OnePlus 9 RT will be the first with OxygenOS 12, and could come in October
We’ve been hearing rumblings that there will be no OnePlus 9T this year, and instead, the company will be releasing the OnePlus 9 RT. According to Android Central, the OnePlus 9 RT will be the successor to the OnePlus 9R which launches in select markets earlier in the year, offering “modest upgrades.” The device is said to be announced sometime in October and will be released in just India and China.
As for those “modest upgrades”, the OnePlus 9 RT will offer the following specs:
- 6.55-inch, 120Hz refresh rate display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 (higher-binned version)
- 4,500mAh battery
- 65W charging
- 50MP Sony IMX766 (main camera)
After seeing OnePlus bring the Sony IMX766 to the OnePlus Nord 2 as its primary sensor, it makes sense for the same move being made with the 9 RT. The sensor was originally introduced as the wide-angle camera for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.
While it’s disappointing to see OnePlus decide to not bring another flagship-like device to the U.S., it’s not without reason. A device like this supposed OnePlus 9 RT would cannibalize sales of the OnePlus 9. Meanwhile, the company is still selling the OnePlus 8T along with the recently-announced OnePlus Nord N200 5G.
OxygenOS 12 won’t be what you think
One interesting takeaway from this report is that the OnePlus 9 RT will be the first OnePlus device released with OxygenOS 12. If true, this just further cements the fact that we won’t be seeing another global launch of a OnePlus device.
The company is already working on the development of OxygenOS 12, based on Android 12, but there have been more than a few bugs that have caused frustrations across the board. And these bugs aren’t just limited to those running the Android 12 beta on Pixel devices. But according to Android Central, the software development team is behind its initial projections after hoping to get the first OxygenOS 12 closed beta release “out by now”.
This timeline has since been updated, as the closed beta program is likely to begin by the end of this month. Just yesterday, OnePlus began recruiting potential testers, although that program is limited to just 200 users.
As for what OxygenOS 12 could bring to devices, this uses Oppo’s ColorOS as the base, while introducing new features. It’s said there will be a theme store pre-installed, along with the addition of floating windows that can be resized to fit anywhere on the screen.
Those interested in OnePlus/Oppo’s interpretation of Google’s Material You design may be a bit disappointed. It appears as those OxygenOS 12 will not include these changes, as the “design language is nearly unchanged from OxygenOS 11.3.” The reason for this goes back to the aforementioned bugs and issues that have been plaguing the development of OxygenOS 12.
Finally, as OnePlus gears up to bring a few users aboard to test out the OxygenOS 12 closed beta, the company plans to release the first Open Beta “two to three weeks following the closed beta.” This will likely line up with the final release of Android 12 for Pixel owners as that’s expected to arrive sometime next month.