Hasselblad camera phones are here as OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are launched!

OnePlus previously announced it would be launching the OnePlus 9 Series, featuring cameras that benefit from its new partnership with Hasselblad. Now, we know exactly what that means, with the iconic camera brand’s imaging smarts and experiences distilled across two new smartphones, the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro.

Off the back of a relatively successful 2020 with OnePlus launching the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8T, the OnePlus 9-series is a marked step up in both the premium and premium-ish space.

Starting with the OnePlus 9 Pro, the high-end flagship features a 6.7-inch Quad HD Dynamic AMOLED screen to show off those Hasselblad tuned photos. OnePlus screens are great, and on paper, the latest Pro keeps the tradition going, with curved glass, an A+ Display Mate rating, 525PPI clarity, and a silky smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.  

• Read more OnePlus 9 Pro review  • OnePlus 9 review

As for the cameras, the OnePlus 9 Pro supports 120fps 4K footage or 30fps 8K footage, with the main sensor, a custom IMX 789, co-engineered with Sony at the helm. With a 48MP resolution, OIS, and an f/1.8 aperture, on paper, it’s all very familiar, but with headline-grabbing features, including 12-bit raw photography, and that high fps/resolution capture, not to mention Hasselblad tuning, it could be a contender for best camera phone of 2021.

The OnePlus 9 Pro’s ultrawide camera is pretty special too, with the same Sony IMX 766 sensor found on the OPPO Find X3 Pro. Combined with a freeform lens, it has a mighty 50MP resolution, and OnePlus promises minimal edge distortion as a result. 

So where does Hasselblad fit into the mix? OnePlus worked to incorporate the camera maker’s Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad into both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. 

In order to achieve this, the brands toiled at a chipset level to tweak image processing. Additionally, Phocus Mobile, Hasselblad’s mobile experience for iPhone has been brought over to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro’s pro mode, complete with an orange shutter button, and Hasselblad’s trademark shutter release sound.

Less headline-grabbing, but still competent, the OnePlus 9 Pro gets you closer to subjects with a 3.3x zoom equivalent and a telephoto camera. 

Fitted with a 4500mAh battery, it charges at up to 65W with OnePlus’s Warp Charge 65T, getting you from zero to 100 percent in just 28 minutes — incredibly fast. The OnePlus 9 Pro also supports the fastest wireless charging we’ve used, with up to 50W Warp Charge Wireless 50, getting you a full Qi wireless charge in just 43 mins.

Moving onto the OnePlus 9, and it’s still a powerhouse with Hasselblad powered imaging, though packs a few less premium features. Its large 6.5-inch, AMOLED display still delivers a 120Hz refresh rate, and with Snapdragon 888 power and, 8/12GB RAM and 128/256GB storage, there are no compromises on the performance front. It does however sport fewer cameras, and a fiberglass polymer frame, which makes for a lighter in-hand feel than the Pro.

The OnePlus 9 sports an IMX 689 main sensor (as found on the OnePlus 8 Pro and OPPO Find X2 Pro), and the same ultrawide as the 9 Pro — a Sony IMX766. With the same 65W fast-charging 4500mAh battery as the Pro, it charges quickly. With wired charging too, it’s the first OnePlus series to include cable-free charging across both Pro and vanilla variants. Though the non-Pro version charges at a slower 15W wireless. 

The OnePlus 9 will be available in Pine Green, Stellar Black, and Morning Mist, in two RAM/storage options: 8GB RAM, 128GB (£629) storage or 12GB RAM, 256GB storage (£729). 

If you want to go Pro, you can buy the OnePlus 9 in Astral Black, Arctic Sky, and Winter mist, with 8GB RAM, 128GB storage (£829) or 12GB RAM, 256GB storage (£929), available online from OnePlus from April 2021.  

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