OnePlus 9 Pro could borrow a feature from the S21 Ultra's display

As the OnePlus 9 launch nears, we're beginning to learn more about the smartphones. A fresh leak mentions the use of new display technology to improve power consumption.

Leakster Max Jambhor, who has a great track record with OnePlus leaks, took to Twitter to share a cryptic teaser suggesting that the OnePlus 9 Pro will have an LTPO panel.

pic.twitter.com/YIsClmGeQuFebruary 18, 2021

LTPO, which stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, is a type of OLED backplane technology that is supposed to be up to 15% more efficient than a display without.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from earlier in the year used the same implementation to improve the display's efficiency by smartly adapting the refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz based on the content, balancing smoothness and power consumption. Xiaomi's AdaptiveSync works on similar principles too.

If this leak turns out to be true, then the OnePlus 9 Pro could offer similar variable refresh rates. For example, while gaming, the display will run at the full 120Hz, whereas for a movie, it will go down to 24Hz and even lower for static content such as reading a webpage or images.

OnePlus logo

(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

The lowest level wasn’t specified in the leak but it is likely to be under 30Hz.

While OnePlus was one of the first smartphone makers to offer high refresh rate displays, this will be the first time it offers one that can analyse the content and adapt to it. The source specifically states (via PhoneArena) only the OnePlus 9 Pro will offer variable refresh rate, while the other members will stick to static 120Hz panels.

Apart from that, the OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to bring specs such as the Snapdragon 888 chipset, a new camera system with a custom primary image sensor, 65W fast charging and more. It will be joined by two cheaper phones in the same family with slightly lower specifications and features. At the same event, we also expect the OnePlus Watch to be unveiled at the same event.