OnePlus pulled a surprise this year by adding a third member to the OnePlus 9 family in the form of the OnePlus 9R. Actually, it’s not necessarily a new device, but more like a OnePlus 8T donning a new suit and packing the Snapdragon 870 SoC inside. The objective is clear – OnePlus still wants to cater to its price-sensitive audience for whom the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro might have gone out of reach. But is the gamble worth it, especially in the face of a well-received device like the OnePlus Nord? We try to do the math in this OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus Nord comparison:
Display: A choice between 120Hz and 90Hz
OnePlus Nord has two front cameras, the OnePlus 9R only has one
How much do you value a high-refresh-rate screen? Actually, scratch that. How much do the numbers 120Hz and 90Hz matter to you? I’m asking that question because the difference between a 120Hz and a 90Hz display is not easily discernible to the naked eyes, and both offer a really smooth experience.
Coming to the numbers, OnePlus 9R goes for a 6.55-inch panel while the OnePlus Nord offers a slightly smaller 6.44-inch panel – both with the same 2400 x 1080 pixels resolution. The AMOLED panel on both phones is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. Where the OnePlus 9R gets an upper hand is the peak refresh rate of 120Hz, while its Nord sibling maxes out at 90Hz.
Another difference is aesthetics. OnePlus 9R has a circular hole-punch cutout in the top-left corner that houses a 16MP front camera. Coming to the OnePlus Nord, it has a pill-shaped hole-punch cutout that plays home to a pair of cameras – a 32MP main snapper and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens.
OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus Nord: Internals
OnePlus 9R goes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is essentially a rebranded Snapdragon 865 found in last year’s Android flagships, but still plenty powerful. You get to choose between two configurations – 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB.
OnePlus 9R
A 4,500mAhh battery with support for 65W fast charging keeps the device running, but there is no wireless charging convenience to be found on this one. And oh, the 65W comes bundled in the retail package.
OnePlus 9R offers a 65W charger in the box, OnePlus Nord opts for a 30W brick
Coming to the OnePlus Nord, it relies on the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC that brings 5G support to the table. The memory options on the table are 6GB + 64GB, 8GB + 128GB, and 12GB+ 256GB.
A key difference here is that the OnePlus 9R goes with the faster UFS 3.1 storage, while the OnePlus Nord relies on UFS 2.1 standard. The 4,115mAh battery inside the OnePlus Nord goes up to 30W for fast charging, but just like the OnePlus 9R, there is no wireless charging support to be found here.
OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus Nord: Cameras
The OnePlus 9R has a quad rear camera setup that is headlined by an optically-stabilized 48MP primary shooter. It sits alongside a 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 5MP macro snapper, and a 2MP monochrome lens. The main camera can capture 4K videos at 60FPS and super slo-mo 720p videos at 480FPS.
Looking over to the OnePlus Nord, you will find a four-camera array at the back that includes a 48MP main snapper which uses the same Sony IMX586 sensor as the OnePlus 9R. You also get an 8MP camera for wide-angle photography, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro snapper. However, 4K video capture on this one is capped at 30FPS, while slo-mo capture is only possible at 1080p resolution and 240FPS frame rate.
OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus Nord: Pricing
The OnePlus 9R starts at Rs. 39,999 (~ $550) and comes in Lake Blue and Carbon Black shades. However, it is unlikely that this device will make it outside the Indian market. As for the OnePlus Nord, it is not available officially in the US, but you can purchase the international version from Amazon for around $450. Color options on the table are Gray Onyx, Blue Marble, and Gray Ash.