It is not necessary to reiterate once again how much the photographic sector is the key aspect of each new smartphone that is presented. The new top of the range of OnePlus, which indeed presents itself with a luxury collaboration in the photographic field. The new line OnePlus 9, in fact, he was able to count on the agreement with the Swedish Hasselblad. And it is for this reason that the first approach with the OnePlus 9 Pro is the camera test.
Starting with the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro models and for the next three years, the two companies will collaborate to improve the photographic sector. It is no coincidence that an important investment has been made: we are talking about 150 million euros dedicated to research and development in the photographic sector.
OnePlus 9 Pro, the camera test
The first results born of this collaboration are precisely this new OnePlus 9 Pro and its younger brother OnePlus 9. For these two devices, the collaboration was limited only to the software part and in particular to theoptimization of color rendering. This is precisely one of the aspects for which Hasselblad is very recognized thanks to its Natural Color Calibration. In practice, each of us visualizes color and hue in a subjective way, but in reality they are always controlled by the same factors: for example the size of the pixels or the number of bits per color channel.
Without getting into too many technicalities it means that a certain color is always the same, but that the human eye may not process it in the same way. Hassleblad therefore created the Natural Color Calibration to offer the maximum accuracy in color rendering and maximum uniformity regardless of the type of tool with which the image is captured. It must be said, however, that this is not a solution adopted only by the Swedish company, because all camera and smartphone manufacturers have something similar. At the same time, Hasselblad's faithful color reproduction has always been recognized by all.
This feature has also been reported on this OnePlus 9 Pro and the uniformity of the yield between the various sensors is evident. Basically what happens is that color calibrations are carried out, based on the standard set by Hasselblad, before being able to see the image taken. But before talking about the results, let's see the technical features that accompany the cameras of the new OnePlus 9 Pro.
Technical features
The photo module of OnePlus 9 Pro consists of 4 rear cameras and the 16 megapixel front hole. As for the rear module, instead, let's start with the ultra-wide-angle camera, based on the Sony IMX766 sensor (the same seen on OPPO Find X3 Pro) and equipped with a FreeForm target, which with its particular structure considerably reduces optical distortions. The equivalent focal length is 14mm, with a fixed f / 2.2 aperture.
Next is the main camera, for which OnePlus has opted for Sony's IMX789 sensor from 48 million pixels. It differs from its brother OnePlus 9 for the presence of an optical stabilization. Compared to most of the competition we are faced with a wider-angle lens, with a 23mm equivalent focal length. With this sensor it is also possible to shoot in 12-bit Raw, to record video in 4K at 120fps and to take advantage of the dual native ISO. Also fast focusing and good noise resistance in low light conditions.
The third camera aboard the OnePlus 9 Pro is the 8MP telephoto lens resolution and focal length equivalent to 77mm (3,3x) with optical stabilization. In digital the zoom can be pushed up to 30x.
The sensor closes the photo module monochrome from only 2MP, which in theory should lead to greater detail working in tandem with the main sensor and which allows you to take advantage of the tilt-shift mode. In reality these improvements are not noticed and the mode for the miniature effects is perplexing. Could this be just another attempt after the last model's IR camera? Personally, I found that type of choice more interesting.
OnePlus 9 Pro, the camera interface
The hand of Hasselblad from a hardware point of view is not there, as already mentioned the first fruit of the collaboration is only on the software side. It is therefore time to see how this OnePlus 9 Pro performed in the photo review.
The interface is beautiful and clear and for the more attentive to details the choice to use Hasselblad's orange for the shutter button and other small details is appreciated. Among the functions that can be selected, one that I particularly appreciated is the focus peaking. By activating this option we can immediately view the areas of focus, also speeding up shooting operations.
The color rendering should be the strong point of the images made for this review with OnePlus 9 Pro, as well as the uniformity of the results obtained. Indeed it is, despite a slight tendency towards cold tones and an excessive overexposure of the shadows. Especially this second aspect could be counterproductive in some cases by increasing the noise in the image. But overall the results are certainly appreciable, especially when you rely on the format 12-bit RAW and then to Pro shooting mode.
With photographs taken from smartphones it often happens to notice big differences between what we see on the device display and what we see when we bring the images back to a computer. What amazed me the most is just how the tonal rendering is excellent even when opening files in Photoshop and not just an optimized display.
The colors and saturation of photos taken with OnePlus 9 Pro are very faithful and regardless of the camera with which you shoot. As with all Android devices there is a slightly too marked contrast, but if it is not necessary to make crops it does not represent a problem for the final quality of the photograph.
Ultragrandangolare 
Main camera 
Telephoto
As you can see from the images above, the colors are very similar and with shades quite close to each other. Only the main camera offers greater richness from this point of view, but at the same time it is also the one on which the tendency to cold is most evident.
It is also evident that the ultra-wide-angle camera has excellent control over distortions. Sure, they're not entirely absent, but seeing the building on the left edge of the frame without warping means it's FreeForm optics does its job very well. Almost surely one of the best ultra wide-angle cameras on the market today.
As for the telephoto lens, however, the yield at 77mm equivalent is good. Not too much contrast, sharp details and controlled noise. But as soon as we try to go further by using digital magnification, things get worse quickly. But that's exactly what happens with all smartphones.
In low light conditions and especially at night we can activate the dedicated mode. As with all other smartphones on the market it comes added brightness where there is none and at the same time the noise is controlled quite well. Taking advantage of a small tripod and the Pro mode, however, will certainly lead us to better results, but for those who are not very practical, the night mode still offers good results.
The portrait mode
Among the various modes present on OnePlus 9 Pro, the one dedicated to the portrait is the one that today struggles more to offer results up to the others. In fact, the detachment between the subject and the rest of the scene is too evident, the transition is not gradual as it now happens with almost all the other top of the range on the market. Ok, both Samsung S21 and iPhone 12 Pro Max, to give two random examples, cost a lot more, but it was legitimate to expect a more precise result.
Pro mode 
Portrait Mode
Obviously once again by switching to Pro mode we can overcome this problem and get excellent portraits even with the camera of this OnePlus 9 Pro.
OnePlus 9 Pro camera test: the conclusions
The agreement between OnePlus and Hasselblad has certainly already brought the first results. I'm not here to judge this smartphone as a whole, just the camera. And on this point there is no doubt, the results obtained are really close if not already up to the top of the range of other brands. If these are the foundations for the developments of the next generations of OnePlus on which Hasselblad will also work on the hardware side, the prospects for the company are rosy. As I said, there are also aspects on the software side to be reviewed, functions to be implemented, but if we consider this OnePlus 9 Pro as the first of a new generation, the Chinese company can be very satisfied.
Discount
OnePlus 9 Pro 5G Smartphone Con Fotocamera Hasselblad, 12 GB...
- 48MP main camera, 50MP Ultra Wide-necked camera, Telephoto and Monochrome - Developed in collaboration with ...
- Perfection in Motion - 8K + 4K 120 fps slow-motion video recording.
- Fluid 2.0 Display - 6.7 "Smart AMOLED Display with LTPO technology, power consumption is reduced by more than 50% ...
To find out more details just visit the company's website.
