I just wrapped up my epic triple comparison featuring Realme X2 Pro vs OnePlus 7T vs Mi 9T Pro. I had lot of fun making these videos, in part because I had so much to say about these phones. Each of these amazing devices bring so much to the table that I really feel I could pick any one of them and be satisfied with the hardware experience. Yet in these reviews I really tackle the question: is great hardware enough?

From a design perspective the Realme X2 Pro and OnePlus 7T seem to be “cut from the same cloth”. In the Realme X2 Pro (8/128 GB variant costs 3100 HKD / 400 USD) BBK Electronics and their subsidiaries clearly aim to deliver the best possible hardware at the lowest possible price. Big beautiful 6.5” AMOLED display? Check. Flagship features like 90Hz refresh rate and the latest Snapdragon 855+ Processor? Check. Great 4000 mAh battery capacity with even greater 30 minute 0-100% fast charging? Check. Its amazing to think that just 4 months ago the K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro (3500 HKD/ 450 USD) was in my opinion the best affordable flagship phone of 2019, and it would not be topped. And yet on paper the Realme X2 seems to now even surpass the Mi 9T Pro on value. So the winner of this showdown should be a forgone conclusion right?

Realme X2 Pro (Right), OnePlus 7T (Center) and Mi 9T Pro (Left). All of these phones shoot great images in most lighting conditions.

Spoiler alert, its not. And that is the crux of what I hope to express in this video series. There is no doubt we are seeing top design, display, performance, audio and camera specs from China OEM’s, but there is still something about OnePlus and their approach to Android software and optimization that they have yet to challenge. And yet this is very reason why even at a much higher price (5000 HKD / 600 USD) there is something so compelling about the OnePlus 7T. The experience of Oxygen OS 10.0 on this phone is so fast, so fluid and so intuitive I don’t want to put it down. Sure the hardware is great and I love it, but the software is even better. I have said it before and I reiterate it here: hardware is the thing that makes you fall in love with a phone, but software is what keeps you in love with a phone. With that said, after I woke up this morning and got ready to go I picked up two phones (as I typically do) for primary use today. One was my iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the other was the OnePlus 7T. Software truly is king.