The OnePlus 9 is on its way. Or at least, OnePlus has announced the event at which the OnePlus 9 will be announced.
The livestreamed digital event is set for March 23 at 7 a.m. PT, and OnePlus has said it will be where we learn more about the upcoming flagship OnePlus 9 series.
Alongside announcing that there will be an event on March 23, OnePlus also announced a strategic partnership with famous camera maker Hasselblad. This news was previously leaked, and will likely result in Hasselblad tech being built into OnePlus phones’ cameras. Teases of the camera keep referencing the moon, which could be a nod toward new zoom capabilities. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not those cameras will actually take better photos, or just have a nice bit of branding. But, OnePlus has said that the OnePlus 9 series will use a custom Sony IMX789 sensor, and will be able to capture 4K video at 120 frames-per-second, or 8K video at 30 frames-per-second.
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OnePlus’ phones have long been hailed for offering near-flagship specs at much lower prices. In recent years, the prices of OnePlus phones, however, has been creeping up — and the OnePlus 8 Pro came in at $900. That comes pretty close to flagship phone prices. Over the past year, however, there has been an emphasis on good value for money. We found the $700 Samsung Galaxy S20 FE to be the best phone in its price range, and Samsung even cut the price of the Galaxy S21 to $800 from the $1,000 it charged for the Galaxy S20.
It’s entirely possible OnePlus will launch other devices at the event, too. Rumors about a OnePlus smartwatch have been swirling for a few years now. A OnePlus watch would likely connect to OnePlus phones, track fitness, show notifications, and more — however, it remains to be seen if it would offer Google’s Wear OS, or a custom operating system. The latest rumors suggest that a OnePlus watch is being prepped for an “early 2021” release, so the timing for it to be announced at OnePlus’ upcoming event would make sense.
Alongside the OnePlus 9 Pro, the company could also unveil lower-cost phones. OnePlus has released a few phones in the sub-$500 price range, in the form of the OnePlus Nord series. Perhaps the company will have something in between the Nord and the OnePlus 9. Or, maybe it’ll launch new OnePlus Nord phones — though, considering that the original OnePlus Nord was released in August, it may be a few months before we see more entries in the Nord series.
We’ll have to wait and see what OnePlus ultimately announces at its event, and we’ll be covering the announcements as they happen.