OnePlus 9 render leak gives us our first look at the 2021 flagship

OnePlus logo
(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Up to this point we haven't heard too much about what the OnePlus 9 might bring with it in terms of specs or looks, but now we've got our first look at the handset – courtesy of renderings supposedly based on accurate information about the phone's design.

The renders have been put together by 91mobiles, and show a very clean and modern aesthetic for the next OnePlus handset. We can't confirm the accuracy of the images at the moment, but they come from a source with a good track record.

The OnePlus 9 is apparently going to come with a display that's larger than the 6.55-inch one sported by the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8T – though there's no specific mention of the dimensions of the screen or the phone itself.

On the front of the phone there's only a punch hole for the selfie camera to interrupt the display. Around the back it looks as though we've got a triple camera setup, housed up in the top left hand corner (as the camera is on the OnePlus 8T).

OnePlus 9 leak

(Image credit: 91mobiles)

This particular leak doesn't tell us anything about the specs of those cameras, or about the internal components inside the OnePlus 9. However, the phone is expected to come running next year's top-tier Snapdragon 875 processor from Qualcomm.

91mobiles says that there are two OnePlus 9 models in the pipeline – not three. You're going to be able to choose between the standard OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro it would seem, with OnePlus following the same approach it used for the OnePlus 8 series.

Considering the commitment that OnePlus has shown to fast charging in the past, we would expect the super-speedy 65W charging available on the OnePlus 8T to make an appearance again, alongside OxygenOS on the software side.

We haven't heard many other OnePlus 9 rumors at this stage, although word has reached us that the phone might launch in March 2021. That would be a month earlier than the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro appeared earlier this year.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.