot terms of the overall image quality and colour reproduction, over the previous offerings from OnePlus.

The camera has close to natural colour reproduction in 8/10 instances.

The Ultra wide camera is one of the best offerings on any smartphone in terms of the image quality, HDR performance and colours.

The Macro mode has good clarity and colours. It is a solid improvement over the dedicated 2 MP/5 MP macro sensor.

Excellent video performance from main and the ultra wide cameras, The HDR performance has also improved with DOL-HDR .

The camera app is simple to use and is user friendly with all the basic functionalities. But, lacks some pro features like Pro video modes and ability to record streams from multiple cameras at the same time.

The camera needs a some improvement in terms of the HDR performance, colour and temperatures consistencies between the lenses, zoom capabilities and camera app features.

The front selfie shooter needs improvement in HDR and low light performance.

I am disappointed with the downgraded telephoto video capabilities of the 9 Pro when compared to the OnePlus 8 Pro. The telephoto camera of the 9 Pro is only capable of recording videos at 1080P/30 fps whereas, the 8 pro was able to capture 4K videos on all three lenses. Also, portrait mode is no longer supported for the telephoto camera ( Not sure why, may be due to a downgraded sensor).

Nipu_1998 · Apr 4, 2021

Nipu_1998 , Apr 4, 2021 :

11/11

SUMMARY

PROS

Clean, minimal, and ergonomic design

Fast, fluid, and smooth performance

Top-of-the-line hardware with SD 888, UFS 3.1 storage, and LPDDR5 RAM.

Excellent display with support for QHD+ resolution at 120Hz and 240 Hz touch response time

Improved Main and UW cameras which can give a tough competition to other flagship offerings from competing brands.

Good low-light photos and videos from the main camera both indoors and outdoors

Excellent for day to day usage and gaming sessions

Excellent haptic feedback

Dolby Atmos-certified dual stereo speaker setup

IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

65 W wired and 50 W wireless charging with support for reverse wireless charging and USB PD.

Clean and smooth Oxygen OS Android experience

CONS

Average battery performance

Average front camera performance

Average telephoto camera performance

There are occasional inconsistencies in image processing between the main, UW, and telephoto cameras

Limited zoom capabilities

UW camera struggles in low light

No expandable storage via Micro SD

Oxygen OS with its aggressive battery optimizations tends to delay the notifications from apps.

Lack of long-term software support when compared to the competition

THIS SUMS UP MY FINDINGS ON THE ONEPLUS 9 PRO and it's now time for the VERDICT.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is undoubtedly the best offering from OnePlus and can be comfortably called a true flagship in terms of its hardware and overall performance. The device with its solid performance and better cameras can be considered a true upgrade over the OnePlus 8 series. The new upgrades do come at a premium price. But when considering the other devices which offer similar performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely cheaper and offers better value for the money you pay ( the price gap is a lot wider in markets like India).
In my opinion, if you are using an 8 series device like the OnePlus 8 Pro or the 8T, there is no immediate need for upgrading your device as the actual performance difference between the 8 series and 9 series is not something you will notice in day-to-day tasks. I would suggest you wait for the 10 series or the 9T series devices as OnePlus has announced the expansion of the Hasselblad partnership for developing custom camera hardware for future OnePlus devices. If you are planning to upgrade from an older device like the OnePlus 6T or below, the OnePlus 9 series would be a worthy upgrade.
If you are looking for a more affordable option with the latest hardware and Hasselblad cameras, you can consider the vanilla OnePlus 9, which carries a lot of good elements from its big brother.
I hope that you all have enjoyed reading the review and if you have any queries regarding the device, FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR QUERIES IN THE COMMENTS.
YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT ME VIA DM ON THE FORUMS or DOWN IN THE COMMENTS. It would be my pleasure to answer all your queries about the device.
I would like to thank each one of you for spending your valuable time reading my impressions of the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Also, make sure to check the reviews from my fellow LAB members.
https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/the-lab-oneplus-9-series-review-round-up.1409981/

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank OnePlus and the entire team behind the LAB for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of the community tradition. Thank you @Crystal Z. @Jason Z. for your constant support and help throughout the review process. I would like to give a huge shoutout to my family and my wonderful friends from the community @Starcommander @AbhilashSaikia @Tilak G. @Karun Deep @McJader @Yash Pratap Singh. @KaranRIyer for motivating and supporting me throughout the LAB process. A big thanks to @SoniaB @camohan for helping me organize and maintain the review thread.
I would also like to thank my fellow LAB members @ejyu @Isab3lla @Kurt_Paris @Anklang @naveenjafer @PhotoPicker @TheBlitz7 @LukasBxy @MarkSpurrell @jlasensiofi @Ronin-hc @LucasM6 @Vigneshxchan @F_Sulaimaan_Aslam_zVXk. Thank you for all your help and support. It was my pleasure working with you guys.
Once again I thank each one of you for lending me your valuable time.
Will meet you soon in some other thread in the community.

NEVER SETTLE

Starcommander · Apr 5, 2021

Starcommander , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

11/11

SUMMARY

PROS

Clean, minimal, and ergonomic design

Fast, fluid, and smooth performance

Top-of-the-line hardware with SD 888, UFS 3.1 storage, and LPDDR5 RAM.

Excellent display with support for QHD+ resolution at 120Hz and 240 Hz touch response time

Improved Main and UW cameras that can compete with other flagship offerings from competing brands.

Good low-light photos and videos from the main camera both indoors and outdoors

Excellent for day to day usage and gaming sessions

Excellent haptic feedback

Dolby Atmos -certified dual stereo speaker setup

IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

65 W wired and 50 W wireless charging with support for reverse wireless charging and USB PD.

Clean and smooth Oxygen OS Android experience

CONS

Average battery performance

Heating issues while using cameras

Average front camera performance

Average telephoto camera performance

Inconsistencies in image processing between the main, UW, and telephoto cameras

Limited zoom capabilities

UW camera struggles in low light

No expandable storage via Micro SD

Oxygen OS with its aggressive battery optimizations tends to delay the notifications from apps.

Lack of long-term software support when compared to the competition

THIS SUMS UP MY FINDINGS ON THE ONEPLUS 9 PRO and its now time for the VERDICT.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is undoubtedly the best offering from OnePlus and can be comfortably called a true flagship in terms of its hardware and overall performance. The device with its solid performance and better cameras can be considered a true upgrade over the OnePlus 8 series. The new upgrades do come at a premium price. But when considering the other devices which offers similar performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely cheaper and offers better value for the money you pay ( the price gap is a lot more wider in markets like India).
In my opinion, if you are using a 8 series device like the OnePlus 8 Pro or the 8T, there is no immediate need for upgrading your device as the actual performance difference between the 8 series and 9 series is not something you will notice in day-to-day tasks. I would suggest you to wait for the 10 series or the 9T series devices as OnePlus has announced the expansion of Hasselblad partnership for developing custom camera hardware for future OnePlus devices.
If you are looking for a more affordable option with the latest hardware and Hasselblad cameras, you can consider the vanilla OnePlus 9, which carries a lot of good elements from its big brother.
I hope that you all have enjoyed reading the review and if you have any queries regarding the device, FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR QUERIES IN THE COMMENTS.
YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT ME VIA DM ON THE FORUMS, TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM . I would be my pleasure to solve all your queries about the device.
I would like to thank each one of you for spending your valuable time reading my impressions on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Also make sure to check the reviews from my fellow LAB members.
https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/the-lab-oneplus-9-series-review-round-up.1409981/

If you have liked the review and curious about my future experiments with the OnePlus 9 Pro, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_inzpired
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_inzpired/

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank OnePlus and the entire team behind the LAB for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of the community tradition. Thank you @Crystal Z. @Jason Z. for your constant support and help throughout the review process. I would like to give a huge shoutout to my family and my wonderful friends from the community @Starcommander @AbhilashSaikia @Tilak G. @Karun Deep @McJader @Yash Pratap Singh. @KaranRIyer for motivating and supporting me throughout the LAB process. A big thanks to @SoniaB @camohan for helping me organize and maintain the review thread.
I would also like to thank my fellow LAB members @ejyu @Isab3lla @Kurt_Paris @Anklang @naveenjafer @PhotoPicker @TheBlitz7 @LukasBxy @MarkSpurrell @jlasensiofi @Ronin-hc @LucasM6 @Vigneshxchan @F_Sulaimaan_Aslam_zVXk. Thank you for all your help and support. It was my pleasure working with you guys.
Once again I thank each one of you for lending me your valuable time.
Will meet you soon in some other thread in the community.

NEVER SETTLE

Click to expand...

Mention not buddy. Happy to help you 🤗

Also I am glad you mentioned the issues you faced while using the phone.

Nipu_1998 · Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998 , via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad , Apr 5, 2021 :

Starcommander said: ↑

Mention not buddy. Happy to help you 🤗

Also I am glad you mentioned the issues you faced honestly.
Click to expand...

Thank you Bro,
I believe it's my duty to be point out the pros and cons of the device without hiding the facts and this might help the readers to form a buying decision.

Yash Pratap Singh. · Apr 5, 2021

Yash Pratap Singh. , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

9/11
Now let's look how much does the HASSELBLAD HYPE transforms into real world usage.
Before jumping into the review, please note that in order to meet the upload limits of the forum, the images used for the review are compressed using YalmCo image compressor by @hennes .(A google drive with all camera samples will be linked HERE and will be updated regularly)

MAIN CAMERA

View attachment 1585766
(Image shot on the main camera in 12MP)
The daylight shots produced from the camera have a good amount of detail, sharpness and contrast. The HDR processing is also good too. The colour reproduction in the images is somewhat close to natural, but I have noticed an inconsistency in the saturation level of colours at times. The colours sometimes looks a bit muted or sometimes, there is an evident boosting of the reds and the blues. The camera still needs some tuning in terms of colour pallete consistency.

View attachment 1585782
(Detailed with true to life colours)

View attachment 1585770

View attachment 1585772

The image processing algorithm in the OnePlus 9 Pro is a considerable improvement over the previous OnePlus devices, but still its not perfect or flagship level. The HDR still has got issues with its consistency. When the HDR is fired properly, it does a good job in preserving the details from shadows and highlights, but sometimes, it messes up the whole scene in terms of shadows and highlights. The algorithm messes up with the shadows and fails to bring out details from the shadows. It also sometimes smoothens out the details from the highlights. These are minor inconsistencies in the HDR and can be fixed via an update if OnePlus wishes to improve the performance further.

View attachment 1585800

View attachment 1585775

The main camera is also capable of producing good quality images in indoor lighting conditions. The sensor owing to its sheer size is capable of absorbing a lot of light in dim-lit environments and can produce usable images without the help of a dedicated night mode. The images come out great with a good amount of detail and the colours are good too.

View attachment 1585773

The camera shines when you give it ample light, even in indoor lighting conditions.
Despite the camera having a laser autofocus module, In my usage, I felt the camera was slow to lock the focus and has some focus hunting issues for smaller and closer subjects and I had to manually set the focus by tapping the screen on multiple occasions to get the subject under focus.

Another issue that concerns me is the shutter lag of the camera and this makes it difficult to shoot fast subjects like children pets and birds. The images that are produced post-processing are entirely different from the viewfinder view at the time of taking the shot. This also creates a ghosting effect for a fast-moving subject and can ruin the shot at times.

View attachment 1585776
(two birds multiplied by the camera into six)

The nightscape mode opts for longer exposure times, thereby capturing more details, textures and brings up more details from the shadows.
The nightscape mode improves the low-light capabilities of the camera and makes the camera an good low-light shooter. The images produced in nightscape mode do tend to have a warmer tone especially when the scene has a light source in it.

View attachment 1585777
( Nightscape off)

View attachment 1585778
(Nightscape ON)

View attachment 1585796

View attachment 1585797

(Indoor samples at artificial lighting with Nightscape OFF and ON)

Overall, I would call the main camera a good shooter and is an improvement over the previous generations in terms of overall image quality, post-processing, HDR performance and low-light capabilities. The camera gets a thumbs up from me.

ULTRAWIDE

The device has a large ultrawide sensor combined with the free form lens with a large field of view, which helps to capture a different perspective of subjects. The images produced from the ultrawide in good lighting conditions have a good amount of detail, sharpness and dynamic range.
View attachment 1585785

The freeform lens helps in reducing the distortion along edges to a certain extent and it is beneficial while shooting architectures. The ultrawide images produce good colours similar to the main camera, but the images do tend to have a warmer tone and this creates an inconsistency between the main and the UW cameras.
View attachment 1585804
View attachment 1585805
(UW vs Main camera- Notice the ultrawide having a warmer tone and the main camera boosting the blue sky)

View attachment 1585807
View attachment 1585808
(UW vs Main camera : UW having a warmer tone and the main camera boosts the blue of the sky)
The ultrawide falls short of the main camera in terms of low-light performance and the images have higher noise levels and are also soft. The nightscape does improve the low-light performance but it still falls behind the main camera nightscape shots.
View attachment 1585789
(UW low light, nightscape OFF)
View attachment 1585790
(UW low light, nightscape ON)

The UW camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro can be comfortably called one of the best ultrawide cameras on a mobile device and is a solid performer in well-lit environments.
View attachment 1585791

The UW camera also doubles up as a macro camera and it is capable of shooting pretty good closeup shots of subjects. The macro shots were detailed and had good colour signs too.
View attachment 1585810
(Main camera)
View attachment 1585811
( UW Super macro 1X)
View attachment 1585812
(UW super Macro 2X)
TELEPHOTO
The telephoto camera is the same as what we saw in the OnePlus 8 Pro but it's paired with a 3.3 X Zoom lens. The images from the telephoto are average. The photos from the telephoto have a darker tone and the image processing is entirely different from the other 2 lenses. The noise levels in the telephoto shots are also higher. The 3.3 X zoom factor can be a little bit irritating while setting up a frame and takes some time in getting used to it.
View attachment 1585818

View attachment 1585824
UW vs Main vs Telephoto samples
UW:
View attachment 1585829
Main:
View attachment 1585827
Tele:
View attachment 1585830
UW:
View attachment 1585837
Main:
View attachment 1585838
Tele:
View attachment 1585839

MONOCHROME CAMERA
As expected, it's just a marketing gimmick. I don’t think that there is a need for a dedicated lens to capture B&W images since image-editing softwares are so progressed and anyone can turn a regular image into good looking monochrome one by just applying a filter.
View attachment 1585841
View attachment 1585842

FRONT CAMERA
The front shooter maintains decent skin tones and details but has poor HDR and low-light performance. The camera also has a focussing issue when multiple subjects are included in the frame. The front camera video recordings are capped at 1080P @30/60 fps and it’s a bummer considering the competition and even OnePlus’s midrange line-up offers the ability to shoot 4K videos from the front shooter.
The front portrait mode is a hit-or-a-miss
Overall, the front shooter is an average performer in terms of photo and video quality.

REAR CAMERA PORTRAITS
The OnePlus 9 Pro, despite having a telephoto camera, resorts to the main sensor and crops into it for taking portrait images. The portrait images have natural skin tones and an ample amount of background blur. The edge detection is also good for the most part, but it does struggle sometimes to detect the frames of spectacles and hair contours.
View attachment 1585844

View attachment 1585845

View attachment 1585848

HASSELBLAD PRO MODE
The pro mode is the major area where the Hasselblad collaboration is evident. The whole UI is revamped with easier controls, focus peaking and the pro-mode now has support for 12-bit RAW images that provides colour information that can be tuned as per the editor’s preference in post.
The images shot on pro mode have true-to-life colours and the Hasselblad tuning is evident here. One thing is had noticed is that when clicking the images of the same subject under the same conditions, in the main camera auto setting, the pro mode in auto setting and manually adjusted pro mode to match the settings, is that when compared to auto mode images, the pro mode in auto settings produces blown out images and when the exposure, iso and shutter speeds are manually matched to the auto settings, the images produced are darker.
View attachment 1585850
View attachment 1585852

View attachment 1585864
CAMERA APP STABILITY AND OTHER ISSUES

View attachment 1585875 View attachment 1585876

Device tend to overheat while using the camera outdoors.
The camera app shows an overheating warning and refuses to click pictures or record video for a while.
The shooting could be continued only after keeping the device aside and waiting for it to cool down.
The overheating issue causes the entire device to slow down and stutter.
Click to expand...

Meh...not worth the hype 🙄
The only thing that was nice was the Ultrawide camera and the Macro 2X😐

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

would like to give a huge shoutout to my family and my wonderful friends from the community @Starcommander @AbhilashSaikia @Tilak G. @Karun Deep @McJader @Yash Pratap Singh. @KaranRIyer for motivating and supporting me throughout the LAB process.
Click to expand...

Thanks bruh!

Yash Pratap Singh. · Apr 5, 2021

Yash Pratap Singh. , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

11/11
PROS

Clean, minimal, and ergonomic design

Fast, fluid, and smooth performance

Top-of-the-line hardware with SD 888, UFS 3.1 storage, and LPDDR5 RAM.

Excellent display with support for QHD+ resolution at 120Hz and 240 Hz touch response time

Improved Main and UW cameras that can compete with other flagship offerings from competing brands.

Good low-light photos and videos from the main camera both indoors and outdoors

Excellent for day to day usage and gaming sessions

Excellent haptic feedback

Dolby Atmos -certified dual stereo speaker setup

IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

65 W wired and 50 W wireless charging with support for reverse wireless charging and USB PD.

Clean and smooth Oxygen OS Android experience

CONS

Average battery performance

Heating issues while using cameras

Average front camera performance

Average telephoto camera performance

Inconsistencies in image processing between the main, UW, and telephoto cameras

Limited zoom capabilities

UW camera struggles in low light

No expandable storage via Micro SD

Oxygen OS with its aggressive battery optimizations tends to delay the notifications from apps.

Lack of long-term software support when compared to the competition

THIS SUMS UP MY FINDINGS ON THE ONEPLUS 9 PRO and its now time for the VERDICT.

Click to expand...

Fixed the formatting in that 😛
Great work! Best part of the review for me is the PnCs and you rocked it!
Best review of THE LAB this year!

Nipu_1998 · Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998 , via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad , Apr 5, 2021 :

Yash Pratap Singh. said: ↑

Meh...not worth the hype 🙄
The only thing that was nice was the Ultrawide camera and the Macro 2X😐
Click to expand...

Its definitely a good improvement from previous offerings. But I don't think it beats every other smartphone camera out there as they have hyped.
The daylight performance is good apart from those occasional inconsistencies in HDR and colour processing ( could be easily tweaked via a software update ).
Also they still haven't nailed the consistency between the main, uw and the telephoto.

Nipu_1998 · Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998 , via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad , Apr 5, 2021 :

Yash Pratap Singh. said: ↑

Fixed the formatting in that 😛
Great work! Best part of the review for me is the PnCs and you rocked it!
Best review of THE LAB this year!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Brother.

Yash Pratap Singh. · Apr 5, 2021

Yash Pratap Singh. , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

Its definitely a good improvement from previous offerings. But I don't think it beats every other smartphone camera out there as they have hyped.
The daylight performance is good apart from those occasional inconsistencies in HDR and colour processing ( could be easily tweaked via a software update ).
Also they still haven't nailed the consistency between the main, uw and the telephoto.
Click to expand...

They forgot one thing while focusing on camera - users don't want real life colours 😂 Every smartphone user except professional photographers (who would use a DSLR over smartphone) will prefer a more vivid and vibrant photo to upload on social media...😅

Nipu_1998 · Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998 , via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad , Apr 5, 2021 :

Yash Pratap Singh. said: ↑

They forgot one thing while focusing on camera - users don't want real life colours 😂 Every smartphone user except professional photographers (who would use a DSLR over smartphone) will prefer a more vivid and vibrant photo to upload on social media...😅
Click to expand...

True.
The normal user's don't care about the colours. They only care about the reliability, skin tones and the overall look of the image.
( Apple and google knows this and that's why they tune their algorithm to produce slightly saturated colours)

Yash Pratap Singh. · Apr 5, 2021

Yash Pratap Singh. , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

True.
The normal user's don't care about the colours. They only care about the reliability, skin tones and the overall look of the image.
( Apple and google knows this and that's why they tune their algorithm to produce slightly saturated colours)
Click to expand...

Yash Pratap Singh. said: ↑

They forgot one thing while focusing on camera - users don't want real life colours 😂 Every smartphone user except professional photographers (who would use a DSLR over smartphone) will prefer a more vivid and vibrant photo to upload on social media...😅
Click to expand...

Yeah!
(Make notes @Jimmy Z.)

KaranRIyer · Apr 5, 2021

KaranRIyer , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

It also sometimes smoothens out the details from the highlights
Click to expand...

An example of these shots will be a good addition vs the correct shot..

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

shutter lag of the camera and this makes it difficult to shoot
Click to expand...

Pity with such a great aperture.... Sad

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

11/11

SUMMARY

PROS

Clean, minimal, and ergonomic design

Fast, fluid, and smooth performance

Top-of-the-line hardware with SD 888, UFS 3.1 storage, and LPDDR5 RAM.

Excellent display with support for QHD+ resolution at 120Hz and 240 Hz touch response time

Improved Main and UW cameras that can compete with other flagship offerings from competing brands.

Good low-light photos and videos from the main camera both indoors and outdoors

Excellent for day to day usage and gaming sessions

Excellent haptic feedback

Dolby Atmos -certified dual stereo speaker setup

IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

65 W wired and 50 W wireless charging with support for reverse wireless charging and USB PD.

Clean and smooth Oxygen OS Android experience

CONS

Average battery performance

Heating issues while using cameras

Average front camera performance

Average telephoto camera performance

Inconsistencies in image processing between the main, UW, and telephoto cameras

Limited zoom capabilities

UW camera struggles in low light

No expandable storage via Micro SD

Oxygen OS with its aggressive battery optimizations tends to delay the notifications from apps.

Lack of long-term software support when compared to the competition

THIS SUMS UP MY FINDINGS ON THE ONEPLUS 9 PRO and its now time for the VERDICT.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is undoubtedly the best offering from OnePlus and can be comfortably called a true flagship in terms of its hardware and overall performance. The device with its solid performance and better cameras can be considered a true upgrade over the OnePlus 8 series. The new upgrades do come at a premium price. But when considering the other devices which offers similar performance, the OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely cheaper and offers better value for the money you pay ( the price gap is a lot more wider in markets like India).
In my opinion, if you are using a 8 series device like the OnePlus 8 Pro or the 8T, there is no immediate need for upgrading your device as the actual performance difference between the 8 series and 9 series is not something you will notice in day-to-day tasks. I would suggest you to wait for the 10 series or the 9T series devices as OnePlus has announced the expansion of Hasselblad partnership for developing custom camera hardware for future OnePlus devices.
If you are looking for a more affordable option with the latest hardware and Hasselblad cameras, you can consider the vanilla OnePlus 9, which carries a lot of good elements from its big brother.
I hope that you all have enjoyed reading the review and if you have any queries regarding the device, FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR QUERIES IN THE COMMENTS.
YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT ME VIA DM ON THE FORUMS, TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM . I would be my pleasure to solve all your queries about the device.
I would like to thank each one of you for spending your valuable time reading my impressions on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Also make sure to check the reviews from my fellow LAB members.
https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/the-lab-oneplus-9-series-review-round-up.1409981/

If you have liked the review and curious about my future experiments with the OnePlus 9 Pro, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_inzpired
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_inzpired/

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank OnePlus and the entire team behind the LAB for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of the community tradition. Thank you @Crystal Z. @Jason Z. for your constant support and help throughout the review process. I would like to give a huge shoutout to my family and my wonderful friends from the community @Starcommander @AbhilashSaikia @Tilak G. @Karun Deep @McJader @Yash Pratap Singh. @KaranRIyer for motivating and supporting me throughout the LAB process. A big thanks to @SoniaB @camohan for helping me organize and maintain the review thread.
I would also like to thank my fellow LAB members @ejyu @Isab3lla @Kurt_Paris @Anklang @naveenjafer @PhotoPicker @TheBlitz7 @LukasBxy @MarkSpurrell @jlasensiofi @Ronin-hc @LucasM6 @Vigneshxchan @F_Sulaimaan_Aslam_zVXk. Thank you for all your help and support. It was my pleasure working with you guys.
Once again I thank each one of you for lending me your valuable time.
Will meet you soon in some other thread in the community.

NEVER SETTLE

Click to expand...

Lol i did nothing but just read and criticize.. And good posts and shots always deserve a reply. Keep up the good work.. Hope u will active even as this thread and LAB review for you has been ended. Keep Community alive.. Keep posting. On a lighter note, Enjoy your free Daily Phone... Lucky you 🙂

Nipu_1998 · Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998 , via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad , Apr 5, 2021 :

KaranRIyer said:
An example of these shots will be a good addition vs the correct shot..

Pity with such a great aperture.... Sad said:
Lol i did nothing but just read and criticize.. And good posts and shots always deserve a reply. Keep up the good work.. Hope u will active even as this thread and LAB review for you has been ended. Keep Community alive.. Keep posting. On a lighter note, Enjoy your free Daily Phone... Lucky you 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Bro,
will add more images to the review soon
Those comments did make some positive changes in me☺️.
I am an active member in the community for the past 6 months or so and will continue to remain active throughout. (mostly in WoHo and the support sections)
The community has given me some really supportive friends. said:

KaranRIyer · Apr 5, 2021

KaranRIyer , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 said: ↑

Thanks a lot Bro,
will add more images to the review soon
Those comments did make some positive changes in me☺️.
I am an active member in the community for the past 6 months or so and will continue to remain active throughout. (mostly in WoHo and the support sections)
The community has given me some really supportive friends. said:
Click to expand...

and plz remove that signature from your comments on community... its making everyone jealous 😂😝

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

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Attached Files:

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Starcommander OnePlus Accessory Tester Apr 5, 2021

Starcommander , Apr 5, 2021 :

Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021 via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

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Yash Pratap Singh. KitKat Apr 5, 2021

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021 via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021 via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021 via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

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Yash Pratap Singh. KitKat Apr 5, 2021

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KaranRIyer KitKat Apr 5, 2021

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Nipu_1998 The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021 via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

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[The LAB] OnePlus 9 Pro REVIEW : A giant leap for OnePlus? Mar 26, 2021

Dhruv Kashyap
Jelly Bean Apr 1, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 2, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 3, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 4, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 4, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 4, 2021

Starcommander
OnePlus Accessory Tester Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021

via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

Yash Pratap Singh.
KitKat Apr 5, 2021

Yash Pratap Singh.
KitKat Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021

via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021

via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

Yash Pratap Singh.
KitKat Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021

via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

Yash Pratap Singh.
KitKat Apr 5, 2021

KaranRIyer
KitKat Apr 5, 2021

Nipu_1998
The Lab Reviewer - OnePlus 9 Series Apr 5, 2021

via OnePlus 9 Pro co-developed with Hasselblad

KaranRIyer
KitKat Apr 5, 2021