Last year, OnePlus abandoned a dual-model strategy and focused on a single model, the OnePlus 8T, so as to avoid confusion this year. According to reports, there won’t be a OnePlus 9T this time, but OnePlus is planning to release a phone in its numbered flagship series.
OnePlus 9 RT:
According to sources, the OnePlus 9RT is set to be unveiled in October. The phone will offer modest upgrades over the OnePlus 9R and will only be available in select markets. Later this year, there will be only one phone in the numbered flagship series on the horizon; there will be two Nord launches, but no new high-end phones.
The OnePlus 9RT is based on the OnePlus 9R, so it will feature the same 120Hz AMOLED panel, a higher-binned Snapdragon 870 – not the Snapdragon 888 – and a 4500mAh battery with 65W charging.
The phone will receive an improved camera, bringing the 50MP Sony IMX766 that’s featured in the OnePlus 9 series as well as the Nord 2. This sensor was previously the wide-angle lens on the OnePlus 9 series, but it will also serve as the primary module on the new OnePlus 9 RT.
Like the 9R, the OnePlus 9 RT will be available in India and China. OnePlus will not be releasing another numbered flagship this year in Europe or the U.S. that makes sense when you observe OnePlus’ strategy in these markets.
OxygenOS 12:
One of the most exciting aspects of the OnePlus 9 RT is that it will be OnePlus’ first phone running OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12 right out of the box. We have already seen OnePlus’ integration of OxygenOS with ColorOS on the Nord 2.
By integrating these divergent software efforts, OxygenOS 12 includes many noteworthy improvements. Although the skin will emulate ColorOS to a greater extent, it will continue to offer OnePlus features such as Work-Life Balance, Zen Mode, Scout, and Shelf.
OxygenOS 12 will not feature Google’s new Material You design aesthetic; the design language will be largely unchanged from OxygenOS 11.3. OnePlus intended to have a closed beta of OxygenOS 12 ready by now. But has not been possible due to the number of bugs. The focus for the entire software team is to fix the remaining issues in OxygenOS 12. So that the OTA build will be delivered to closed beta testers.
Based on its current internal timeline, OnePlus expects OxygenOS 12’s closed beta to begin by the end of August. The company is already recruiting testers for the same. We should see an OxygenOS 12 beta build by the time Google releases the stable Android 12 next month. So we can expect in two to three weeks after the closed beta.
