OnePlus 9RT HDR Overview: How Does It Feel To Watch Netflix In HDR?

The OnePlus 9RT is an excellent device with a great display that launched a few months ago. It’s a bit late to talk about the device’s display, but it’s essential. OnePlus did a great job with the phone’s display, but the OnePlus 9RT has HDR enabled, and it’s probably a mistake.

As we mentioned in our OnePlus 9RT review, the 120Hz display is excellent for daily usage. Likewise, it produces punchy colors and reaches a peak brightness of 1300 nits. Consequently, the overall experience is enjoyable, but HDR exists on the phone to ruin your experience.

Watching Netflix HDR content on the OnePlus 9RT

OnePlus didn’t mention anything about the HDR capabilities of the phone but left it enabled on the software. As a result, Netflix and YouTube show HDR quality options in their respective apps. However, the HDR quality is, you guessed it, all talk and no action.

While some popular reviews on YouTube revealed that the HDR experience while watching Netflix was great, it wasn’t.

Brightness, colors, and shadows were all over the place while playing HDR content on the phone. Here’s a shot of the OnePlus 9RT playing an HDR video on Netflix against another phone playing the same title in HD to give you a better understanding.

As evident as it is, the colors (not the saturation) and the shadows seem washed out. When it comes to dynamic range, you can easily spot the bad quality if you often watch Netflix on a good display.

The OnePlus 9RT’s HDR10 capability is nothing short of a cheap parlor trick, and it damages the overall experience of using the phone. OnePlus made a wrong move when it decided to implement the fake or inadequate HDR capability on the phone.

However, if you don’t watch Netflix on your phone that much, it won’t be an issue. With everything said, you shouldn’t expect any improvements over regular content while watching HDR videos on Netflix or YouTube.