OnePlus started as the flagship killer company but that era seems like a lifetime ago now. The Chinese manufacturer which used to be a favorite among tech enthusiasts is no longer the brand many people fell in love with when it entered the mobile phone market seven years ago.
Its phones are now more expensive, and while it has started to offer cheaper models in the mid-range category under a new series called Nord, these phones have a handful of tradeoffs and even lack some of the features that are associated with OnePlus phones. However, all is not lost for OnePlus, as we believe it has a shot at redemption – at winning back the hearts of dissatisfied fans with its upcoming phone, the OnePlus 9 Lite.
The OnePlus 9 Lite – A new hope
OnePlus is expected to launch the OnePlus 9 series later this quarter and leaks have revealed that there will be not two but three phones in the series. Alongside the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, it has been reported by multiple sources that there is a third model that will be sold as the OnePlus 9 Lite.
It is a given that the OnePlus 9 Pro will be a premium category phone with a starting price tag that will either be equal to or greater than $899. The OnePlus 9 will follow suit with a price tag that is at most $200 less and with fewer or toned down features. This means the “Lite” model should be the cheapest of the three.
With the right specs and price tag, the OnePlus 9 Lite should prove that OnePlus has not yet lost its flagship killer roots, thus bringing new hope to fans.
OnePlus 9 Lite – Specs and Price that will make it a flagship killer phone
To make a flagship killer, you have to offer certain features, usually, performance-wise, normally found in the premium category but at a much more affordable price tag. Of course, tradeoffs in certain areas such as choice of materials, camera configuration, and display type and resolution are expected. We have considered these factors before coming up with specs we expect the OnePlus 9 Lite to have. Below are what we came up with:
Display
We would like to see the OnePlus 9 Lite sport a display that is no more than 6.5-inches, if it is smaller, the better for it, as that will mean a higher PPI seeing as its resolution will be 1080p.
While we know some of you will want AMOLED for the screen, a good LCD panel will suffice. The Nokia 8.3 5G and Mi 10T are examples of phones with great IPS LCD screens. The latter even has an adaptive refresh rate of 144Hz.
Nevertheless, we will be happy with either of these two choices for the display – 90Hz AMOLED or 120Hz LCD.
What would be your choice?
Processor, RAM, and Storage
It has been reported that the OnePlus 9 Lite will not have a Snapdragon 888 processor. OnePlus is also one of those who plan to launch a phone with the Snapdragon 870 5G SoC, a processor practically made for flagship killers. We expect this will be the chipset inside the OnePlus 9 Lite.
For RAM, the OnePlus 9 Lite is best available in two variants – a base model with 6GB and a higher configuration with 8GB, both being LPDDR5. We would like to see two variants with 128GB of UFS 3.0/UFS 3.1 storage. These configurations will ensure the phone is affordable.
Cameras
For the cameras, OnePlus can go with a similar configuration as that of the OnePlus 8. So a 48MP main camera, a 16MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP macro camera instead of the 2MP the OnePlus 8 has. We won’t push our luck and ask for a telephoto camera which we know is more useful than the macro camera. The selfie camera can remain a 16MP sensor.
Battery capacity and Fast charging
For the battery capacity, the one inside the OnePlus 8 will suffice which is a 4300mAh battery and it can be paired with Warp Charge 30T (30W fast charging).
This is a flagship killer, so wireless charging is not a feature you will find in this category.
Other features
To keep the price low, the OnePlus 9 Lite should have a plastic back panel rather than glass. Not only will glass increase the cost of the phone, but it is also expensive to repair in a situation where it breaks.
OnePlus should use a plastic panel with a textured matte finish that not only provides a firm grip but also hides fingerprint smudges. It will also be nice to borrow a leaf from the Galaxy S20 FE and offer it in attractive colors or maybe even one variant with a faux bamboo-like rear.
We know OnePlus will not bring back the audio jack for its main series, so we don’t expect the OnePlus 9 Lite to have one but we would love to see stereo speakers.
Also, we expect it to have an in-display fingerprint scanner if it is an AMOLED screen or a rear/side-mounted one if it is LCD. 5G, NFC, Dual SIM support, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, and Android 11 are all expected too. We don’t expect an official IP rating but it can at least be splashproof.
Price
Motorola has already set a high bar with the Motorola Edge S which has a starting price that converts to about $310. It will be wishful thinking to expect the OnePlus 9 Lite to beat that. Same reason for anyone that expects the $299 launch price of the OnePlus One. However, the launch price of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T are more realistic.
So if OnePlus plans to win over lost fans while gaining new ones, it will do so with a price tag of $399 for the base model (6+128GB) of the OnePlus 9 Lite while the 8GB RAM version with 128GB of storage should sell for $439.
Conclusion
Below is a summary of the spec sheet:
- 6.5-inch or smaller 90Hz AMOLED/120Hz LCD
- Snapdragon 870
- 6GB RAM + 128GB and 8GB RAM + 128GB
- 48MP + 16MP ultrawide + 5MP macro triple rear cameras
- 16MP front-facing camera
- 4300mAh battery
- Warp Charge 30T (30W fast charging)
- Plastic back Dual SIM, Rear/Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Splashproof
- Android 11
Our expectations are pretty reasonable so we hope the OnePlus 9 Lite meets them when it finally launches.
OnePlus practically birthed the concept of flagship killers and we would definitely like to see the brand return to its roots. The Nord series may be OnePlus’s answer to providing affordable phones for those who want them but they are not the flagship killers that enticed the early OnePlus fans. However, the OnePlus 9 Lite might just do the trick.
So what are your expectations from a flagship killer from OnePlus in 2021? Would you be happy with the OnePlus 9 Lite if it sports the above set of specs or would you like to change anything specific in this configuration?
Let us know in the comments down below.
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