It has not been officially confirmed yet, but there are rumours in the market that OnePlus will launch the OnePlus 9 RT in India around mid-December. A number of launch dates have been speculated about, with December 10 and December 15 being the ones mentioned the most. There is also a decent chance that the next generation of the bestselling OnePlus Buds Z will be launched alongside the phone.
The OnePlus 9 RT was launched in China in October and rather oddly, given the importance OnePlus traditionally gives to India, the phone has not yet been released in the Indian market. Some have attributed this to chip shortage issues, while others think that it reflects a change in OnePlus’ approach following its “closer integration” with Oppo.
Whatever the real reason for it, the delay in launching the OnePlus 9 RT in India is puzzling. OnePlus has often referred to India as its biggest market and, as per recent reports, is doing very well in India.
The OnePlus 9 RT is also a classic OnePlus flagship. From what we have seen of the variant launched in China and from what our sources in the market have told us, the OnePlus 9 RT follows OnePlus’ old strategy of being a flagship killer rather than its newer approach of being a premium flagship. The phone will come with a flat, 6.62 inch fluid AMOLED HD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate, a 50 megapixel Sony IMX main sensor (as seen on the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro) with OIS as part of a three-camera set-up (there is also a 16 megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel mono sensor), a 16-megapixel selfie camera and a 4500 mAh battery with support for 65W Warp Charge. The design is a little close to that of the OnePlus 9, and there are stereo speakers on board. We have also heard about better cooling and touch response, but these are not confirmed yet. Also not confirmed is whether the version sold in India will come with ColorOS (as seen in the Chinese variant) or with Oxygen OS.Â
As per our sources, the OnePlus 9RT could be released in India at Rs 39,999 or 8 GB/128 GB – and it is likely to be called the OnePlus 9 RT, not the OnePlus RT, as some have speculated.. One source even claims that it could come as low as Rs 37,999 for the 8 GB/ 128 GB variant, with a 6 GB/ 128 GB variant available at Rs 34,999 – the lower-priced model however will not be easily available in the market (a trend OnePlus started with a low-priced variant of the Nord which hardly anyone was ever able to buy). Both claims could well be proved correct – after all, the OnePlus 9 RT was launched in China at 3190 Yuan, which is about Rs 37,500 in India.
OnePlus also has a track record of keeping prices especially competitive in India, which leaves the door open for “crazy pricing.” Whatever the final price, it is very possible that the OnePlus 9 RT will be one of the most affordable Snapdragon 888 devices in the Indian market. The launch of the OnePlus 9 RT is also likely to result in the price of the OnePlus 9R being reduced to Rs 34,999, as per our source.Â
Of course, for that to happen, the OnePlus 9RT will have to first arrive in India. And from what we know, it could be some time in mid-December!
