OnePlus will launch its latest flagship smartphone – the OnePlus 9 5G series – on March 23 at a launch event at 09:00. And when the phones make their debut, they will pack cameras set up by 180-year-old Swedish camera maker Hasselblad.
“With OnePlus’ leading hardware and computer photography and Hasselblad’s rich aesthetic knowledge in traditional photography, I am confident that the OnePlus 9 series will be a major leap forward in our ability to deliver a premium, flagship camera,” he said. Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus, said in a press release.
The news about the partnership will not surprise the fans of the company so much: images of an unknown OnePlus device with Hasselblad brands have been circulating for weeks. Recently, OnePlus shared a number space themed teasers which obliquely refers to the transaction. (Hasselblad has provided NASA with cameras for space use for decades, including the venerable Hasselblad 500ELs that landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.) But what does this deal actually mean for the OnePlus camera experience?
To begin with, the OnePlus 9 series should benefit from ‘advanced color calibration’ developed jointly by the two companies. Short story short, users should expect more accurate, natural colors in photos taken with the OnePlus 9 Pro and beyond. And since Hasselblad deals almost exclusively in pro-grade medium-format cameras, it is perhaps natural that special attention was given to the Pro mode of the OnePlus 9 series. In addition to typical features like direct control over ISO, focus, exposure time, and more, the Hasselblad Pro mode can also shoot photos as 12-bit RAW files and work with an editing interface inspired by Hasselblad’s own Phocus image processing program. Meanwhile, at the front of the video, OnePlus says the Hasselblad cameras offer ‘enhanced’ HDR video recording, plus support for 4K 120FPS and 8K 30FPS recording.
Hasselblad is aside, the OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to ship with four rear cameras, and the company announced some new details about it this morning. The main camera of the phone uses one of Sony’s new IMX789 sensors, which we heard was specially developed for the upcoming OPPO Find X3. (Given OnePlus’ joint parenting with OPPO, this really should not be a shock.) OnePlus has also confirmed that its latest ultra-wide camera will use a so-called ‘freeform’ lens – as seen on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro + – that and eliminates barrel distortion except in those spacious photos.
With all this in mind, there are a few things that are remarkable. Despite OnePlus’ embrace of spatial images in its recent teasers, the company for the first time made no mention of a Pixel-like astrophotography mode. What’s more, Hasselblad’s agreement with OnePlus will last three years and it’s unclear how OnePlus’ approach to color science could change after the partnership expired. And this is not Hasselblad’s first attempt to have a smartphone partnership – he years ago created a separate 12-megapixel camera with Motorola that is magnetically coupled to Moto Z smartphones. (Spoiler alert: this was just fine.)
As it turns out, the OnePlus 9 is only part of the company’s plans to set new standards for smartphone photography. Over the next three years, OnePlus pledged $ 150 million to “further develop” four camera research and development centers around the world, as well as to experiment with new camera components and technologies to launch in future devices. Currently underway: the development of panoramic cameras with a 140-degree field of view and new lenses to improve the autofocus for selfies, although the company quickly noticed that its efforts could go far beyond these projects.
OnePlus cameras have gradually improved over the years, but so far they have lagged behind with competitive offerings from companies like Samsung and Apple. With this multi-year deal, OnePlus looks set to dramatically improve its photography game, but we now view it as cautiously optimistic. With any luck, the company’s launch event on March 23 will have many examples – and more juicy details about the Hasselblad agreement – that we can pore.