The OnePlus 9 Pro Has a 120Hz Display, Hasselblad Cameras, and Costs $969 (theverge.com) 56
The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are OnePlus' newest smartphones powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 888 chipset. The flagship device is the OnePlus 9 Pro, featuring a 120Hz LPTO curved display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB storage, Hasselblad-branded cameras, and a starting price of $969. If that price is too much to stomach, the OnePlus 9 features slightly lower-end specs and a more affordable $729 starting price. The Verge has already called the OnePlus 9 Pro "the best Android alternative to Samsung." From the report: OnePlus spent much of its announcement talking about the cameras on the new phones, which have been developed in partnership with Hasselblad. OnePlus says the colors have been tuned to look more natural and that the ultrawide sensor on the 9 Pro and 9 is one of the biggest to ever ship on a smartphone. The ultrawide uses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor that's 1/1.56" in size with an aperture of f/2.2. Meanwhile, the 9 Pro's main Sony IMX789 sensor has a resolution of 48 megapixels and is 1/1.43" in size. (The regular 9 has a Sony IMX689 sensor, but it has the same resolution of 48 megapixels.) Both have a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor and 16-megapixel selfie camera, but only the 9 Pro has an 8-megapixel telephoto.
As previously announced, the 9 Pro has a 1440p 120Hz curved display that makes use of LPTO technology to adjust its refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz based on the content being displayed on-screen, reducing power consumption by "up to 50 percent." OnePlus also claims it should feel more responsive to use in games that support its Hyper Touch technology. The screen has a maximum brightness of 1300 nits and supports HDR10+. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 9 has a flat rather than curved display. It's not LTPO, it's slightly less bright at 1,100 nits, and it's also lower resolution at 1080p. It's still got a refresh rate of 120Hz, however. Additionally, both phones support Warp Charge 65T, which OnePlus claims should be able to charge the phones' 4,500mAh batteries to 100 percent in under half an hour. The 9 Pro and 9 can also charge wirelessly at up to 50W and 15W, respectively. Both phones will go on sale on April 2nd, with preorders starting March 26th.
As previously announced, the 9 Pro has a 1440p 120Hz curved display that makes use of LPTO technology to adjust its refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz based on the content being displayed on-screen, reducing power consumption by "up to 50 percent." OnePlus also claims it should feel more responsive to use in games that support its Hyper Touch technology. The screen has a maximum brightness of 1300 nits and supports HDR10+. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 9 has a flat rather than curved display. It's not LTPO, it's slightly less bright at 1,100 nits, and it's also lower resolution at 1080p. It's still got a refresh rate of 120Hz, however. Additionally, both phones support Warp Charge 65T, which OnePlus claims should be able to charge the phones' 4,500mAh batteries to 100 percent in under half an hour. The 9 Pro and 9 can also charge wirelessly at up to 50W and 15W, respectively. Both phones will go on sale on April 2nd, with preorders starting March 26th.
a more affordable price (Score:4, Insightful)
Even a 25% discount leaves an eye watering price tag.
Best Alternative to Samsung (Score:2)
The Verge has already called the OnePlus 9 Pro "the best Android alternative to Samsung."
Almost *any* other phone is a better alternative than Samsung.
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BTW this kind of crappy journalism makes me wonder if reviews can be "bought"? It's obvious from this positive spin that money has changed hands here.
Afforable? (Score:1)
Re: Afforable? (Score:3)
And why would I need a 120Hz display on a phone? I hardly need it on a computer.
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Makes the various animations/swipes/etc a lot more fluid.
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I stated NEED. And I wouldn't see a difference there between a 60 or 120Hz.
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I stated NEED
You realize this is all completely subjective right? Typing NEED in caps isn't going to make people understand your definition of it.
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When I found out bumping my video output down 120 Hz -> 60 Hz saved 10 watts of power consumption on my laptop, I put it there and never switched back. If I could have purchased a laptop for $500 cheaper because it didn't do 120 Hz, I would have got another laptop.
Then again, I've never bought a Hasselblad because it went to outer-space, or a thousand-dollar phone for... any reason whatsoever. I'd rather have the fluidity... liquidity... be in capital, not in my swipes.
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I had to buy a new phone recently, went for a discounted last-years-flagship ($400) which has a meager 90Hz display. I can see the difference and the battery life is still way more than I need. When it goes on the charger it typically has over 75% charge left, charges in less than an hour, once per day. But I can see the difference if I cut the display frame rate. Not a huge deal but I like it.
I'd rather spend that money on a lap or desktop... (Score:2)
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I've never really understood the need to keep putting more and more complex cameras into a phone. My phone has a 68MP camera on it. Is that really needed, on a phone? It's a fantastic point and shoot camera but so was my old phone with a 8MP camera. I think we reached a point long ago where it really no longer matters.
Re:How can the "camera" be "Hasselblad-branded"? (Score:4, Funny)
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I bought a Sheffield pocket knife for $5 a while back. When pointing this out to a friend, he remarked that he didn't know there was a town named Sheffield in Guangdong province, China.
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the "Hasselblad camera" part in the headline is absolutely misleading
You seems to be inventing a lot of imaginary rules about branding. If you own the rights or have a certain agreement in place you can put any brand on any product. This has been going on since forever. Hasselblad was sold to a Chinese drone company a few years back so this ought to surprise no-one.
it was either that or Magnavox or RCA or Snoop Dog (Score:2)
they just buy these names. Sometimes a famous maker will want them to use too up their own profile.
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It's a great way to separate shmucks from their money, that's how.
They bought it for the "intangibles" after all and deserve what they paid for, an intangible benefit.
Chinese (Score:4, Informative)
It's a Chinese phone, made in Shenzhen by a Chinese company. They were previously caught stealing user data https://gizmodo.com/oneplus-ad... [gizmodo.com]
Re:Chinese (Score:4, Informative)
Like all companies they screw up from time to time, but OnePlus has a history of listening to customers and adding customer-friendly features to phones that others refuse to.
For example you can set your OnePlus phone to charge to 80% and then stop. It will run from charger power after that but not charge the battery, extending its life significantly. Nobody else offers that, although if you root Android it is possible on other devices.
Their hardware is generally very good, very well made and offers a decent selection of features. Lately they have been a bit less good on that front, removing the headphone jack and SD card slot.
Until recently their cameras have been mediocre, decent but not exceptional. Seems like they are trying hard to address that now.
Re: Chinese (Score:2)
Sony has had BatteryCare since forever. Does the same thing, but better, as it fully charges to 100% when you disconnect the phone in the morning. The phone can adjust to your schedule automatically, or you can set it manually now too.
Warp charge kills the battery by charging your battery at more than 2C, so they should do more to decrease battery degradation, not the bare minimum of a charging cap.
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Apple has something like that too, but both are inferior to what OnePlus offers because they both insist on going to 100% at times. Also being able to run from the charger most of the day means that the battery isn't discharged slowly for long periods either, further reducing wear on it.
Re: Chinese (Score:2)
Going to 100% is necessary in order to prevent meter drift, so that's a sane default. Not inferior at all.
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You only need to do that occasionally, not every day. I find that over the course of about a month the battery % display drifts off by about 10%, so I do a full charge once a month.
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That's not a Hasselblad (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually *this* is Hasselblad (Score:4, Interesting)
https://www.hasselblad.com/
They're medium format cameras with their own lenses. They are 50+ megapixels and have kept up with the times while maintaining their own brand. It sounds like the camera on the phone is Sony parts with some Hasselblad tweaking to instill some kind of brand quality transfer and perceived extra value.
If anything, putting the name "Hasselblad" on this makes me less likely to consider this phone.
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The deal with Hasselblad is $150m over 3 years, and is primary consulting and access to some proprietary knowledge.
So far the main thing to come from the partnership is that colour accuracy on the 9 Pro is noticeably better than previous models, and most other phones.
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I mean, it's neat and all, but how is that really worth whatever price premium is being placed on the phone as a result of the super spiffy camera?
Hasselblad is a well-known and respected brand, but to me the utility of putting a Leica or Hasselblad lens on what is essentially a point-and-shoot camera is akin to using a solid gold RCA cable to connect two bits of stereo equipment.
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Top end phone cameras are really, really good now. There are plenty of "prosumers" who enjoy a good phone camera.
It used to be that you needed a DSLR to get good results, especially in difficult conditions like low light. Nowadays something like a Pixel 5 will give you the kind of results that 5 years ago would have required a tripod and considerable skill.
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I get that there may be a niche that this fits, but I cannot imagine that there are that many people out there that will really benefit from it..
Then again, we're all constantly bombarded with ads and enticements to purchase stuff with capabilities we'll never use, so I guess I'm just being crabby.
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Better question is why does "need" come into the picture. If need was the end all be all we would never have moved out of a cave.
This whole need thing is just passive agressive self-righteousness
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Yes, I can see your point about virtue signaling and all, but it is really just confusing to me why having a professional level camera (or at least one that can produce images that would have been only possible with professional equipment just a few years ago) should be a selling point for a cell phone.
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https://www.hasselblad.com/
They're medium format cameras with their own lenses. They are 50+ megapixels and have kept up with the times while maintaining their own brand. It sounds like the camera on the phone is Sony parts with some Hasselblad tweaking to instill some kind of brand quality transfer and perceived extra value.
Hasselblad have form in this area, they once tried to take a low end Sony APS-C camera, put a wooden handle on it and charge six grand: https://www.t3.com/reviews/has... [t3.com]
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If they talked to someone at Hasselblad about how to make their photos look less like impressionist oil paintings, then the branding is worth it.
The camera app on OnePlus has been an issue for a few generations now, with some users preferring to sideload the Google Camera app from a Pixel phone instead.
No compromises (Score:5, Interesting)
Remember when Oneplus (No Compromises R) first came out and they offered flagship specs for a great price? And with stock Cyanogen?
Now they offer flagship specs for... the same dumb price as anyone else. And by flagship specs I mean no headphone jack, no removable battery, and easily damaged materials that are hard to replace and slippery to hold onto.
My wife's oneplus one from 2014 is still doing great, plastic back and all. I think we paid $350 for it. Still fully supported by lineageos, too.
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Now they offer flagship specs for... the same dumb price as anyone else.
As it turns out what we expect from flagship devices actually was expensive to produce. But I too wish to have an 8K quantum dot microLED display with 9 headphone jacks and want it to cost less than a Cheeseburger!
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https://www.theverge.com/2021/... [theverge.com]
Some of the biggest sensors? (Score:2)
the ultrawide sensor on the 9 Pro and 9 is one of the biggest to ever ship on a smartphone. The ultrawide uses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor that's 1/1.56" in size with an aperture of f/2.2. Meanwhile, the 9 Pro's main Sony IMX789 sensor has a resolution of 48 megapixels and is 1/1.43" in size.
They are on the big side for smartphone sensors, but I would not call them "one of the biggest", when they are smaller than, e.g. the 1/1.33" ISOCELL that Xiaomi and Samsung have been using for over a year now, and Xiaomi is expected to release the new ISOCELL GN2 variant at 1/1.12" in a couple of months. The Huawei P40 Pro + had a 1/1.28" sensor last year. I can go further back, almost 10 years ago Nokia had a 1/1.2" sensor on the famous 808. I will not mention the 1" that Panasonic came out with a few yea
Curved screen (edges). (Score:3)
And don't just explain it away saying to just get a phone case. Screen protectors must be a pain.
Hasselblad has top colour science (Score:2)
Still stupid impressed, with my Huawei spy phone. (Score:3)
Disclaimer: I don't care if pics of my taint, go to China, because they'll just go to Korea or the US if I buy another brand.
Furthermore, at least the Chinese need to translate my private data, before finding it useful.
I have a 25 month old Huawei Mate 20, non pro.
I can't emphasize how impressive this phone is:
It came out just as 7nm was new, so it still has a 'new' CPU using low power, high perofrmance.
I think it's 6 or 8GB
My display is FLAT
I have a headphone port.
I have USB C charging
I can plug USB C into a fancy dock and get monitor out, ethernet, external keyboard and mouse, then VPN to X and RDP to Y in desktop mode
Charging is fast
NFC
IR port is SHOCKINGLY useful once you've had one, I always thought they were a gimmick, sadly, I'm not going back. Changing TV vol / aircon on / off,
Cameras are quite decent.
Phone works at a hotspot (nothing special) and as a Wifi Bridge (a little more rare)
Fingerprint on back - surprised to say, got used to it, it's nice and fast
Fingerprint LOCK of individual applications. (I can pass my coworkers my phone, but they can't open my gallery, without a second unlock for example, same whatsapp etc)
It's now been through the washing machine for 15 solid minutes, clunking on the walls, and it survived.
It's stupidily good for the money. It's a shame Google and Huawei / Govts had their fight, because I am very impressed. There's /literally/ no phone available, regardless of money, I would buy instead of mine.
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It was also reasonably priced. The taint picture quality and storage space to cost ratio, is off hook.
Too EXPENSIVE (Score:1)
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Hasselblad doesn't live up to their reputation. (Score:3)
Upmarket (Score:1)
This isn't going to fly since their brands are generally crappy and people know this. For half the price they sold their phones previously people were willing to forgive the quality differences, but at these prices they're not.
An expensive flop (Score:3)
According to multiple reviews:
Once "never settle", now "settle on everything". The brand has completely lost its appeal.
1k$ and 120Hz? (Score:1)
First... who is stupid enough to spend 1k on a freaking phone?
Second... 120Hz are almost useless even on a TV, the difference between 60 and 120 is almost unnoticeable and it certainly can't justify a 1k price tag.
Third... even much cheaper phones in the 250$ range today have great quality cameras who provide you with sharp pictures, bright colors and do very well even in low light conditions and have more megapixels than you would ever need... so a better camera still can't justify a 1k price tag. If you r