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OnePlus 9 RT reportedly coming in October with near-flagship specs and Android 12

Published: Aug 19, 2021, 11:51 AM

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OnePlus 9 RT reportedly coming in October with near-flagship specs and Android 12

OnePlus teased a OnePlus 9 "T" model a few days ago and this contradicted a report that had said the company wouldn't release a premium smartphone in the second half of the year. The picture is clearer now with the emergence of a report from Android Central that claims the Chinese company plans to launch the OnePlus 9 RT later in 2021.

The device is apparently internally codenamed Martini and it appears to be a successor to the OnePlus 9R that was released earlier this year as a lower-cost alternative to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro in select markets.

The OnePlus 9 RT will allegedly be powered by an improved version of the Snapdragon 870, Qualcomm's chip for budget flagships that sits between the Snapdragon 865 Plus and Snapdragon 888. It powers the OnePlus 9R.

The new device will inherit OnePlus 9R's 120Hz AMOLED screen, 4500mAh battery, and 65W charging support.

The OnePlus 9R missed out on OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro's camera upgrades. It came with a 48MP main camera, a 16MP ultrawide sensor, a 5MP macro unit, and a 2MP monochrome module. The new iteration is expected to get the OnePlus 9 duo's 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor.

Like the Nord 2, the OnePlus 9RT is tipped to employ the 50MP unit as the main camera sensor.

So, in essence, it sounds like a OnePlus 9R with a slightly better chip and a new camera. It will be interesting to see if these changes will be enough to make it the best midrange Android phone of the year.

OnePlus 9 RT will be the first OnePlus phone to run Android 12 out of the gate

The report has also revealed that the OnePlus 9 RT will ship with Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 out of the box.

OnePlus' OxygenOS and Oppo’s ColorOS have been merged. With OxygenOS 12, OnePlus users can expect ColorOS aesthetics, floating windows, a theme store, redesigned Settings page, and new privacy-centric features such as alerts for clipboard access by apps and Private Safe for sensitive documents.

Well-loved features like the OnePlus Launcher, Work-Life Balance, Zen Mode, Scout, and Shelf will be retained. The company is not adopting Android 12's Material You design language.

For current OnePlus users who have been waiting for OxygenOS 12, a closed beta would have been out by now were it not for bugs. The closed beta will apparently begin by the end of the month, which means the public beta should be available next month.

The OnePlus 9 RT will apparently be announced in October. It will be available in only a few markets and will go on sale first in India and China. No pricing details are currently available. The OnePlus 9R had a starting price of around $550 in India.

The phone will not be released in Europe and North America. In these markets, the company's focus is the budget segment which it is trying to win over with the Nord N range.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.