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OnePlus confirms OnePlus 9 series launch date, Hasselblad partnership
- OnePlus will officially launch the OnePlus 9 series on March 23, 2021, at 10:00 AM ET.
- Additionally, the company confirmed the long-rumored partnership with photography company Hasselblad.
- OnePlus will reportedly invest $150 million over the next three years in its photography systems in partnership with Hasselblad.
The day OnePlus fans have been waiting for is finally here. Today, the company formally confirmed the launch date of its next flagship phone series. We can now happily report that the OnePlus 9 series will launch on March 23, 2021, at 10:00 AM ET. Mark your calendars! You’ll be able to watch the event here.
The company also confirmed what has been rumored for weeks: OnePlus is now working directly with Hasselblad on camera features within its phones. This partnership will result in the upcoming 9-series phones having photography features developed by the two organizations.
Hasselblad is one of the world’s most revered photography companies. In addition to creating highly-regarded modern camera systems, the company is also responsible for the camera hardware that captured the iconic shots of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.
This partnership is the manifestation of OnePlus CEO Pete Lau’s previous statements. Earlier this year, he had said that OnePlus would strive to be the number one smartphone photography brand.
OnePlus 9 photography specs and features
OnePlus will very likely wait until the March 23 launch event to fully explain the photography capabilities of the 9-series devices. However, it did divulge a few bits of info today.
Hardware-wise, the OnePlus 9 series will use a custom Sony IMX789 sensor. This would make it the largest main camera sensor on a OnePlus phone to date. It will enable 12-bit RAW shooting as well as capturing video in 4K at 120FPS or in 8K at 30FPS. OnePlus also confirmed on Weibo after the publication of this story that the sensor also will sport dual native ISO, full-pixel omnidirectional focusing technology, and real-time HDR video shooting.
Several software features created with Hasselblad will also debut on the 9-series phones. The most significant of these is Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad. As its name suggests, it aims to bring more accurate colors to photos and videos shot on OnePlus phones. The company says that this is “the most technically challenging” feature, which is why it is focusing on it first.
See also: We asked, you told us: Here’s how much cameras influence your phone purchase
OnePlus will also introduce a freeform lens with the 9-series. It could “practically eliminate” edge distortion in ultra-wide photos.
In the future, there will be a co-developed experience called Hasselblad Camera for Mobile. This would appear on future OnePlus flagships (but not the OnePlus 9 series, unfortunately). The company plans to invest $150 million over the next three years in the development of this system and its related features.
Finally, OnePlus hopes to eventually create innovative new imaging experiences for its phones. These could include a panoramic camera with a 140-degree FoV, T-lens technology for faster auto-focus within the front-facing camera, and more.
Stay tuned for March 23 when more will be revealed!