OnePlus Moves On from Hasselblad Partnership
OnePlus Moves On from Hasselblad Partnership
In a move that’s surprising but makes total sense, OnePlus has officially ended its imaging partnership with legendary Swedish camera maker Hasselblad — a collaboration that began back in 2021 with the launch of the OnePlus 9 series, and since then, slapped that iconic red “H” on every flagship’s camera module.
But don’t panic — this isn’t a step backward. If anything, it’s the start of something bigger… and possibly better.
🎨 “We Argued Over the Shade of Blue” — The Real Story Behind the Partnership
In a candid post on the OnePlus Community Forum, CEO and co-founder Pete Lau didn’t just announce the split — he paid tribute to what they built together. He highlighted their joint obsession with color science, which led to the creation of “Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad.”
And to give you a taste of how deep they went? He dropped this gem:
“We debated endlessly… over the right shade of blue.”
That’s the kind of nerdy, obsessive detail that made their camera tuning feel authentic. It wasn’t just marketing — they were sweating pixels.
🧩 Logo Here, Orange Button There… And Now? Everything’s Changing
The Hasselblad collab wasn’t just about tuning — it was baked into the experience. You saw it in the logo on the camera bump, the orange shutter button in the app, and even the subtle film-style UI touches.
But now? All that’s going away.
And OnePlus isn’t just filling the gap — they’re rebuilding the whole thing from scratch.
🔍 Meet “DetailMax Engine” — OnePlus’ Secret Weapon for Real, Raw Photos
Say hello to the OnePlus DetailMax Engine — their brand-new, in-house imaging system designed to capture photos “as they truly are,” without over-processing, fake sharpening, or artificial glow-ups.
Pete Lau describes it as built “from the ground up” to unlock the full power of computational photography — but with one crucial rule: no lies.
“The moment you zoom in on a photo, you’ll understand why I’m confident you’ll love the results.”
He promises “unmatched depth and realism” using advanced algorithms that capture more actual data — not just smarter filters.
🌙 And Yes… He Took a Subtle Shot at Samsung’s “Fake Moon”
Lau couldn’t resist dropping a quiet jab — and if you’ve been following smartphone camera drama, you know exactly what he’s talking about.
He made a point to say DetailMax will avoid “artificial enhancements,” like showing a “fake” moon.
That’s almost certainly a nod to Samsung’s 2023 moon photo scandal, where users proved the Galaxy phones were adding details that weren’t there — like taking a blurry picture of a moon image on a screen… and the phone “magically” returning a crisp, detailed lunar surface.
OnePlus is drawing a line: We won’t trick your eyes. We’ll show you what’s real.
📱 Coming Soon — Probably on the OnePlus 15 (Yes, They Might Skip 14)
The DetailMax Engine is still in early prototype phase — but don’t expect to wait long. It’ll almost certainly debut on OnePlus’ next flagship.
And here’s the twist: They might skip the “OnePlus 14” name entirely — jumping straight to “OnePlus 15.”
Why? History buffs will remember they did the exact same thing back in 2017, skipping the OnePlus 4.
The reason? In Chinese and several East Asian cultures, the number 4 sounds nearly identical to the word for “death” — and OnePlus, being deeply rooted in those markets, avoids it like bad Wi-Fi.
So… don’t be shocked if “OnePlus 14” never shows up. The number’s cursed. The camera? About to be reborn.
