Sometimes it’s ok to NOT be first.

OnePlus is following the CRAZY early launches from Xiaomi and Samsung. This generation, we’ve seen some concerning tests using Qualcomm’s newest SOC, the Snapdragon 888.

After testing the Galaxy S21, we definitely needed to compare against other phones using this SOC. Were the performance issues the fault of Qualcomm? Samsung? App developers? There are a LOT of moving parts here to consider.

The OnePlus 9 Pro gives us another data point to compare, and OnePlus is making some important claims about their phone. Not only are they using the top of the line SOC, they’re also claiming to do a better job cooling that SOC.

A premium tier phone is an incredibly powerful mobile computer. Someone buying at this price tier might want to know they really can replace some of their laptop or desktop use with their phone.

Performance testing is more involved than running a synthetic bench and comparing who’s number is bigger. Let’s dig a little deeper than that. Here’s the OnePlus 9 Pro: By The Benchmarks!

How are each of these tests performed? Here’s my process for benchmarking phones!

Synthetic Bench – Geek Bench 5

Immediately OnePlus is making my job easier than Samsung did.

Out of the box, OnePlus is highlighting the top level of performance advertised. Samsung pre-throttles the CPU out of the box on the Galaxy S21. OnePlus is turning their performance dial to 11.

Starting with some synthetic scores, OnePlus leads my chart for CPU performance. Both single and multi core now top what Samsung was able to produce with this SOC.

GPU scores are more of a battle, with Samsung leading OCL and OnePlus taking the Vulkan crown.

Video Render – PowerDirector

Rendering a complex video project, OnePlus takes a handy third place finish behind the extremely well optimized LG V60 and active cooled RedMagic 5S.

The S21 is very competitive here, but the OnePlus 9 Pro manages consistent wins and far less performance degradation comparing multiple runs on this test. On its worst run, the S21 fell behind my LG Wing in this test.

Video Render – KineMaster

On Kinemaster, the OnePlus 9 Pro manages to just barely eke out a win against the S21, putting it in the same bracket as the RedMagic 5S and Note 20 Ultra.

Video Transcode – PowerDirector

The transcode test on PowerDirector is the weakest score of the whole test suite.

Not only outperformed by several phones from last year, there are a couple of outlier 2019 phones that can hang with the OnePlus on a simple video project.

Video Transcode – KineMaster

The same transcode on KineMaster, and the OnePlus 9 Pro is handily back into the mix.

It’s worth pointing out here, now that we’ve tested two SD888 powered phones, we do need to see some optimization to improve scores over last year. Either from the phone manufacturers or the app developers, but likely both.

If video editing is an important activity for you, at present the SD888 does not seem to deliver a significant benefit over phones from 2020 on KineMaster. Performance gains are more consistently witnessed on PowerDirector, though LG’s imaging optimization on the V60 is tough to beat.

Podcast MixDown – Audio Evolution

Like the S21, audio editing on the 9 Pro shows a distinct lead over last year’s phones.

Audio Evolution really likes this hardware, and the OnePlus 9 Pro ties the S21 on its strongest advantage.

Stabilization – Google Photos

My voodoo test, and I still can’t pin down exactly what makes scores better here.

The OnePlus 9 Pro falls just slightly behind the Note 20 and RedMagic 5S, but scores a solid win against the S21. The hunt for an explanation continues…

Compression Test – RAR Lab

Now we’re getting into the hard tests.

RAR Lab’s synthetic test shows a significant lead for the OnePlus over the S21, but in previous tests, we often see how the synthetic performance doesn’t always describe a real world run.

That’s not the case here. OnePlus easily bests the S21, and this compression test is right in line with the top options from last year, which are phones with active cooling or with overclocked SD865’s.

This is an important win for the OnePlus, as this compression test takes over 10 minutes to complete. This is a situation where thermal throttling absolutely hampers the S21.

Photo Processing – PhotoMate R3

The synthetic test built into PhotoMate isn’t particularly impressive on the S21 or the OnePlus 9 Pro.

This time around though, the synthetic results do NOT mirror the real world results.

The hardest test I run, and OnePlus now holds the record.

The 9 Pro was able to beat the RedMagic 5S from 2020, which has a fan to actively cool the phone. This test is run in two batches of 100 photos each, and the second batch of photos on the 9 Pro was finished almost as quickly as the first batch on the S21.

The SD888 does still exhibit more thermal throttling than the SD865. Last year we saw 2-3% slowing on most phones. The S21 was 6% slower on the second batch, and the 9 Pro was around 8% slower on the second batch. Overall though, the OnePlus 9 Pro maintained faster performance over the whole of both batches.

Even with more slowdown in this test, the OnePlus performance AFTER thermal throttling was close to the S21 in the first half of this test.

Gaming – BrightRidge

Throughout most of my tests, the OnePlus has just been better mannered. In a brief gaming run through Brightridge, the frame rate is very similar to what the S21 was capable of. The 9 Pro exhibited fewer performance swings however, and the intro exploration maintained a more consistent frame rate than on the Galaxy.

This is a really “PC” style game, and we now have phones that can put out 60FPS with all the eye candy at max settings.

Gaming – Undead Horde

A test I’m leaning on harder for thermal performance, Undead Horde is a cute unit management game. It’s harder for phones to keep up with as the unit count climbs higher and higher as you get into the game.

The S21 really struggled to maintain a fluid frame rate. The game would spike and drop, which was not only noticeable but distracting while playing. At the end of about 30 minutes of play, the S21 was putting out a frame rate nearer a phone from 2018.

The OnePlus 9 Pro has no such issues.

While getting warm to the touch, the phone maintained high 50’s the entire 30-minute run. The only small dips you see are in dialog sections where the game changes the view and the frame rate naturally drops. Even under more demanding load, fighting many enemies, the game never chugged.

This is very encouraging.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is a next gen High Performance Phone

At the end of my S21 review, I couldn’t completely pin down whether the issues I experienced were because of Qualcomm’s SOC or Samsung. The SD888 is a more powerful SOC. Getting that power applied to a real app seems to require more consideration.

Viewing tear downs, it doesn’t seem Samsung has applied as much care to thermal hardware as OnePlus has. The 9 Pro is just as capable in a short sprint, and better mannered in longer use.

There are still some concerns with this new powerhouse chip from Qualcomm. It’s extremely thirsty, and maintaining a higher range of performance means more sustained power draw.

It’s also worth considering individual apps and tasks that have yet to be optimized for this new SOC. If you edit in KineMaster, you’re not likely to see much difference in performance between 2020 phones and 2021 phones.

I am happy to see OnePlus deliver here. The brand has a reputation for making snappy high-performance devices, and the 9 Pro maintains that rep. The SD888 can be a bit of a “diva”, but it seems a manufacturer properly building a phone around those higher thermals will realize better performance improvements.

The price to performance here is interesting.

The OnePlus 9 Pro with 256GB of storage is roughly $20 more than the S21+ when you match the storage. Considering the higher resolution display, 50% more RAM, larger main camera, larger ultra-wide camera, faster wired and wireless charging, and the Warp Charger in the box, OnePlus is making a strong premium phone argument while still delivering competitive pricing.

OnePlus is offering more phone for the price, and that phone performs better.