The Chinese technology giant's new smartphone is high-performance, very handsome with a photo setup like in the league of the biggest • The downside: it has a heavy price.
In your pocket • The full review
OnePlus 9 Pro // Photo: Yinon Ben Shoshan
What can we already learn from 48 hours of use?
The impression I have left after a day with the OnePlus 9 Pro can be summed up in one word: impressive.
The Chinese technology giant's new device was launched earlier this month in several countries around the world, not including Israel - and we received it for review courtesy of the GoMobile network (click
here to purchase
) - the first to bring the new flagship series to Israel in parallel imports.
Design
It's hard not to be impressed, and from the first glance, the prestigious and impressive design of the OnePlus 9 Pro.
And yet - it's a bit reminiscent of Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra series - at least on the back which is made from a combination of rough glass and aluminum with a camera on the top left.
In case you were wondering, it is not at all pleasant to hold the device without a cover and it almost slipped out of my hand in several situations.
To prevent the back or front screen from shattering on the ground, you can use the silicone cover you get inside the package.
The device has a 6.7-inch screen, which until 5-6 years ago was considered a tablet, but with a relatively reasonable weight of 197 grams.
For people with small hands (like me) it is impossible to operate it with one hand (remember I mentioned above that it slips?), Since its thickness is also 8.7 mm which slightly detracts from the comfort.
Interface and performance
In terms of hardware, the device is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor, along with 8 GB of working memory (RAM).
And you should know: the technical specifications that the company has incorporated under the hood are much more than you need - and are intended mainly for heavy users who want industrial quiet.
Love clean android?
(Like me) - You will be happy to know that the One Plus home interface, Oxygen OS, is still no different from the Android version of Google, and you will still feel at home with the update to Android 11. For example, a notable advantage I found as an iPhone user is the option to choose Fixed at the bottom of the screen.
screen
The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a very high quality 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED panel, with Quad HD + resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
There are convex edges on the sides, only this time - unlike previous generations - it hardly interferes with daily use and switching between menus.
The combination of the high refresh rate and the impressive performance of the device bring about the smooth and fast movement we have ever seen in smartphones, while the brightness of the display is also sufficiently high - and allows it to be used easily even in direct sunlight.
Also, the working screen always saves the need to fully turn on the display over and over again, and all you need to do is look at the device or pick it up from the table to watch the alerts or know what time it is.
Alongside this, the fingerprint sensor works great - it is accurate and responds quickly.
The cut of the photograph
The highlight of the smartphone: One Plus is collaborating with the Swedish camera maker Hasselblad to improve the photo array to the best point by calibrating the sensors that are supposed to display more accurate colors than ever before.
The OnePlus 9 Pro combines 4 cameras - a 48-megapixel main sensor, including built-in optical stabilization (OIS), a 50-megapixel secondary sensor, with a wide shooting angle, an additional 2-megapixel monochrome sensor, and a fourth lens with a resolution of 4 megapixels. Of 8 megapixels with telephoto and x3.3 optical zoom.
If we refer to devices sold in the Israeli market, as of this writing, One Plus has managed to produce one of the most impressive and best photo sets you will find in smartphones, along with the iPhone 12 Pro Max - which will meet the needs of 99% of the population, including professional photographers.
In standard still photography in lighting the high levels of detail, with bright but faithful colors to the original and lots of natural light that looks great, and details that are exceptionally displayed on the excellent screen.
The night mode was also surprising, but it requires stabilizing the camera in front of the object for a few seconds.
In practice, the image comes out clear and full of light - with no smears or deficits ("noise") present in the cameras of competing smartphones.
Bottom line
If you have invested a few thousand shekels in a new smartphone this year, you will enjoy it - the improvements do not justify a move and an investment of a few thousand for a new smartphone. Do you have a two-year-old device, the camera is your main use or are you just addicted? This is probably the best Android you will find in Israel. Meanwhile, it is sold in the GoMobile chain, in parallel imports, at a price of NIS 3,899.
