If this OnePlus 15 camera leak is true, OnePlus might be making a critical mistake
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The OnePlus 13 is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Android phones available today — and for a multitude of reasons. Its design is great, performance is outstanding, and battery life is amazing. Unlike a lot of past OnePlus phones, the OnePlus 13's cameras are just as good (if not better) than the rest of its flagship competitors.
And that's why the latest OnePlus 15 leak has me worried.
Earlier this week, a well-known leaker teased a few details about the upcoming OnePlus 15, including the suggestion that the OnePlus 15 won't feature the Hasselblad camera partnership that has been on flagship OnePlus phones since the OnePlus 9 series. If true, it would mark a monumental change for OnePlus handsets — and it could ruin one of my favorite things about the OnePlus 13.
Hasselblad is what makes OnePlus cameras special
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Out of everything the OnePlus 13 gets right (which is a pretty extensive list), its camera system is one of the main reasons I've used the phone so much this year. That's partly due to the excellent camera sensors, but more so because of the Hasselblad integration.
OnePlus phones that utilize the Hasselblad partnership have a few camera tricks up their sleeve, but the most important thing is that they feature Hasselblad's unique color science and image tuning. And if you ask me, it's what makes OnePlus phones (particularly the OnePlus 13) so special.
We're at a point with smartphone cameras where image/color tuning is one of the biggest differentiators between which phone camera you choose. That's not to say camera sensor technology has plateaued, but what a company does with said cameras is becoming increasingly more important.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
For example, images captured with Google's Pixel phones have a distinct, flat appearance. There's often a lot of HDR post-processing that flattens shadows and reduces contrast. It's great if you want a super natural-looking photo, but they're often not very eye-catching. Samsung phones, meanwhile, often produce overly saturated and vibrant-looking pictures. It's not quite as aggressive today as it was a few years ago, but it's still there.
OnePlus cameras also have their own distinct look to them, and it's arguably my favorite of any Android phone available today. The Hasselblad tuning on the OnePlus 13 delivers punchy colors without going overboard. It's not afraid to retain a lot of shadows and contrast in a way you'd never see from a Google Pixel phone. Photos aren't always 100% true-to-life, but they almost always have a striking, eye-catching aesthetic.
I've included a few of my favorite examples above. I took all of these photos on the OnePlus 13, and each one stands out for different reasons.
I love the warm, golden color the sun casts on the grass in the first picture, plus the shadows created by the numerous trees. I also adore the zoomed-in photo of the budding tree branch. Between the stark white flowers, the shadowy branch, and the saturated blue sky, it's a gorgeous pic. The image of my dog sitting in the sun, with a dark shadow cast across part of his face? My Pixel 9 could never.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
XPan OnePlus 13 photo
And that's not to mention the Hasselblad-specific camera modes, my favorite being XPan Mode. I wrote an entire article about it earlier this year, but the gist is that it's one of the most unique camera modes available on Android today — and one of my favorite reasons to carry the OnePlus 13.
I hope OnePlus knows what it's doing
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
If OnePlus doesn't renew its Hasselblad partnership for the OnePlus 15, what's going to replace it? Word on the street is that OnePlus will launch its own 'image brand' alongside its next flagship, meaning that OnePlus would be in charge of all its own color science and image tuning. Furthermore, Hasselblad camera modes such as XPan and Master Mode would likely be discontinued.
Details on OnePlus's 'image brand' are still scarce, but if this is truly the route OnePlus has chosen, I hope the company knows what it's doing. Hasselblad's impact on OnePlus smartphones has been beyond significant, and the idea of it going away is worrisome.
I'm feeling nervous about the OnePlus 15 in a way I wasn't previously.
It's not that I don't trust OnePlus to create its own competent color tuning and camera modes, but when things are already working so well on the OnePlus 13, I don't like the idea of OnePlus throwing that all away and starting from scratch. It's also possible that OnePlus will be able to retain a lot of what it learned/designed during its time working with Hasselblad, and that this change (if it happens) won't have much impact.
We'll ultimately have to wait and see how this shakes out, but from where we're sitting right now, I'm feeling nervous about the OnePlus 15 in a way I wasn't previously. OnePlus has something good with the OnePlus 13 camera, and I really, really hope it doesn't throw that away with the OnePlus 15.
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