The affordable flagship or the flagship killer segment in India came alive in January with the OnePlus and Xiaomi launching smartphones that are evenly matched. Both the OnePlus 9RT and Xiaomi 11T Pro are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, but they get some subtle differences that set them apart.
Good Lookers: You don’t have to compromise on design or premium looks if you pick a smartphone with a Rs 40K price tag. We tend to lean towards the matte finish of the Hacker Black colour option of the OnePlus 9RT. It’s almost a sandstone-type finish and repels fingerprints. The redesigned camera module is finished in a slate grey that brings in a cool contrast. A Nano Silver option is also available on the OnePlus. The Xiaomi 11T Pro is available in three colours, including the popular Celestial Magic that swings from blue to purple. The 9RT is 0.5mm thinner and a tad lighter than the 11T Pro.
Hardware Beasts: If there’s one area where it’s tough to choose one over the other, it’s hardware performance. At the heart of both devices is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, and it fares equally well in benchmark tests. In terms of storage variants, the OnePlus comes in 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB, while the 11T Pro has an extra 8GB/256GB option in addition to the two of the 9RT. Xiaomi offers faster charging speeds with its 120W HyperCharge solution that can power your device from 0 to 100 percent in less than 20 minutes. The OnePlus’ 65W charger is mighty quick too, juicing up your device in about 29 minutes. The 11T Pro comes with a 5000mAh battery, while the 9RT features a 4500mAh battery. Battery life is similar and should last most average users more than a day.
Fluidic Displays: On paper it might seem that both displays are almost identical with a 120Hz refresh rate. While the OnePlus 9RT’s 6.62-inch (1080×2400 pixels) 8-bit AMOLED panel packs 397 pixels per inch (PPI), the 6.67-inch (1080×2400 pixels) 10-bit AMOLED display features a similar 395 PPI. We’ll give this round to the 11T Pro with its Dolby Vision support. It may be just a slight edge, but content from platforms like Netflix play out better on the Xiaomi.
Versatile Shooters: When it comes to camera, the 11T Pro scores on a few fronts including its primary lens and macro camera that is also capable of capturing Full HD macro videos. OnePlus has upped its lowlight photography game, and the 9RT is a case in point. Both devices have 16MP selfie cams, while the rear camera set up on the OnePlus 9RT brings together a 50MP primary cam, a 16MP ultra-wide cam and a 2MP macro cam. The 11T Pro combines a 108MP primary lens with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP macro cam. It can also shoot 8K videos.
It’s not easy to pick a winner between the OnePlus 9RT 5G (from Rs 42,999) and Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G (from Rs 39,999). The 11T Pro has a slight price advantage (there are multiple cashback offers on both phones) and an edge when it comes to display and camera performance. The OnePlus 9RT wins on design, as well as the user experience that’s less cluttered and comes with less bloatware. The choice may boil down to your brand preference.
