OnePlus 9 Pro leak reveals Hasselblad cameras to fight Samsung Galaxy S21

(Epitome credit: Dave2D/YouTube)

Back in December, it was reported that OnePlus would be getting external help from Leica with its photography for the OnePlus 9 lineup. Simply it turns out that the company is turning to another make for camera co-development.

Leaker Dave2D has now produced legit-looking images of another prototype 2021 OnePlus device — this time the OnePlus ix Pro. The camera hump on the back clearly has the Swedish photography practiced Hasselblad logo in between its four lenses.

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There's not much else in the video about cameras, other than some screenshots showing a tilt-shift mode, and a iii.3x zoom (a minor upgrade on the OnePlus 8 Pro'south 3x equivalent.)

Notwithstanding, as Dave2D explains, this is quite a big deal for a number of reasons. Firstly, different the likes of Leica and Zeiss, Hasselblad doesn't do smartphone collaborations very oftentimes. Fans of MotoMods — the modular expansions for the Motorola Z family unit — may remember a $299 Hasselblad addition.

This move is somewhat unexpected, because OnePlus' sister company Vivo has previously worked with Zeiss. Y'all would assume that the existing relationship would brand Zeiss the natural partner for OnePlus in its bid to improve its photographic camera reputation, but obviously not.

Still, it'southward like shooting fish in a barrel to see why OnePlus would want a more premium partner. If you exercise a search for Hasselblad cameras, you'll discover medium cameras that routinely go into thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. And while nobody is suggesting the OnePlus nine Pro will be anywhere virtually as expensive, it'southward pretty clear that OnePlus is hoping that the make association volition make consumers feel more positive about the phone'southward photographic credentials.

That certainly matches the noise that OnePlus has been making. Merely last month, company co-founder Pete Lau was insisting that OnePlus would invest "huge resource" in upping its photographic camera game.

Of course, Hasselblad involvement isn't a guarantee that the OnePlus nine Pro will immediately meridian our list of the best photographic camera phones around, but it is a suggestion that OnePlus is taking photography seriously, and that's a positive, every bit that has historically been a mild weak spot in an otherwise fantabulous serial of smartphones.

We're expecting the OnePlus nine Pro to launch next calendar month aslope a regular OnePlus 9 and a OnePlus 9 Low-cal using last year's Snapdragon 865 processor (though that model may not be sold outside of Prc and India). If the previous leaks hold, we're optimistic that the OnePlus handsets will be up there alongside the all-time Android phones you can buy.

Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine also. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably notice him tackling his ever-growing games excess. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth fourth dimension.