The OnePlus 9 series (presumably the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro) will be released on March 23. But we don’t have to wait until then to unpack the cameras from the cameras – easily the most anticipated feature we’ve all been waiting for.
To no one’s surprise, OnePlus and CEO Pete Lau have reported details about the OnePlus 9 series cameras on Twitter. Here is everything we know about the cameras so far.
Co-developed by Hasselblad – We know that the OnePlus 9 phones will come with cameras co-developed by the Swedish photography company Hasselblad. OnePlus announced earlier this week that it has signed a three-year long-term partnership with Hasselblad to develop new camera technologies for its phones.
OnePlus says the OnePlus 9 series will have a “Hasselblad Pro Mode” with a “revamped user interface based on Hasselblad’s image processing software.” The settings confirmed in this Hasselblad Pro mode include controls for ISO, focus, exposure times, white balance, 12-bit RAW format and more.
Which image sensor does the OnePlus 9 camera use?
Sony IMX789 – Camera specifications have not mattered much in recent years, but the spec sheet is starting to become noteworthy again. The OnePlus 9 series will use a custom Sony IMX789 image sensor – the largest sensor that OnePlus has ever installed on a phone. The larger sensor not only means better photos in high resolution, but also enhanced photos in low light, thanks to the absorption of more light.
The 48 megapixel sensor will have 4K video recording cable at 120 fps and OnePlus confirmed recording 8K resolution video at 30 fps as well, although this may be unique to the OnePlus 9 Pro camera.
How will the image quality on the OnePlus 9 camera improve?
More realistic colors – Android phones are not known for their color accuracy. Although OnePlus has attenuated saturation on your phones compared to the more vibrant colors you get on Samsung Galaxy phones, they are still not as natural or realistic as the colors coming from an iPhone camera.
The Hasselblad team will fix things according to Lau. “A camera should always allow you to see the world in its natural colors,” Lau tweeted. “And this is one of the first things we worked on developing a new Natural Color Calibration with @Hasselblad.”
Included with the tweet is a photo that he claims was taken with the OnePlus 9 cameras. The photo is colorful and vibrant, but it is difficult to say how much editing was done and how much of the ambient lighting was controlled to produce this photo. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to testing the OnePlus 9 series cameras to see how natural colors really are in an unprofessional shooting setting.
How much resolution will the OnePlus 9 ultra-wide-angle camera have?
50 megapixel ultra wide-angle camera – Just a few years ago, ultra-wide cameras became a staple in smartphones. Since then, it has been a slow march towards improvements in image quality with phone cameras, improving the processing of sharper photos (especially in the corners and edges); increase the aperture to allow for better ultra-panoramic photos in low light conditions; and some ultra-wide cameras even have autofocus.
The official OnePlus Twitter account confirmed the ultra-wide camera in the OnePlus 9 series will have 50 megapixels of resolution. Lau followed up with a tweet and a sample image taken with the ultra-wide, high-resolution saying. Lau said the OnePlus 9 ultra-wide is “clearer and more true to the world around you”.
Fifty megapixels is an insane leap in detail. Compare that to the 12 megapixels on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, 12 megapixels on the Galaxy S21 Ultra and a 48 megapixel sensor with 12 megapixel image output by default on the OnePlus 8 Pro.
How will the ultra-wide camera be improved on the OnePlus 9?
Ultra-wide is a “free-form lens” that significantly reduces distortion from 10-20 percent to about 1 percent, according to GSMArena. Below you can find a video showing the distortion reduction on the Sony IMX789 image sensor.
Lau also confirmed that the ultra wide camera of the OnePlus 9 series will have the Sony IMX766 sensor, but will still have the reduced distortion of the IMX789. See these two photos he shared on Twitter:
Does the OnePlus 9 camera take better pictures at night and in low light?
We hope so. OnePlus’ Nightscape mode has gotten better and better with each new flagship phone and the new Sony IMX789 sensor and Hasselblad image processing, we hope night photography will get even better. It will be a big step back if it gets worse.
What are the specifications of the OnePlus 9 camera?
The full specifications of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro cameras have yet to be confirmed. Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 9 will have a triple-lens rear camera and the OnePlus 9 Pro will have a quad-lens rear camera.
The OnePlus 8 Pro has a triple lens camera with main wide angle lens, ultra wide angle lens and 3x telephoto lens. It also came with a “color filter” sensor. The OnePlus 8, on the other hand, has a camera system with a main wide-angle lens, ultra-wide-angle lens and 3x telephoto lens.
The OnePlus can include an updated color filter sensor or a macro lens for the OnePlus 9 Pro camera.
How many megapixels do OnePlus 9 selfie cameras have?
There’s even less information about the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro selfie cameras. From what we’ve seen floating around, the OnePlus will have a 16 megapixel selfie camera in the front through a perforated cutout, just like the OnePlus 8 series.
When will we know everything about the OnePlus 9 camera?
OnePlus will officially unveil the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro on March 23 at 10 am ET. We will have all the specifications and features of the Hasselblad camera then.
Where can I find an analysis of the OnePlus 9 cameras?
Like always, Input will have a review with detailed comparisons as soon as we put the phones to test in our hands. We will compare the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max, Galaxy S21 Ultra and OnePlus 8 Pro cameras. Stay tuned.