Hello everyone,
Cameras haven't always been the strong point of OnePlus phones, and even though there is still a lot of room for improvement, the 8 Pro was the closest that the company has gotten to be considered in the same league as the industry's most promising flagships. More recently, OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau, has gone on record (multiple times) to say that 2021 will be a year when the company will “heavily invest on the camera” and the latest leaks are suggesting exactly that!
Youtuber Dave Lee/Dave2D dropped a massive bombshell when he published a new video over the weekend. In the video that you can watch below, he showed about a dozen hands-on pictures of an alleged OnePlus 9 Pro which he had received from an anonymous user on the discord server. It gives us a very good look at the device from all sides, and the design seems to be identical to the vanilla OnePlus 9 which had leaked earlier, so, while a grain of salt is still needed, this may be the real deal.
The latest leak, in the form of branding on the prototype, suggests that OnePlus won't take the easy road this time around. To up its camera game, the manufacturer is partnering with Hasselblad!
Image Credit: Dave Lee/Youtube
If that sounds unfamiliar, don't worry you're not alone! While their cameras have been on the Moon, they are neither a household name nor a primary choice when you're in the market looking for a new camera. More often than not, a medium format Hasselblad kit can easily cost more than a new car! So now you know, when Pete talked about “investing heavily on the camera”, it seems he wasn't kidding!
What does this mean for OnePlus flagships in 2021?
Normally, Hasselblad does not partner with smartphone manufacturers. The last time we heard them do anything with a smartphone it was as a moto mod and that too was a separate accessory altogether. But this isn't a mod, it's the camera unit on the OnePlus 9 Pro and it can go two ways. If we are being optimistic, this might be the year OnePlus will finally claim the crown for the best smartphone camera or it's going to be a mere marketing thing where it sounds great but may not work!
It's worth noting that this is not the first time an OEM is partnering with a camera manufacturer, and if we look back in time, brand collaborations are often a hit or miss. The Hasselblad branding doesn't immediately guarantee excellent image quality, but there is hope. Hope that the cameras on OnePlus devices will get better. All that's left is to see what comes out of this partnership, but I'm curious to hear what you think of this rumored partnership, do you think that this partnership will make OnePlus the smartphone camera king, or are you worried about it making a dent on your wallet?
Share your thoughts below!
