This OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro battle demonstrates how closely these phones match up as they try to claim the title “Best Phone”.
The OnePlus 9 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro have high-end features, great cameras, and good battery life. The OnePlus 9 Pro has wireless charging and wired charging that is lightning fast, which leaves the iPhone 12 Pro behind in this area. OnePlus also offers a 120Hz display that Apple cannot match.
The iPhone 12 Pro, on the other hand, has a reputation for being more reliable, faster, and with better camera quality. Apple also offers a wider range of accessories.
This OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro battle will show you everything you need to know about both phones and how they compare against each other. Both phones are top-of-the-line, so it doesn’t matter which one you choose.
OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro: Design
The OnePlus 9 Pro as well as the iPhone 12 Pro are stunning devices. They both have beautiful colours and are built with solid quality. Both feature metal frames and glass backs, clicky volume and power buttons, and stellar vibration motors that provide haptic feedback. Both have a mute switch. However, the OnePlus has three modes: Vibrate (Ring), Silent (Silent). Silent Mode is only available on the iPhone.
These similarities aside, the phones are very different in appearance. With its 6.7-inch screen, the OnePlus 9 Pro is larger than the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 6.1 inches is smaller and easier to use single-handedly. Both phones feel premium, and you will choose which one suits your needs best.
The OnePlus 9 Pro’s selfie camera uses a simple hole punch. The iconic notch is used by the iPhone’s front camera and Face ID tech.
The OnePlus 9 Pro has an in-display optical fingerprint scanner, while the iPhone 12 Pro relies entirely on facial recognition. Both approaches work well, despite the fact that there are no face masks. The OnePlus unlocks quicker, but the iPhone requires that you swipe up to unlock the phone once it recognizes your facial features.
Both phones are also dust and water-resistant. The IP68-certified OnePlus 9 Pro can be submerged for up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. The iPhone 12 Pro goes one step further, and can survive 6 meters underwater for 30 mins.
The build quality of both phones is amazing, but the iPhone 12 Pro’s increased water resistance gives it the slightest advantage.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Display
A good display is essential for a smartphone experience. Both the OnePlus 9 Pro as well as the iPhone 12 Pro are excellent examples of this. OLED panels are used in each phone, which allows for vivid colours and true blacks. We can compare the displays of both phones and determine which one is better.
The OnePlus 9 Pro features a stunning 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with two colour modes, Vivid and Natural. The 9 Pro achieved Vivid at 208.1% of sRGB and 147.4% for the more difficult DCI-P3. Natural brings everything down with 119.9% of sRGB and an astonishing 84.9% DCI-P3 colour gamuts. The OnePlus 9 Pro’s variable refresh rate of 120 Hz tops it all. It can even go down to 1 Hz when necessary.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a single colour profile, which reproduces 115.6% of sRGB and 81.9% DCI-P3 gamuts. The iPhone 12 Pro’s refresh rate is set to 60 Hz so it doesn’t offer super-smooth scrolling as the OnePlus 9 Pro. The iPhone’s screen is slightly brighter at 740 nits compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro’s 722 nits.
Both our lab testing and my regular use of both phones clearly show that the OnePlus 9 Pro is the winner in this category. The OnePlus 9 Pro’s variable refresh rate of 120 Hz is the best.
Winner: OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Cameras
OnePlus has increased its camera capabilities this year by entering into a three year partnership with Hasselblad. The OnePlus 9 Pro is the result of this partnership, with a more natural colour reproduction and a new pro model. There are also homages to Hasselblad.
However, the iPhone 12 Pro is still a great camera phone and can compete with the best Android cameras.
The OnePlus 9 Pro has a 48MP main wide sensor, a 50MP super wide with a freeform lens and an 8MP telephoto, with 3.3x optical zoom. There is also a 2MP monochrome. The iPhone 12 Pro features a 12MP wide, 12MP superwide, and 12MP Telephoto with 2x Optical Zoom.
Both phones produce amazingly accurate colours in this photo taken from a produce stand. The OnePlus 9 Pro did a great job of brightening the image while still keeping the colours vivid. Although the iPhone’s shot looks great, it is a bit too exposed. This is because neither image is superior to the other.
This is a comparison of the ultra-wide shots taken by both phones at a nearby lake. Although the OnePlus 9 Pro’s freeform lens does reduce edge distortion, it isn’t easy to see in this OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro comparison. The iPhone’s image feels richer and has more depth. The OnePlus image is not my favorite. This is the one that Apple won.
Both phones do a great job taking portraits. However, you can clearly see the difference between these two images. The shot of the OnePlus 9 Pro is darker and more subdued than that of the iPhone. These photos were taken directly in the sun by the OnePlus 9 Pro. The OnePlus did a better job at controlling the incoming light. Its portrait is better than the iPhone.
OnePlus Nightscape’s night mode has seen significant improvements over the years. But Apple’s Night Mode is so much better and consistent. While Nightscape can produce some interesting images when it is working properly, it can be quite passable. The iPhone captured details in the bricks and glass, as well as the shutters that were in the background, in this photo of the number plate. The lighting is amazing. The OnePlus 9 Pro is a great example of this. The iPhone wins, however, it’s still fine.
Although the OnePlus 9 Pro’s 16MP front-facing camera is good at taking selfies, I have found it to struggle with low and medium-light situations. As you can see, the iPhone 12 Pro doesn’t have this problem. The iPhone 12 Pro handled direct sunlight more generously than the OnePlus, and captured my ruddy skin tones better than the OnePlus. My beard’s red is more intense and my green shoulders don’t look as washed-out.
The iPhone 12 Pro won this camera shootout due to its better night mode and selfie performance. The OnePlus 9 Pro fought hard and showed marked improvements over previous OnePlus devices.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Performance
Apple is still the leader in mobile performance. The A14 Bionic chipset continues to lead the Snapdragon 888 competitors. The latest Bionic SoC is faster and more powerful and provides a great gaming experience.
The OnePlus 9 Pro is no slouch. The OnePlus 9 Pro is one the most powerful Android phones that we have ever tested, thanks to its Snapdragon chipset as well as plenty of RAM. It’s perfect for games such as Asphalt 9, Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile. It can handle any task you throw at it with ease. The 9 Pro comes with 8GB or 12GB RAM and is lightning fast when it comes to app loading times.
Geekbench 5’s multi-core test scored the OnePlus 9 Pro 3,685 points, while the iPhone 12 Pro scored 4,078. That’s quite a difference. The iPhone 12 Pro scored 51 FPS, while the iPhone 9 Pro was able to manage 34.5 frames per second in 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited test.
Both phones are very powerful side-by-side. Although the iPhone may look a little smoother in games like Genshin Impact, it is not noticeable to most people. We have to declare a winner here, and the iPhone easily outmuscles the OnePlus 9 Pro during testing.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro: 5G
5G in America is still a mess despite being launched a few years ago. There is sub-6 GHz low-band 5G that can sometimes be slower than LTE, and ultra-wide-band mmWave which is extremely fast but also very limited.
Both the iPhone 12 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro support 5G. The OnePlus is using a more recent Qualcomm modem than the iPhone. The iPhone can still connect to 5G services in the US, but not with the OnePlus 9 Pro.
The 5G situation for the 9 Pro with T-Mobile is quite strange. It works with all T-Mobile bands right out of the box. The phone just got certified to work in Verizon’s 5G network (both mmWave and low-band). AT&T customers are out of luck. The OnePlus 9 Pro doesn’t support AT&T 5G bands, so your options are limited to LTE.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro – Battery life and charging
The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a 4,500 mAh lithium battery that can be split into two 2,250 mAh cells. This allows for a lightning-fast 65W charging. The iPhone 12 Pro’s 2,815mAh battery has noticeably shorter battery life.
The OnePlus 9 Pro performed well in the Tom’s Guide battery testing, where phones were left to endlessly reload pages over a cellular connection. It was tested with 5G on and 120Hz turned on. The average result was 10 hours and 40 mins. Comparing that to the iPhone 12 Pro’s mere 9 hours and 6 mins, it is clear which phone will last more time on a single charge.
The OnePlus 9 Pro wins in charging, with a total of 65W wired/50W wireless. This beats the iPhone’s wired maximum of 20W. The OnePlus 9 Pro can completely recharge its large battery in 30 minutes. The iPhone 12 Pro is even slower, reaching 31% in less than half an hour with one of Apple’s MagSafe charging cables.
Winner: OnePlus 9 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro – Software and special features
Despite being similar in many areas, the OnePlus 9 Pro & iPhone 12 Pro stand out with their software. The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with Android 11 under OnePlus’ custom skin OxygenOS. This version of Android is my favorite. It is intuitive and straightforward. You can customize the phone to feel your own.
OnePlus is a great company, but it doesn’t intend to continue supporting its devices for too long. The company’s past track record in updating leaves much to be desired. The OnePlus 9 Pro will only receive two platform updates through Android 13 and three years worth of security patches (running until 2024). We are very disappointed by OnePlus’ inability to maintain its phones longer than Samsung’s new OS of three years and four-year security updates plans.
The iPhone 12 Pro also comes with iOS 14, which is the most advanced version of iOS. Apple’s latest phone software includes the App Library. This is a way to organize your apps. It also offers new options for the default browser, email client, and more.
Apple’s support for its devices is unbeatable. iOS 14 can be run on the iPhone 6s, a phone that is almost six years old. Three years after the OnePlus 9 Pro stopped receiving Android platform updates, the iPhone 12 Pro may see iOS 19. Apple doesn’t always disclose its support plans, but it does have a track record that iPhone owners can rely on, and they can expect to receive software updates for anywhere from four to six more years. These updates are also available right away.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro – Overall winner
The OnePlus 9 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro battle almost ended in a draw. The OnePlus is only two points away from matching the iPhone 12 Pro. This is more than what the Galaxy S21 Plus can say. It is close.
The OnePlus 9 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro are the top-rated phones you can buy. The OnePlus 9 Pro is Android-friendly. If you don’t have AT&T 5G, you can get the OnePlus 9 Pro. But, if Android is your preference, you can grab the iPhone 12 Pro. Both devices can be used in a variety of ways. You can’t go wrong with either one.
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