OnePlus announced three new phones as part of their brand new 9 series during their live event on Tuesday. The phones come in partnership with Hasselblad and are claimed to be the best camera experience ever on a OnePlus phone.
In this article, we’re comparing the OnePlus 9 against the latest iteration in the 8 series, the OnePlus 8T, to determine whether the new phone is worth the upgrade or should you buy the old one for a relatively lower price.
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Design
The OnePlus 9 and the 8T look pretty much identical from the front. Both phones have a screen covering the phone’s front with a hole punch camera in the top-left.
The difference, however, is on the back, more specifically, in the camera module. OnePlus 9’s big lenses and the Hasselblad branding clearly distinguishes the phones apart.
Display
Both the phones have a similarly sized 6.55-inch display with 2400 x 1080 pixels and 402 ppi. They have the same aspect ratio at 20:9, the same refresh rate at 120Hz, and Corning Gorilla Glass.
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Cameras
Aforementioned, the Hasselblad partnership is one of the biggest marketing points of the phone this year.
Front Camera
Both phones have the same front camera module. The Sony IMX471 16MP sensor is pretty sharp and can give you some good looking photos in just about any lighting.
Primary Camera
The primary camera on the OnePlus 8T is a 48MP Sony IMX586 with optical and electronic image stabilisation.
While this is a great camera, it fades in comparison against the OnePlus 9’s 48MP Sony IMX689, which has a much larger sensor size which gets a lot more detail.
Ultra-wide camera
The ultra-wide camera on the OP9 comes with a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor and a freeform lens which practically removes any fisheye distortion. The 8T has a standard 16MP ultra-wide lens with a 123-degree field of view. You’ll be left wanting a lot in the ultra-wide department.
Other Camera
Apart from the main and ultra-wide cameras, the 8T has a 5MP macro lens and a 2MP monochrome lens. On the OP9, you miss out on the 5MP macro, but the monochrome lens remains.
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Processor
This is another huge difference between the two phones. The OP9 has the top of the line Snapdragon 888 with the Adreno 660 GPU. On the other hand, the 8T has the older Snapdragon 865 paired with the Adreno 650 GPU.
On paper, the OP9 is faster than the 8T, but in day to day usage, you won’t really notice the difference. Where the OP9 really shines is in scenarios like gaming or heavy multitasking where you are quickly switching back and forth between apps.
Pricing
The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 8T are available in two variants but only one of them is available in USA for both the devices.
- OnePlus 9 is available in options of 8/128GB at INR 49,999 ($729) and 12/256GB at INR 54,999.
- The 8T is available in options of 8/128GB at INR 40,499 and 12/256GB at INR 43,999 ($599).
Do note that the memory on the OP9 is LPDDR5 and hence faster than the LPDDR4 memory on the 8T. The storage on the other hand is identical.
Battery
Once again, the two phones are identical in this regard. You get a 4500 mAh battery along with a 65T Warp Charging in both phones.
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Extras
OnePlus packs in a lot in their phones, and this stands true for these devices as well. Both phones have all the regular sensors you’d expect, including NFC for contactless payments, Bluetooth 5.1 and dual-band WiFi.
The main differences
Here are some of the major differences between the two phones
| Specs | OnePlus 9 | OnePlus 8T |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Same as the 8T | Same as the 9 |
| Processor | Faster processor | – |
| Memory | 8GB/12GB LPDDR5 | 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 2-LANE | 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 2-LANE |
| Camera | Better overall camera system. | – |
| Battery | 4500 mAh. 65W Warp Charging. | 4500 mAh. 65W Warp Charging. |
Should you upgrade?
The OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 8T have a lot in common. With the latter being available for much cheaper now, the question of which one should you pick becomes rather hard to answer.
If you’re looking for a new phone, the OP9 is the better pick. For the price, the phone is loaded with some great hardware and features. However, if you’re looking to upgrade from your 8T, we’d say it’s not immediately required.
Sure, you can have a better phone, but the 8T is pretty much on par with just about everything you’d ask. If you really want to get your hands on that Hasselblad camera system, though, an upgrade is the way to go.
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