OnePlus 9RT launched in India, but should you wait for iQOO 9 instead?

Highlights
  • The OnePlus 9RT launched in India on Friday, while iQOO 9 is expected to arrive soon.
  • OnePlus 9RT price in India starts at Rs 42,999 and the upcoming iQOO 9 will get a similar price.
  • iQOO 9 will come with faster charging and Android 12 out of the box.

OnePlus finally unveiled its much-awaited OnePlus 9RT in India on Friday. The device comes with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and has a 120Hz AMOLED panel. The starting price of the OnePlus 9RT in India is Rs 42,999 and we have already reported that the Indian variant of the iQOO 9 will be priced similar to the OnePlus 9RT. The iQOO 9 Indian variant will be powered by a Snapdragon 888+ processor and will have support for 120W fast charging. The point is, the iQOO 9 Indian variant, even at the same price point, has several features, which are better than the ones found on the OnePlus 9RT. So, should you be going for the OnePlus 9RT, or should you be waiting for the iQOO 9? Well, let’s find out.

OnePlus 9RT or iQOO 9: Which one should you go for?

Price

Let’s begin with the pricing. If you are willing to spend around Rs 42,000 to Rs 47,000, you can get your hands on either of these smartphones. The OnePlus 9RT is priced at Rs 42,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant and Rs 46,999 for the 12GB+256GB option. The iQOO 9 will be available with similar pricing.

Display

The OnePlus 9RT features a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The iQOO 9, on the other hand, features a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. If you want a more compact display on a smartphone, you should wait it out till the iQOO 9 launches in India. If, however, you want a larger screen estate, you can go with the OnePlus 9RT.

OnePlus 9RT

Software

While the OnePlus 9RT comes with Android 11 out of the box, the iQOO 9 Indian variant will run Android 12-based FunTouch OS 12 out of the box. While software is something we cannot really decide for you, the iQOO 9 runs on the latest Android OS, which gives it an edge over the OnePlus phone.

Processor

The OnePlus 9RT is powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor, while the iQOO 9 Indian variant will be powered by a Snapdragon 888+ processor. Both are Qualcomm’s 2021 flagship chipsets, but the iQOO 9 Indian variant has an upper hand owing to the relatively newer processor and an integrated Intelligent Display Chip. If you want to buy a smartphone for gaming, the iQOO 9 appears to be a better smartphone in that regard.

iQOO 9

Battery and fast charging

The OnePlus 9RT features a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. The iQOO 9, on the other hand, will come with a tad bit smaller 4,350mAh cell, but almost double the fast charging with 120W support. And we can safely assume that the 120W fast charger will be bundled with the device. If you want a larger battery, you can go with the OnePlus 9RT, but if you want faster-charging speeds, you want better wait for the iQOO 9.

Camera

The OnePlus 9RT offers a triple rear camera setup – 50MP + 16MP + 2MP and a 16MP selfie snapper. The iQOO 9 Indian variant, on the other hand, will come with a 48MP + 13MP + 13MP triple rear camera setup and a 16MP selfie camera. While the OnePlus 9RT’s cameras appear to be good on paper, the iQOO 9 Indian variant has better cameras, both on paper, and most likely in real life, because the brand has integrated a physical Gimbal on the device. If you want your smartphone’s camera to capture stable videos, the iQOO 9 Indian variant is the one you should be eyeing for.

Conclusion

Both OnePlus 9RT and iQOO 9 are decent devices and are going to fall under the same price bracket in India. OnePlus has a solid fanbase in the country and if you are one of the OnePlus fans, you can definitely get your hands on the OnePlus 9RT. If, on the other hand, the differences that we mentioned above make sense to you and might be the differences that could make an actual difference in your buying decision, I’d suggest that you wait for the iQOO 9 Indian variant to launch in the country.