OnePlus will unveil its latest smartphones – the OnePlus 9 5G series – during a launch event streaming at 9am in the east of March 23. And when these phones are launched, they will bring cameras set by Hasselblad, a 180-year-old Swedish manufacturer.
“With OnePlus’s first-rate computer hardware and photography and Hasselblad’s rich aesthetic knowledge in traditional photography, I’m confident that the OnePlus 9 Series will be a huge leap in our ability to provide a premium primary camera,” said the CEO of OnePlus, Pete Lau, in a press release.
The news of the partnership will not surprise fans of the company as much: leaked images of an unprecedented OnePlus device with the Hasselblad brand have been circulating for weeks. And more recently, OnePlus shared a series of space themed teasers that indirectly refer to the business. (Hasselblad has provided NASA with cameras for use in space for decades, including the venerable Hasselblad 500ELs that landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.) But what does this business really mean for the OnePlus camera experience?
To begin with, the OnePlus 9 series should benefit from the “advanced color calibration” developed jointly by the two companies. In short, users should expect more accurate, natural-looking colors in photos taken with the OnePlus 9 Pro and beyond. And since Hasselblad deals almost exclusively with professional-grade medium format cameras, it may be natural that special attention has been paid to the Pro mode of the OnePlus 9 series. In addition to typical features such as direct control over ISO, focus, exposure and more, Hasselblad Pro mode also allows users to take photos as 12-bit RAW files and work with an editing interface inspired by Hasselblad’s own Phocus image processing application. Meanwhile, on the video front, OnePlus says its Hasselblad-branded cameras will offer “enhanced” HDR video recording, as well as support for 4K 120FPS and 8K 30FPS recording.
Pieces of Hasselblad aside, the OnePlus 9 Pro is widely expected to come with four rear cameras, and the company revealed some new details about them this morning. The phone’s main camera will use one of Sony’s new IMX789 sensors, which we hear was tailor-made for the next OPPO Find X3. (Given OnePlus’ shared corporate ancestry with OPPO, this really shouldn’t be a shock.) OnePlus also confirmed that its latest ultra-wide camera will use a lens called “free form” – as seen on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro + – which and virtually eliminates barrel distortion in these spacious photos.
With all of that in mind, there are a few things worth noting. On the one hand, despite OnePlus’ adoption of space imagery in its recent teasers, the company made no mention of an astrophotography mode similar to the Pixel. Furthermore, Hasselblad’s agreement with OnePlus will last for three years, and it is unclear how OnePlus’ approach to color science may change after the partnership ends. And this is also not Hasselblad’s first attempt at a smartphone partnership – years ago, it teamed up with Motorola to create a separate 12-megapixel camera that magnetically connected to Moto Z smartphones. (Spoiler alert: everything was fine. )
It turns out that OnePlus 9 is just part of the company’s plans to set new standards for smartphone photography. Over the next three years, OnePlus has pledged $ 150 million to “further develop” four camera research and development centers around the world, as well as experimenting with new camera components and technologies to debut on future devices. Now on the agenda: developing panoramic cameras with a 140-degree field of view and new lenses to improve auto focus for selfies, although the company has been quick to note that its efforts can extend far beyond these projects.
OnePlus cameras have steadily improved over the years, but so far have lagged behind offers from competitors from companies like Samsung and Apple. With this multi-year agreement in place, OnePlus looks set to dramatically increase its photography game, but for now, consider us cautiously optimistic. With any luck, the company’s launch event on March 23 will have many sample images – and more interesting details about the Hasselblad deal – for us to review.