The new OnePlus phones not only have the best possible hardware, but they also want to conquer us with that soul that goes beyond the rational. The brand also promises a forward in photography.

Throughout the year, many technological products pass through. Most of them, with their positives and negatives, end up leaving a good taste in the mouth. However, only a few have that special aura that makes you connect with them and go far beyond their specification table, their price, or their market positioning. The new OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, with which we have had the opportunity to spend the last few days.

Key Specification

Design

One of the keys to this pleasant experience is attention to detail. OnePlus is a brand that has always been known for it. And neither the OnePlus 9 nor the OnePlus 9 Pro are an exception.

The packaging, for example, is quite careful. It is something that many brands tend to leave in the background because, after all, we probably see it only once. However, for the Chinese brand, it is something worth treating well.

The same can also be said about the firmness of the buttons, the super useful switch to mute the phone – something that only Apple and OnePlus mount – or the harmony of the materials that make up the phone. But the thing, obviously, does not stop there: both phones have a design that, in addition to sitting very well in the hand, is quite attractive.

The OnePlus 9, first of all, is characterized by having a completely flat screen and lines quite similar to the OnePlus 8T. However, the texture of some materials, the range of colors selected by OnePlus, the design of the new photographic module and the weight distribution of the product make the feeling more premium than that of the model to which it happens.

The OnePlus 9 Pro, on the other hand, features a curved screen. Mind you: the radius of curvature is smaller than on previous occasions, which is a step in the right direction. It is true that curved screens attracted a lot of public attention for some years, but, with the passage of time, they have been losing weight. In fact, Samsung, who launched them in the first place, has progressively reduced the curvature of its panels with each generation.

Both the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro that I have been testing for the past few days have a mirror finish. In the case of the Pro, in silver; and, in the case of the standard model, in a tone close to mauve. An interesting detail of this finish is that the mirror effect is progressive. That is to say: the lower half is more reflective than the upper half, which tends more towards matte. It is probably difficult to see in the images, but when you hold them, it is striking.

Performance

One of the characteristics that have always defined OnePlus products is speed. The company usually incorporates the fastest components, but its work does not stop there: OnePlus also greatly refines the software of its products to get that extra performance that other brands leave in the pipeline.

The new OnePlus 9, how could it be otherwise, check in this regard. The combination of the Snapdragon 888 – Qualcomm’s most advanced chipset -, UFS 3.1 memories, up to 12 GB RAM modules, up to 120 Hz displays, and various OnePlus optimizations make everything on this phone super fast and fluid. From scrolling through the most popular applications to the most demanding video games. I think I would not be exaggerating if I said that these are the most fluid Android phones of the moment.

One of the keys to that good experience, as I said, is the screen. In both phones, we find OLED panels capable of raising their refresh rate to 120 Hz, although the OnePlus 9 Pro is a bit more advanced.

Camera

OnePlus has put a lot of emphasis on the photography area this year. In the Pro model, the company has decided to opt for a new range of sensors, in addition to resorting to the iconic Hasselblad to refine the color of the images. In the standard model, in addition to all that, it has also dispensed with the macro camera in favor of a better wide-angle.

In general, both the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro are capable of capturing quite good photos, better than those of previous generations. The scenes are better balanced, the colors are much more natural, etc. The step forward is super evident.

Multimedia

Battery Life

Last year, OnePlus put an end to one of its main shortcomings: wireless charging. However, it did so only with the Pro model. Both the OnePlus 8T and the OnePlus 8 were left without this feature that some of their main rivals did offer.

This year, luckily, the story is different. The two OnePlus 9s are compatible with the Qi standard, although the charging speed varies between the two models. The OnePlus 9 supports up to 15 watts of power and the OnePlus 9 Pro raises that figure to 50 watts.

The 50-watt wireless charging system, dubbed Warp Charge 50 Wireless, allows the mobile to be fully charged in less than an hour, which is very useful in some situations. Of course: to charge the mobile at maximum speed it is necessary to use the OnePlus wireless charger – which is sold separately and is priced at 69.95 euros. This one, by the way, has a small fan that cools the device while it is charging. If you are in a quiet room, you will hear it.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are also compatible, how could it be otherwise, with the brand’s fastest cable charging system. This manages up to 65 watts of power and allows the battery to be fully charged (from 1% to 100%) in just 29 minutes.

The battery of both models, by the way, has a capacity of 4,500 mAh capacity. In practice, the experience has been satisfactory. No day, even when I’ve been using the phone the most, have I had to turn off power-saving features or find a charger before the day was out.

Connectivity

Conclusion!

The OnePlus 9 Pro, overall, is an excellent phone. The design is attractive, the screen is really good, it’s super fast. It checks everything you can ask for, including the camera – which, despite being a bit below the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Galaxy S21 Ultra, achieves good results. If to all that you add the RRP –which is less than 1200 USD– and that soul that I have commented throughout the analysis, it is impossible not to recommend its purchase. For me it is – and probably will be – one of the mobiles that I have enjoyed the most in 2021.

With the OnePlus 9, the experience is also super good, but it is true that, due to its price, it competes with mobiles like the Xiaomi Mi 11, which is a pretty tough nut to crack. The choice between one or the other will depend, at the end of the day, on the preferences of the consumer. But what I am clear about is that this OnePlus 9 has everything to be in the battle.

Would you like to treat yourself to the ultimate in cellphone, but you are hesitating between the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max? Here are some elements that should help you make your choice according to your needs.

The Galaxy S21 slew has just arrived and it’s time for everyone to play the game of comparisons. For this, the two most powerful smartphones from Samsung and Apple, the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max were chosen. Let’s take a tour of the media to see everyone’s opinions.

Pros and Cons

Key Specification

In addition, the update rate is yet another aspect that differentiates the two phones. The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with variable technology ranging from 10 to 120 Hz, in order to adjust according to demand without consuming a lot of battery. The iPhone 12 Pro Max brings only the 60 Hz option.

However, the Apple smartphone took the title of the best screen in the world by the specialized website DisplayMate in November 2020. The device also comes with Ceramic Shield (ceramic shield, in Portuguese), which promises to be the toughest glass on the market against falls and scratches.

Design

When it comes to design, the Samsung offers more rounded lines than those of the iPhone 12 Pro Max which is part of a more rectilinear format. The Galaxy S21 Ultra measures 165.1×75.6×8.9 mm for a weight of 227 grams which is not anything in a pocket against 160.8×78.1×7.4 mm and 226 grams for the iPhone 12 Pro Max which remains the world’s thinnest 5G mobile. It is available in black, white, gold or blue while the South Korean mobile is offered in different colors: black, silver and, exclusively on the manufacturer’s website, in titanium, navy and brown.

The screen of the S21 Ultra measures 6.8 inches in curved mode compared to 6.7 inches for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both benefit from an HDR-compatible AMOLED panel, but that of the Samsung offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz against half for the American mobile which would therefore offer less fluidity when scrolling pages, for example. The screen definition of the S21 Ultra is 1440×3200 pixels against 1284×2778 pixels at Apple.

Performance

Both benefit from the latest SoC platform, namely an Exynos 2100 for Samsung and an A14 Bionic for Apple. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has 12 or 16 GB of RAM compared to only 6 GB for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The latter has a battery with a capacity of 3687 mAh against 5000 mAh for the S21 Ultra with the possibility of charging at 25 Watts. On paper, it offers greater autonomy, it remains to be seen whether this holds true in reality.

Camera

For the camera section, the iPhone 12 Pro Max relies on three 12-megapixel sensors with, particularly powerful image processing. For its part, the Galaxy S21 Ultra uses the main module of 108 megapixels, the third generation, accompanied by a 12-megapixel lens for the wide-angle and two other 10 megapixel sensors. The mobile can film with a maximum definition of 8K at 24 frames per second against Ultra HD (4K) at 60 frames per second for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both are waterproof. They get 5G and Wi-Fi 6 even though the Galaxy S21 Ultra is already Wi-Fi 6E ready.

Multimedia

Battery Life

On paper, the 3,689mAh battery of the iPhone 12 Pro Max seems to lag far behind the 5,000mAh of that of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra . But that is without counting on the formidable optimization signed Apple which can boast of an autonomy in normal use of 20 hours where Samsung is limited to 14 hours . The situation is the same for streaming videos, but the reverse is true for a phone call.

There remains the question of the charging time, which is close to two hours for the iPhone 12 (with a normal charger) against 1:09 for the S21 . Apple advantage, unless you spend your life on the phone.

Note that no charger is sold with these phones which additionally support wireless charging. Finally, only the S21 Ultra can charge other devices.

Connectivity

Overall Performance

We compare the largest to the smallest of Apple’s iPhone 12 family at the camera level. Is there so much difference in photos from iPhone 12 mini to 12 Pro Max? In this post, we will show you a series of examples with which you can compare with your own eyes if there is a big difference between them. We understand that they are two models that, far from being contradictory, give rise to doubts because they are the two extremes of this generation. Therefore, your doubts will be resolved shortly.

It should be noted that in order to offer a better loading speed for this page, we have had to compress the photographs shown in the following sections. In any case, the same percentage of compression has been used and the least possible quality has been lost. Therefore, the results presented and the differences can be seen in all cases. On the other hand, none of the photographs has been retouched in any of its aspects, so that the results that these iPhones are capable of the showing are seen as naturally as possible.

Key Specification

Design

Performance

Camera

We believe that talking about technical data on many occasions is somewhat confusing, since with this sometimes the real perception of what the devices offer is lost. That is why in the next sections we are going to see the differences that we find in practice, but we believe that it is equally important to know what differences exist between the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max when it comes to cameras.

Something very important to take into account is the Apple ProRAW format that incorporates the ‘Pro Max’ model and not the ‘mini’. This is a new format added by Apple in this generation and that gives more quality the photographs taken both with this equipment and with the 6.1-inch ’12 Pro ‘model.

In practically all devices, the front or front camera is the one with the lowest quality, or at least if we compare it with what is found on the back. In these iPhone, it was not going to be an exception and we also found a lower quality than the rear, although they are not bad cameras for that. In fact, if you look at the following photograph, you will see that the fact that both terminals have identical specifications on their front is also reflected in the results, finding identical points.

Multimedia

Battery Life

Connectivity

Conclusion!

The main point by which someone can hesitate between buying an iPhone 12 mini and a 12 Pro Max is fundamentally the size and the battery, since there is a very palpable difference between the two. If, on the other hand, you find yourself at a point where both extremes attract your attention and you think that the camera can be a definitive point, obviously we have to tell you the large model is superior.

It is a big difference? Well, as you may have seen yourself, in some points they share results, but in others, such as Night Portrait or zoom photographs, the ‘mini’ is far behind. If you think these differences can be bridged, the iPhone 12 mini is a great call in the photographic aspect as well.