OnePlus has officially announced the end of its five-year partnership with Hasselblad – A collaboration that began with the OnePlus 9 series in 2021 and focused on integrating Hasselblad’s renowned color science with OnePlus’s computational photography capabilities.
As this chapter closes, the company is transitioning to develop its own proprietary imaging system, the OnePlus DetailMax Engine.
Why End the Partnership with Hasselblad?
According to the announcement, the partnership was always intended as a “planned chapter” that would serve as a learning experience. OnePlus describes the collaboration as “more than a partnership” but rather “a masterclass” that has permanently integrated Hasselblad’s refined aesthetic sense into the company’s imaging DNA.
The partnership delivered on its original objectives, with OnePlus expressing continued respect for Hasselblad’s craftsmanship. The separation comes at a natural transition point as OnePlus feels ready to leverage the knowledge gained over five years to pursue its own vision for smartphone photography.
How Does OnePlus’ DetailMax Engine Differ?
The DetailMax Engine is a shift from collaborative development to fully proprietary technology. Unlike the Hasselblad partnership, which focused on color science and aesthetic refinement, the new engine prioritizes what OnePlus calls “clarity and authenticity.” This approach emerged directly from extensive user research conducted globally over the past year.
The key differentiator is in the engine’s focus on detail preservation, particularly when users zoom into their photos. The company found that most users immediately “pinch to zoom” on their photos, making it a critical moment where camera quality is truly judged. The DetailMax Engine is designed specifically to excel in this scenario, promising “unmatched depth and realism” without the artificial enhancements that have become common in computational photography.
What Role Did User Feedback Play?
User insights proved pivotal in shaping OnePlus’s new direction. Through comprehensive interviews and focus groups worldwide, OnePlus discovered that users consistently prioritized images that are “clear and real” over technical specifications or features. This revealed that while consumers may not understand technical jargon, they instinctively know when a photo looks authentic versus artificially enhanced.
This user-centric approach marks a departure from the industry trend of heavily processed computational photography. OnePlus explicitly distances itself from features like artificial moon enhancement, instead focusing on capturing and interpreting more data to present scenes “as they truly are, without over-beautification or distortion.”
How Does This Impact Smartphone Photography Evolution?
The company notes that computational photography has evolved beyond creating artificial enhancements to genuinely improving image capture through better processing power and algorithms. This enables manufacturers to capture and interpret vastly more data while maintaining photographic authenticity.
The move also suggests increasing confidence among smartphone manufacturers to develop proprietary imaging solutions rather than relying on external partnerships. The decision to internalize imaging development could inspire other manufacturers to pursue similar independence, potentially reshaping competitive dynamics in the smartphone camera market.
What’s Next for the Mobile Photography Landscape?
OnePlus remains open to future collaborations, stating they are “open and excited to new opportunities, whether in imaging or reimagining what’s possible for mobile photography.” This suggests that while the Hasselblad chapter has ended, OnePlus isn’t ruling out partnerships that align with their evolving vision.
Its emphasis on user-driven development and authentic image capture could influence industry standards, as consumers become more discerning about the quality of smartphone-captured images. The company’s commitment to delivering “the clearest and most real photos on a smartphone” sets a benchmark that competitors may need to address.
Given that OPPO just extended its own Hasselblad partnership last July, how will this affect the dynamics between these sister companies? We’re bound to find out.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
