OnePlus to drop Hasselblad camera tuning, betting on in-house imaging engine: What it means

OnePlus is going to drop the Hasselblad camera tuning in favour of its own DetailMax engine. Here are the details.

If you have owned a OnePlus flagship in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed the prominent Hasselblad logo on the camera module. Since the launch of the OnePlus 9 series, every flagship from the company has carried the branding, marking a five-year partnership with the legendary camera maker. From the OnePlus Pro to the OnePlus 13, the Hasselblad name has been a constant. But with the upcoming OnePlus 15, likely skipping the “14” due to cultural reasons, that’s about to change. The OnePlus 15 will reportedly mark the end of the Hasselblad collaboration, with the company now preparing to stand on its own in smartphone imaging.

OnePlus 13 is going to be last number series flagship to sport the Hasselblad colour tuning.. (OnePlus)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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What is OnePlus’s next move?

Well, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the Hasselblad partnership with OnePlus is ending and that the company is working on its own imaging engine. This engine is going to be called the OnePlus DetailMax Engine.

“Now, we are building our own imaging engine, OnePlus DetailMax Engine, designed not just to capture the world but to reveal it in entirely real and clear ways,” he announced.

Reports suggest that it could debut as soon as the OnePlus 15. OnePlus claims that the DetailMax Engine is going to “deliver the clearest and most real photos on a smartphone, and it harnesses the full potential of computational imaging to present scenes as they are, without over-beautification or distortion.”

Lau added, “The moment you zoom in on a photo, you’ll understand why I’m confident you’ll love the results.” Pete Lau also confirmed that he himself is testing a prototype of the version and that the results are promising.

CEO thanks Hasselblad

Pete Lau also thanked Hasselblad for their craft and trust, saying the partnership was able to deliver on the promises and objectives that had been set. He added that the company is open and excited for new opportunities, whether in imaging or in reimagining what is possible for mobile photography.

Now, what did the Hasselblad partnership bring for OnePlus? Well, before the OnePlus 9, OnePlus was not particularly known for making the best cameras in the industry since the company went mass market. However, with the Hasselblad partnership, many were quick to point out that OnePlus’s colours were immediately better and the photos more detailed compared to before. Plus, with most manufacturers like Vivo going with Zeiss, Xiaomi going with Leica, and so on, it made sense for OnePlus to bring a big camera name from the industry for itself, and Hasselblad was just that.