OnePlus does not have budget models in its home market. But that changes recently when it revealed the OnePlus 9R 5G. Technically, the OnePlus 9R 5G is not a mid-range device like the Nord, but it is way more affordable than the recently revealed 9 series.
Previously, it was revealed that the OnePlus 9R 5G is an India market-exclusive, but with the launch of the device in China, that is no longer true. As far as China market goes, the launch of the 9R took on different approach; it is backed by Ultraman Tiga.
Ultraman Tiga has long been regarded as a “positive energy” and synonymous of hope. In other words, Ultraman, especially Ultraman Tiga, is a huge thing and therefore, with this co-marketing, 9R has another significance in its home market other than being affordable.
Since it is a co-marketing campaign – which what this is really about, there is not a hint of the giant superhero on the device. There are a bountiful of marketing campaign materials, however.
But why Tiga? Perhaps it was for what the character represents and his popularity with the Chinese market. But it could be for the pronunciation of “Tiga” in Chinese which sounds very much like OnePlus’ Chinese name (dì jiā versus yī jiā). But that latter is purely my speculation.
Anywho… the newest member of the 9 series is actually powered by a new, somewhat-flagship chip from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 870, which sits between the 865 and the 888 currently used on 2021’s flagships.
Aesthetically, it looks similar to the new 9 and 9 Pro.
On spec-sheet it is really more like a mid-high range device. Instead of LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 storage, it has LPDDR4X and UFS3.0 – both which are commonly found on mid-range devices.
Also, the camera does not get the love from Hasselblad. Speaking of imaging, the main shooter is a 4-camera setup comprising of a 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor with both OIS and EIS, a 16 MP super wide-angle camera, a 5 MP macro camera and a 2 MP monochrome camera.
Meanwhile, the front-facing camera, which is presented as a hole punch camera on its 120 Hz 6.55-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, is a 16 MP Sony IMX471 item with EIS.
The rear camera is capable of up to 4K 30/60fps videoing and 1080p at 240fps while the front does 1080p at 30fps.
Other key spec-sheet details include Corning Gorilla Glass, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, X55 5G modem, 4,500 mAh (2x 2,250 mAh) battery, Warp Charge 65, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, GPS (L1+L5, GLONASS, Galileo (E1+E5a), Beidou, A-GPS), dual SIM support, under display fingerprint sensor, and USB 3.1 Type-C interface.
The new OnePlus 9R 5G is available in 8 GB + 128 GB, 8 GB + 256 GB and 12 GB + 256 GB and has a starting price of just 2,999 yuan (about US$460). Pre-order has already kicked off since April 15 (China Time) with official availability set on the April 20, 2021.
Images: OnePlus [CH].
