How do the new OnePlus 9’s Hasselblad-tuned cameras stack up against its predecessors, the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8? We find out in a side-by-side comparison.
The just-launched OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro have great specs and features, but the real advancement is OnePlus’ much-touted partnership with famed camera company Hasselblad to improve the new phones’ photo capabilities. So how superior are these photos compared to those taken by last year’s OnePlus phones? Since we’re a year or two out from OnePlus phones packing Hasselblad lenses, we’re solely comparing software here: the OnePlus 9 benefits from Hasselblad’s color correction. Ideally, this results in more true-to-life colors in photos, and our initial experience verified those claims. But we wanted to see exactly how the new phone’s cameras compared to its older predecessors. Read on for side-by-side comparisons between shots taken by the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 8T (released in October 2020), and OnePlus 8 (released in April 2020). We’ll primarily be comparing the main cameras: the OnePlus 9 packs a 48MP f/1.8,1/1.43” 1.12µm lens, while the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 have the same 48MP f/1.8 1/2.0” 0.8µm with OIS. But since the software applies to the front-facing camera, too, we’ll compare the selfie lenses as well: all three phones use the same 16 MP, f/2.4,1/3.06″,1.0µm shooter. If you needed a TL;DR, it’s this: across the board, the OnePlus 9 took the most balanced and sharply-detailed photos of the bunch, with the OnePlus 8T retaining some of that but having a more flattened palette. The OnePlus 8 produces much more vivid colors by default, but these feel excessively saturated in comparison, and consequently a lot of dark segments lose detail in deep shadow.
