One of the most anticipated flagship launches this first quarter of 2021 is the OnePlus 9 Series. Last year, Carl Pei launched the OnePlus 8 Pro with the best specs you can ask for a top-end device. And while we were certainly impressed with the inclusion of IP rating and wireless charging, the cameras were still the Achilles’ heel of the phone. Leading up to the launch of the OnePlus 9, the company vowed (again) to make its cameras even more competitive, even if it means partnering with Leica.
The German-based camera manufacturer, Leica, has been partnering with Huawei for the P and Mate Series. Through that partnership, Huawei has dominated the best camera list of DxOMark, a separate entity that tests camera optics. With the smartphone company struggling to keep up with the challenges of being in the US’ entity list, there were rumors that OnePlus might partner up with Leica. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.Â
Dave Lee or better known as Dave2D in his YouTube channel, the tech content creator seemingly received a tip regarding the OnePlus 9 Pro. Based on the shared images, OnePlus is apparently partnering with Hasselblad instead. The Swedish medium-format camera maker previously worked with Motorola, launching a Moto Mod camera that allowed the partnering device to offer up to 10x true optical zoom in 2016. However, the zoom feature was definitely ahead of its time.Â
More on the leaks, the camera hump shows two large sensors, presumably for the main sensor and ultrawide or telescopic, with another small two lenses for portrait or macro. Other than the branding, another interesting feature is the use of a glossy back finish. After a few iterations of matte designs, it seems OnePlus is going back to being glossy (and smudgy).
We’re still a little over a month away from the OnePlus 9 launch and we expect more leaks to reveal as we get closer.Â
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