OnePlus has just announced their 9 series line up and apart from standard OnePlus 9 & 9 Pro, OnePlus has also released India exclusive OnePlus 9R model at Rs. 39,999/-
Interestingly OnePlus 8T, which is just 6 months old from its original release date of late 2020 is priced at 42,999/- and if you are looking to buy a phone and confused between OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus 8T then here in a quick and simple guide.
OnePlus 9R vs OnePlus 8T (How big are the difference?)
To simplify, they are exactly the same phone. OnePlus 9R is basically a rebadged version of OnePlus 8T. Display, Battery, Charging, Storage / RAM technology, Camera setups are exactly the same. The only two difference are with the processor chipset and external back panel design.
OnePlus 8T gets Snapdragon 865
OnePlus 9R gets Snapdragon 870
| SD 870 | SD 865 | |
| Process | TSMC 7nm | TSMC 7nm |
| CPU Config | 1x Cortex A77 @ 3.2GHz 3x Cortex A77 @ 2.42GHz 4x Cortex A55 @ 1.80GHz | 1x Cortex A77 @ 2.84GHz 3x Cortex A77 @ 2.42GHz 4x Cortex A55 @ 1.80GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 650 @ 670MHz | Adreno 650 @ 587MHz |
| Modem | External Snapdragon X55 | External Snapdragon X55 |
Both shares the same processor layout along with GPU and RAM setup. But the processor and GPU gets a little higher clock speed.
Just around 10% speed difference in lab testing (benchmarking), however, remember, higher clock speed with same 7nm process under same CPU would result in higher heat output and more battery consumption.
There is virtually no real world performance difference in gaming or day to day work but one would risk more power consumption and heating issues.
Will OnePlus lower and discount the price of 8T?
There are many major websites and reviewers are predicting price cut for OnePlus 8T after the launch and general availability of OnePlus 9R. However, just check yourself. Now as the OnePlus 9R is released in India, can your purchase OnePlus 7T at a lower price?
Surprisingly you would find the entire range of OnePlus 7T is unavailable in Amazon or OnePlus website.
Unlike Xiaomi / Realme / Samsung, OnePlus acts very much like Apple. Lowering the device pricing creates a back clash from people like you and me, the early adopters and owners. People would think twice before buying a 40k / 50k phone if the company reduces the phone’s price down to half a few months later.
Having said that, OnePlus 8T is already running at sale, I just ordered one, here is the pricing of Amazon with a really old phone exchange,
As you may see, just after the launch of OnePlus 9R, although the sales haven’t started, OnePlus 8T stock clearance is underway and you can purchase OnePlus 8T in March / April 2021 at Rs. 36,000/- or even lower.
If you wondering as which phone did I put up for exchange, then its a 5 year old Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus purchased at INR 7.5k
Should you buy OnePlus 8T or wait for OnePlus 9R?
Short answer, if you need to buy a phone right now, then go and buy OnePlus 8T till stock lasts and this price reduction offer is going on. But if you can wait few months then don’t buy 8T and wait for 9R to be available in general normal sale.
There isn’t any major difference with 9R and it won’t offer any performance benefit at all but there are question mark on any new device, specially with OnePlus, like, if you remember the famous display issue of OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. If you don’t know about them, just google about OnePlus 8 display issues.
OnePlus quickly rectified the issue and released their OnePlus 8T.
So OnePlus 8T is a well tested and long term reliable device compared to 9R. If you are looking for 9R then you should wait a few months for the sale to become public as otherwise, you may have to take the headache of their flash sale non sense and keep on trying your luck every week.
