OnePlus announced that it has entered into a three-year partnership with Hasselblad to “co-develop the next generation of smartphone camera systems” for flagship OnePlus devices. The first to benefit from this partnership, the OnePlus 9 Series, will be launched on March 23.
Hasselblad has been involved in expanding its brand outside of its own devices, with mixed results. The $ 250 Hasselblad True Zoom camera for the Motorola phone series that accepted “Moto Mods” was a disadvantage to image quality, especially considering the volume it added to the device, but the Hasselblad brand camera on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is amazing. It is not entirely clear how much Hasselblad actually had on any of these devices, however. Based on this OnePlus announcement, this is not just a licensing agreement: this partnership is being marketed as a true collaboration.
As part of the team, OnePlus and Hasselblad will completely renew the camera interface for OnePlus devices, which will be called the Hasselblad Camera for mobile.
“The partnership will continue to evolve over the next three years, starting with software improvements, including color adjustment and sensor calibration, and extending to more dimensions in the future,” says OnePlus. “The two parties will jointly set the technology standards for the mobile camera experience and develop innovative imaging technologies, while continuing to improve the Hasselblad camera for mobile devices. Both companies are committed to providing immediate benefits to OnePlus users, while continuously collaborating to further improve the user experience and quality in the long term. “
OnePlus says that the first and most technically challenging result of the partnership is the development of advanced color calibration. Called “Natural color calibration with Hasselblad”, the two companies have worked for months to check and adjust the color solution that OnePlus says will bring more perceptually accurate and natural-looking colors to photos taken with flagship OnePlus devices. Natural color calibration with Hasselblad will serve as the basis for OnePlus color calibration for your future smartphone cameras.
OnePlus is also integrating what is being called Hasselblad Pro Mode, which it calls “class-leading sensor calibration” for smartphones and supports up to 12-bit RAW photo capture. The result is what companies promise are incredibly accurate natural colors that will serve as a solid foundation for photo editing.
“Hasselblad Pro Mode has been revamped with a new user interface based on Hasselblad’s image processing software to give users an authentic and
feel, ”says OnePlus. “It also allows an unprecedented amount of control for professional photographers to fine-tune their photos, with the ability to adjust ISO, focus, exposure times, white balance and more.”
OnePlus will also invest $ 150 million over the next three years to develop its mobile imaging capabilities. This investment will go towards the future development of four major research and development laboratories worldwide, including two in the United States and Japan. The company is also a pioneer in new areas of smartphone imaging technology, such as a panoramic camera with a 140 degree field of view, what is called “T-lens technology”, which is supposed to allow ultra-fast focus with the front camera, and what is called “free-form lens” that virtually eliminates edge distortion in ultra-wide photos and will be presented for the first time on the OnePlus 9 Series later this month.
While exactly what to expect from the launch of the OnePlus 9 Series is still under wraps, the OnePlus announcement confirms Hasselblad’s involvement in the system, which leaked in early February. To provide a little more information on what to expect, OnePlus has announced that the Series 9 will use a custom Sony IMX789 sensor for what it is calling “the largest and most advanced main camera sensor ever on a OnePlus device”. As mentioned, it will be able to record in 12-bit RAW – therefore, receiving up to 64 times more color than before – and will support up to 8K at 30 frames per second and up to 4K at 120 frames per second of video.
With this announcement, OnePlus joins Vivo with a partnership with a well-known camera or lens manufacturer in the development of imaging systems for mobile devices. In 2016, Huawei announced that it would partner with Leica to bring advances to its devices, similar to what Vivo and OnePlus promised. Huawei is currently struggling due mainly to a ban on trade with the United States, allowing BBK Electronics – the parent of Vivo, OnePlus and Oppo – to conquer most of the Chinese market. With Vivo’s partnership with Zeiss and now OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad, BBK is ready to expand this domain internationally.
OnePlus will officially announce the Series 9 on March 23 at 7 am Pacific Time, here.
Image credits: Background of the header image by Dell640 in Deposit Photos.