The OnePlus 9 series will be kicking off with Hasselblad-tuned cameras on March 23rd, the OnePlus CEO confirmed in a press release.
OnePlus 9 series with new Hasselblad camera
OnePlus has finally announced its long-rumored flagship OnePlus 9 series to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup. Moreover, the OnePlus 9 launch will happen on March 23rd with event live streaming from the company’s website. The new phones will release at 10:00 AM EDT, 14:00 PM GMT, and 19:30 PM IST.
Along with the release announcement, OnePlus has confirmed its partnership with Hasselblad to develop the camera system on the phones. The company has disclosed that it aims to invest over USD 150 million in the coming three years to further escalate its mobile imaging capabilities in partnership with Hasselblad. Hence we can see a Hasselblad-branded camera system on upcoming OnePlus devices as well.
Discussing the partnership, the company’s Founder and CEO, Pete Lau, said:
“OnePlus has always prioritized a premium user experience over everything else. Beginning in 2021, we are making a concerted effort to significantly improve the smartphone camera experience for our users, with the expertise of a truly legendary partner in Hasselblad. With OnePlus’ top-of-the-line hardware and computational 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.”
OnePlus Partnership
News of the partnership won’t be a surprise to the OnePlus fans. Some leaked images of an unreleased OnePlus phone featuring Hasselblad branding have been trending for quite some time. Also, OnePlus has shared many space-themed teasers that indirectly refer to the deal.
Through this deal, the OnePlus 9 series should avail “advanced color calibration” mutually developed by the two companies. Users should anticipate more accurate, natural-looking colors in pictures captured with the OnePlus 9 Pro and beyond. Since Hasselblad deals majorly in pro-grade, medium-format cameras, it’s probably natural that the OnePlus 9 series’ Pro mode got the additional focus.
Apart from the conventional features like direct control over ISO, focus, exposure time, the Hasselblad Pro mode also allows users to take photos as 12-bit RAW files and use an editing interface inspired by Hasselblad’s own Phocus image processing app. Meanwhile, according to the OnePlus, its Hasselblad-branded cameras will feature “improved” HDR video recording, as well as support for 4K 120FPS and 8K 30FPS recording.
The company will also open four big research and development labs worldwide. This would include two innovative labs located in the US and Japan.
It will also be groundbreaking “new areas of smartphone imaging technology for future OnePlus camera systems, such as a panoramic camera with a 140-degree field of view, T-lens technology for lightning-fast focus in the front-facing camera, and a freeform lens — to be the first introduced on the OnePlus 9 Series — that practically eliminates edge distortion in ultra-wide photos.”
