OnePlus 9 Pro topples Samsung Galaxy S21 with gamer-friendly, high-tech display

The OnePlus 9 Pro and its Fluid 2.0 display elbows rivals aside to offer low latency and variable refresh rate perfect for gaming

OnePlus 9 Pro
(Image credit: OnePlus)

The OnePlus 9 is being officially unveiled at a dedicated event next week, on March 23, but the company can't stop spilling the beans about its upcoming flagship, and one aspect of the device it's hyping up in the run-up to the reveal is the Fluid Display 2.0.

Building on the OLED Fluid Display that debuted with the OnePlus 7 Pro which featured a 90Hz refresh rate with QHD+ resolution, the OnePlus 9 Pro is ushering in a new age of panels for the flagships, which has been tested by DisplayMate and earned an A+ rating. The company doesn't often invest in official ratings; historically, its handsets haven't sported an IP68 water resistant rating, despite being water resistant, in order to save costs, but the OnePlus 8 Pro was the first to buck this trend. 

The OnePlus 9 Pro's Fluid Display 2.0 comprises of an LTPO panel with an adaptive refresh rate that can vary between 120Hz and as low as 1Hz and combines it with an improved touch response, which is great news for mobile gamers looking for low latency. The panel boasts a 360Hz touch sampling rate, which is higher than rival smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21's 240Hz, and even the new Asus ROG Phone 5 and its 300Hz touch sampling rate.  

If you're a mobile gamer diving into FPS titles, the 25-30ms latency reduction is going to make for more responsive controls, while the variable refresh rate will improve battery life for all users, regardless of the tasks the OnePlus 9 Pro is being used for. In fact, OnePlus says (via PCMag) that the Smart 120Hz display, as it's been dubbed, will reduce the power consumption of the screen by a whopping 50%. It's likely the OnePlus 9 will make it into our roundup of best gaming phones at this rate. 

The OnePlus 9 has five high-end features to offer to customers, with the company seemingly revealing each one of them as we head towards next week's event. So far, the new camera system and display have been covered, with three more key aspects to come, so stay tuned over the course of the next week for more official tidbits on the OnePlus 9 Pro. 

Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.