OnePlus announced the OnePlus 9 series at an event on 23 March, revealing the standard OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus 9R.

The OnePlus 9R was also referred to as the OnePlus 9E and the OnePlus 9 Lite in the leaks leading up to the event, but it's now been confirmed as the 9R. 

This is everything you need to know about the OnePlus 9R, which is destined for India.

Release date and price

  • 23 March event
  • On sale beginning of April
  • 39,000 Indian Rupees

OnePlus announced the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9R on 23 March, meaning it has done a Samsung and released its flagships earlier this year.

In terms of price, the OnePlus 9R is cheaper than the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, but it is only available in India. It will go on sale at the beginning of April for 39,000 Indian Rupees.

Design

  • Similar to 9 and 9 Pro
  • Flat display
  • Punch hole front camera
  • 161 x 74.1 x 8.4mm, 189g

The OnePlus 9R's design follows in the footsteps of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, offering a punch hole camera in the top left of its display and a rectangular camera housing in the top left of its rear.

The OnePlus 9R has a flat display, like the OnePlus 9, reserving the curved display for the OnePlus 9 Pro. Like the OnePlus 9 Pro though, the OnePlus 9R has a quad camera, with two prominent main lenses and two additional smaller lenses within the housing.

There's a plastic back and no official IP rating on the OnePlus 9R. It comes in Lake Blue and Carbon Black colour options.

Display

  • 6.55-inch
  • Full HD+, 402ppi
  • 120Hz refresh rate

The OnePlus 9R has a 6.55-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Rumours expected a 90Hz refresh rate for this device but OnePlus has given it the same as the OnePlus 9 without the variable factor like the OnePlus 9 Pro.

There's an AMOLED panel and a Full HD+ resolution that delivers a pixel density of 402ppi, like the OnePlus 9.

It has a 20:9 aspect ratio and support for HDR10+. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. 

Hardware and specs

  • Snapdragon 870
  • 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
  • 4500mAh battery
  • 5G

The OnePlus 9R runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor, and it is supported by 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage.

There's a 4500mAh battery under the hood, which is the same as the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, and it offers Warp Charge 65, meaning support for 65W fast charging. Wireless charging is not supported.

It is a 5G device and it has a focus on mobile gaming with Pro Gaming Mode. There's also dual stereo speakers on board and an enhanced cooling system.

Camera

  • Quad camera

The OnePlus 9R has a quad rear camera. This is made up of a 48-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an aperture of f/1.7 and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with 123-degree field of view and an aperture of f/2.4. Theres also a 5-megapixel macro camera and 2-megapixel monochrome sensor. If this sounds familiar, it's because it's a similar make up to the OnePlus 8T.

OnePlus confirmed a three-year partnership with Hasselblad in the run up to the OnePlus 9 series launch, but it looks like the OnePlus 9R won't feature Hasselblad tuning like the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9.

A single punch hole camera is on the front. It's the same 16-megapixel snapper as the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro.

In terms of video capabilities, the OnePlus 9R offers 4K at 60fps and 1080p at 60fps. There is no 8K video recording like the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. 

OnePlus 9R rumours: What happened?

Here is everything we heard surrounding the OnePlus 9R before it was made official.

18 March 2021: Pete Lau confirms OnePlus 9R exists, and reveals some details in interview

News18 repoorted on an interview with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, where the OnePlus 9R was confirmed and said to be specifically for India. The report said the device will focus on mobile gaming and offer features like "smooth scrolling, immersive gaming controls and more display tweaks".

8 March 2021: It's official: OnePlus 9 series to feature Hasselblad camera, launches on 23 March

OnePlus confirmed a three-year Hasselblad partnership and said its OnePlus 9 series would launch on 23 March.

3 March 2021: Decoding the OnePlus invite: What does it tell us about the OnePlus 9?

OnePlus sent out an invite for an event on 8 March. We've done a separate feature on what we think the invite means for the OnePlus 9 Series.

27 February 2021: OnePlus to announce multiple products mid-March

91Mobiles reported that tipster Ishan Agarwal claimed OnePlus plans to announce four products in March, at the same event.

24 February 2021: OnePlus 9R name appears, but dispelled at the same time

Reliable leaker Evan Blass posted an image to Voice with the name OnePlus 9R, suggesting this could be the name of the third, cheaper model rumoured to join the OnePlus 9 line up.

Another reliable leaker - Max Jambor - followed up Blass's post saying he didn't think the name was accurate though.

24 February 2021: OnePlus 9E specs leaked, could be the 'OnePlus 9 Lite'

Greek tech site, Techmaniacs, detailed the specs of what it claimed is the OnePlus 9 Lite, or OnePlus 9E.

8 December 2020: OnePlus 9 Pro could come with official IP rating

Leaker Max J claimed the OnePlus 9 Pro should come with an official IP rating, like the OnePlus 8 Pro, but the OnePlus 9 and 9E are unlikely to.

30 November 2020: OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro could be joined by OnePlus 9E

According to a rumour by a renowned leaker, the OnePlus 9 Pro is going to be joined by the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9E. 

8 November 2020: OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro to arrive mid-March 2021, no third model

Twitter user @TechDroider claimed OnePlus will announce two models of the OnePlus 9 - a standard model and a Pro model - in mid March 2021. The leaker claims the third model previously rumoured isn't happening.

28 October 2020: Three models of OnePlus 9, and specs revealed

A post on Chinese blogging site Weibo claimed the OnePlus 9 series would offer three models, which would be revealed earlier than usual.

21 October 2020: OnePlus 9 could launch early

Android Central reported that its insider sources have said the OnePlus 9 launch event will be scheduled for sometime in mid-March, which would be a month earlier than usual.