Expect to hear a lot about the OnePlus 9 this month. We're due for a release of yet another flagship device from the upstart phone maker, with the company pointing to an announcement this Monday (March 8). We're expecting to hear a lot about release plans for the OnePlus 9 on that date, possibly along with some concrete information about what kind of features we can expect when the new phone does arrive.
You figure that Samsung will be paying very close attention to whatever new info comes about the OnePlus 9. The electronics giant has just come out with a trio of well-received flagship phones as part of the Galaxy S21 launch. But as impressive as the S21 is — and it's among the best Android phones you can currently buy — OnePlus has positioned its phones as lower-cost alternatives to Samsung's phones. Expect that to continue with the OnePlus 9.
We won't know exactly who wins a OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 face-off until OnePlus' phone comes out and we have a chance to test it. But enough specs about the OnePlus 9 have leaked to give us a sense of how it could compare to the Galaxy S21.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 models
OnePlus is following Samsung's example in one respect — its next phone launch is likely to include a trio of devices. Just as the Galaxy S21 lineup is made up of the standard Galaxy S21, a larger Galaxy S21 Plus and a tricked-out Galaxy S21 Ultra, the OnePlus 9 lineup will reportedly feature a higher-end OnePlus 9 Pro and an entry-level OnePlus 9E joining the regular OnePlus 9.
The Pro model is certainly no surprise — OnePlus has issued Pro versions of its phones for the past two years dating back to the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro launch. The OnePlus 9E will be a bit of a departure for the company, which has long been rumored to be working on a "lite" version of its flagship phones that remove some features in exchange for a lower price. Think of this as OnePlus' version of the Galaxy S20 FE, a phone Samsung released last year that adapted many Galaxy S20 features while costing a couple hundred dollars less.
We'll leave the OnePlus 9 Pro vs. Galaxy S21 Plus comparisons for later. At this time let's largely focus on how the OnePlus 9 compares to the main Galaxy S21 model.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 specs
| OnePlus 9 (rumored) | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Screen size | 6.55 inches (2400 x 1080; 120 Hz) | 6.2 inches (2400 x 1080; 48-120 Hz) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 888 | Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB |
| Rear cameras | 48MP main; 48MP ultrawide; macro lens | 12MP main; 12MP ultrawide; 64MP telephoto |
| Battery size | 4,500 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Colors | Arctic Sky, Astral Black, Winter Mist | Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom White, Phantom Gray |
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 price and availability
It's not hard to find a Galaxy S21, which is available from all the major U.S. carriers as well as from Samsung and other retail sites. Samsung's flagship phone starts at $799 — a $200 discount from the debut price of last year's Galaxy S20. For that, you get 128GB of storage; an extra $50 boosts the storage to 256GB. (And you may need that added capacity, as there's no microSD card slot on the S21.)
Since OnePlus traditionally tries to undercut Samsung on pricing, the lower starting price on the S21 puts some pressure on the company. Last year's OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8T still cost less than the S21, with starting prices of $699 and $749, respectively. But should the OnePlus 9 retain that pricing — it's unclear right now exactly what OnePlus has planned — the OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 price gap won't be as wide as it used to be.
In terms of availability, OnePlus has said that it plans to disclose more details about the OnePlus 9 on March 8, and that info could include launch plans. For what it's worth, a rumor indicates that the OnePlus 9 will be available for pre-order on March 23, which suggests a launch date later this month.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 design and display
From the leaked renders we've seen of the OnePlus 9, it looks like the new phone will sport a similar design to the Galaxy S21. Both phones look to have flat displays and like Samsung's handset, the OnePlus 9 features a square camera array in the upper left corner on the back of the phone. (This is a departure from the OnePlus 8, where the rear cameras descended vertically down the center of the phone.) Samsung introduced a new contour cut design with the S21 that better blends the camera array with the phone's frame, so we'll see how the OnePlus 9 handles making the camera array less prominent.
One of the ways Samsung kept costs down on the S21 was by using plastic materials for the phone's case instead of the glass backs found on the S21 Plus and Ultra models. We're not sure what materials OnePlus is using for its phone, but rumors point to the OnePlus 9 arriving in Arctic Sky, Astral Black and Winter Mist colors. The S21 features four colors — with violet and pink joining more traditional gray and white options.
Where the OnePlus 9 will stand out is screen size, as OnePlus is rumored to be going with a 6.5-inch panel for its new phone. That's bigger than the 6.2-inch OLED screen on the Galaxy S21. If you like your screens even bigger, the OnePlus 9 Pro will reportedly opt for a 6.7-inch display, matching the Galaxy S21 Plus.
Samsung gave adaptive displays to its Galaxy S21 lineup, with all three phones able to adjust their refresh rate depending on the task at hand. Activities like scrolling get a faster refresh rate, while the screen slows down to preserve battery life when your activities are more static. In the case of the S21, the screen's refresh rate ranges between 48 Hz all the way up to 120 Hz.
The OnePlus 8's refresh rate topped out at 90 Hz, and it's expected that the OnePlus 9 will bump things up to 120 Hz. However, OnePlus' new phones may not have the dynamically adjusting speeds that set apart the S21 displays. For what it's worth, the OnePlus 8 Pro did offer a dynamic 120 HZ screen, but OnePlus could opt to reserve that feature for the most expensive phone in its lineup.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 cameras
It will be hard for the new OnePlus phones to measure up to the Galaxy S21, which we think is one of the best camera phones you can buy. Even if you don't opt for the impressive 108MP main camera and dual telephoto lenses on the more expensive Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S21 won't disappoint with its camera hardware. You get three lenses — a 12MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide angle lens and 64MP telephoto lens. It's that last bit of optics that truly impresses, as the S21 can offer a 3x optical zoom and a 30x digital zoom. A Zoom Lock feature helps keep those zoomed-in photos from getting too blurry and out-of-focus.
In fact, software skills abound on Samsung's phones, with the S21 supporting features like an improved Single Take that produces multiple versions of the same shot with one press of the shutter button. All S21 models include Directors Mode, which lets you capture video from multiple cameras at the same time, allowing you to toggle between angles and even the front and rear lenses.
OnePlus has typically come up short with its photo processing software, so this is an area where the OnePlus 9 will have to step up if it hopes to keep pace with the Galaxy S21. Recent betas for Oxygen OS — the Android-based software that runs on OnePlus' phone — have hinted at features like "Tilt-shift," "Focus Peaking" and moon-based photography filters, so it's possible OnePlus has some improvements to its photo-processing powers in store.
For now, we can only focus on rumors about the camera hardware OnePlus has tabbed for the OnePlus 9, which looks to feature three rear cameras. Two of those will likely be a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide angle lens. The third camera is unknown — if it's anything like the OnePlus 8, the extra camera will be a dedicated macro lens. The OnePlus 8 Pro featured a telephoto lens instead. Given that we still think macro lenses are the most unnecessary addition to camera phones, you can guess which direction we hope OnePlus goes in.
As for the OnePlus 9 Pro, it may be the better option for shoppers who prize mobile photography. OnePlus will reportedly team up with Hasselblad to fine tune the lenses on that model.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 performance
Flagship phones from Samsung and OnePlus tend to offer the same mobile processor, and that's likely to continue with the OnePlus 9 vs. the Samsung Galaxy S21. That latter phone uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 system-on-chip, helping Samsung's new batch of phones deliver the best performance we've ever seen from an Android device. (The iPhone 12 family, and its A14 Bionic processor, still tops our testing, though.)
There's no reason to believe the OnePlus 9 won't follow suit with a Snapdragon 888 chipset of its own. And because OnePlus tends to pack its devices with RAM, we could see a slight performance edge for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, once we get the chance to test those two phones.
One possible wrinkle is that Qualcomm has also come out with the Snapdragon 870, which the chip maker describes as a faster version of last year's Snapdragon 865 Plus. While not as powerful as the Snapdragon 888, the 870 also isn't as expensive. So this could be the silicon that finds its way into the OnePlus 9E if OnePlus is looking for a way to cut costs.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 battery life and charging
The Galaxy S21 features a 4,000 mAh battery, but that doesn't translate enough juice to land on our best phone battery life list. The demands of a dynamically refreshing display and a 5G drain a lot of the power. In our test, in which we have phones surf the web over cellular until they run out of power, the S21 turned in a below-average time of 9 hours and 53 minutes. We got that result with the screen set to refresh at 60 Hz. With the dynamic refresh rate turned on, battery life fell by 3 hours. Among the S21 models, only the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its 5,000 mAh battery really impressed on our battery test.
It sounds like OnePlus is going to split the difference on the battery in the OnePlus 9, with a 4,500 mAh power pack in its base model. We haven't heard what size of battery is headed to the OnePlus 9 Pro. Still, we hope to see improved battery life over the OnePlus 8T, which lasted a little less than 10 hours on our battery test.
Where OnePlus figures to have an edge is when it comes to charging your phone. Recent OnePlus models have featured the company's blazing fast 65W charging, which sets the standard for the rest of the smartphone industry. That should continue with the OnePlus 9, which also appears on track to support 30W wireless charging, as OnePlus expands that feature beyond its Pro models.
Galaxy S21 owners can only look on with envy, as Samsung's phone tops out at 25W charging. You also need to supply your own charger — Samsung doesn't include one with its new S21 phones.
OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 outlook
The definitive OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 comparison will have to wait until OnePlus unveils its new phones. Based on the current rumors, though, the Galaxy S21 could be in for some stiff competition. The OnePlus 9 figures to offer the same processor, a fast refreshing screen, and much better charging features than Samsung's phone. That's an impressive set of potential features.
Ultimately, though, this clash will come down to price (and maybe camera performance). If the OnePlus 9 can deliver premium for less than the Galaxy S21 — a challenge given that Samsung's phone can be had for $799 — then the competition among Android phones is about to get a lot more interesting.
The Link LonkMarch 06, 2021 at 12:00PM
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OnePlus 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21: Which Android phone will win? - Tom's Guide
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