Earlier today we covered the hands-on leak of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21+. Not looking to get left out of the conversation, we’re now seeing a hands-on leak of the new OnePlus 9 5G expected to launch next year as well.
The leak comes to us from PhoneArena containing several live images of the device and includes some additional specifications. The most striking revelation is the new camera bump on the back, featuring two large protruding lenses and a third smaller lens.
The new layout is reminiscent of phones we’ve seen come from OnePlus’s sister company Oppo recently. No surprise there, OnePlus phones often share a similar design and specs to Oppo phones. The design is also oddly similar to what Apple does with its iPhones using metal rings around the lenses of the cameras.
Also visible is the “Ultra Shot” branding which could be the OnePlus version of Oppo’s “Ultra Steady” technology. Speaking of branding on the back of the phone, I’m sure you noticed the logo doesn’t match what is typically on OnePlus phones. That’s because this is a prototype unit and OnePlus doesn’t use its official logo on pre-production devices like this.
There’s not much to see on the front side of the phone. OnePlus is once again using a flat display with a cut-out for the front-facing camera in the same spot as the OnePlus 8T. In fact, from the front, you’d be hard-pressed to tell these two phones apart from one another.
The only other juicy tidbit we gleaned from all the photos of the device is that it will use a metal frame, and there is a rubber seal around the SIM card tray. We reported earlier that the OnePlus 9 is unlikely to carry an official IP rating, but this seal tells us that there will at least be some water resistance, even if it’s not officially rated.
Beyond the photos of the hardware, PhoneArena also has screenshots taken from the OnePlus 9 confirming some key specs. For example, the codename of the chipset is Lahaina, also known as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Along with the processor, we also learned this model will feature 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and will run Android 11 out of the box.
The OnePlus 9 5G will also include a large 4,500mAh battery, which is good news because PhoneArena also confirmed that it will use a 6.55-inch 2400 x 1080 120Hz display with support for HDR.
The only specs left up in the air right now revolve around the cameras. According to speculation, PhoneArena suspects the main camera on the back will be a 48MP shooter and the front-facing camera will use a 16MP sensor.
That’s all the information we have about the OnePlus 9 5G for now. At this point, there isn’t much else to learn about the device. We’re still waiting for more to leak out about the OnePlus 9 Pro and what is expected to be the cheapest of the trio, the OnePlus 9E.
All three of the phones are set to launch early next year in March instead of the usual May release date. It appears OnePlus has moved up the launch date just like Samsung did with its event next year.