OnePlus 9RT release date, price, specs, news and why you may not be able to buy it

There’s not going to be a OnePlus 9T, but there is now a OnePlus 9RT – a phone that the brand has launched in China as a successor to the OnePlus 9R.

At the moment there’s no word on international availability, but at the very least it might come to India, as the OnePlus 9R did.

In any case, the OnePlus 9RT looks like a promising smartphone, with significant changes and improvements from the OnePlus 9R. Below we’ve detailed everything you need to know about the brand’s latest phone.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The successor to the OnePlus 9R
When is it out? October 19 in China, but may not get a wider launch
How much does it cost? Starts at starts at CNY 3,299 (around $510 / £375 / AU$695 / Rs 38,700)

OnePlus 9RT release date and price

The OnePlus 9RT is available to pre-order now in China, with the phone shipping on October 19. However, OnePlus hasn’t said if or when the phone will land in other regions.

We doubt it will come to the US, UK or Australia – the last of those isn’t a place OnePlus sells any phones in, and for the first two we’d have expected a bigger launch event if it was planned for them.

Plus, the OnePlus 9R wasn’t sold in these regions, but it was sold in India, so we wouldn’t be surprised if India gets the OnePlus 9RT at some point.

The phone starts at CNY 3,299 (around $510 / £375 / AU$695 / Rs 38,700) for a handset with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It rises to CNY 3,799 (roughly $590 / £435 / AU$800 / Rs 44,500) for a model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Of course, we wouldn’t expect real world prices to match those conversions.

A game displayed on the screen of a OnePlus 9RT — (Image credit: OnePlus)

Design and display

The OnePlus 9RT comes in Dark Matter, Sky Blue, and Silver shades, and appears to have a glass back and a metal frame. There’s a large camera block in the top left corner of the back, and a punch-hole camera in the top left of the screen.

Its dimensions are 162.2 x 74.6 x 8.29mm, and it weighs 198.5g. That makes it marginally larger and heavier than either the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9R, but it’s also a tiny bit slimmer than either.

The rear slightly curves while the screen is flat, and that display comes in at 6.62 inches and 1080 x 2400, for 397 pixels per inch. It’s an AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. It can also get bright, outputting up to 1,300 nits.

A silver OnePlus 9RT from the back — (Image credit: OnePlus)

Camera and battery

You get a triple-lens rear camera on the OnePlus 9RT, one which has a 50MP f/1.8 main sensor. This is the same sensor as is used in the ultra-wide camera in the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.

This snapper also has optical image stabilization (OIS), and it’s joined by a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (with a 123-degree field of view), and a 2MP macro camera.

On the front meanwhile there’s a 16MP f/2.4 snapper, and this can shoot video in up to 1080p at 30fps, while the rear camera can manage 4K quality at 60fps.

The battery is 4,500mAh and it supports 65W charging, so this phone should juice up quickly.

A OnePlus 9RT plugged in with a photo on the screen — (Image credit: OnePlus)

Specs and features

The OnePlus 9RT is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset (also found in the OnePlus 9 range and many other 2021 flagships), paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM.

So it shouldn’t be lacking for power, but it also has a 59% larger heat sink than the OnePlus 9 for 20% better heat dissipation, which could potentially allow for better sustained performance.

It comes with a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage, and it supports 5G. For software you get Oppo’s ColorOS interface on top of Android 11. Though it’s worth noting that if the OnePlus 9RT ever gets a wider launch, it will probably run the company’s OxygenOS in other regions.

Finally, there’s an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos audio.