OnePlus 9R could lose India exclusivity, China launch possible with a new price

Earlier in the day, we got a first look at the OnePlus 9R and were left impressed. This India-exclusive variant from the OnePlus 9 series is the most affordable of the lot and is aimed at mobile gamers. With a starting price of Rs 39,999, it seems reasonable enough for a premium smartphone. Rumours, however, suggest that OnePlus has plans to release the OnePlus 9R in China. More specifically, the price will be lower there.

According to Digital Chat Station, the popular tipster from China, the OnePlus 9R is in the pipeline for the Chinese market. The phone is expected to launch at a price of CNY 3,000, which is approximately Rs 34,000. This is a much lower price in comparison to the OnePlus 9R’s India price, with the base variant starting at Rs 39,999.

OnePlus 9R could be cheaper in China

In comparison to the OnePlus 9 series, the OnePlus 9R is a different in many ways. Unlike the OnePlus 9 and Pro variant, the OnePlus 9R relies on a theoretically less capable Snapdragon 870 chip. This chip is essentially a refreshed Snapdragon 865 with a boosted primary CPU core. The rest of the phone has an eerie resemblance to the OnePlus 8T, except for cosmetic changes.

Some of the highlights on the OnePlus 9R include a 6.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging, 48-megapixel quad rear cameras, and a stereo speaker setup. Technically, the phone is supposed to replace the aging OnePlus 8T in India but you can still find the latter on the shelves.

If the OnePlus 9R launches in India, the lower Chinese price for the phone would seek OnePlus to give an explanation. The difference in prices could most likely be due to the increased costs in manufacturing chips as well as import duties. Do note that the Indian government increased taxes on smartphones in 2020.

The Chinese launch of the OnePlus 9R just a rumour and OnePlus is yet to clarify anything on that front. OnePlus operates in the Chinese market with a slightly different business model and starting this year, it is beginning to embrace Oppo’s resources more than ever. During the OnePlus 9 series launch in China, the company declared its move from HydrogenOS to ColorOS 11 for all new Chinese OnePlus devices.

Global versions of OnePlus device will continue to get OxygenOS 11 as the standard operating system. With OxygenOS, OnePlus has been one of the few brands to provide the latest Android updates as early as possible.