As the rumored March 2021 debut of the OnePlus 9 family inches closer, it increasingly appears that the company will miss out on one of the hottest camera technology trends once again. I am talking about periscope-style telephoto cameras or folded lens cameras. Yeah, the one with a rectangular lens opening that you’ve seen on the likes of Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Leakster Digital Chat Station, who commands a fairly accurate track record when it comes to Chinese smartphone brands, has tweeted (translated) that the OnePlus 9 series features a regular telephoto lens. He also added that multiple upcoming smartphones – likely referring to high-end devices – won’t feature a periscope camera system next year as well. 

https://twitter.com/StationChat/status/1343467211911004160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Another missed opportunity for OnePlus to up its camera game

If true, this would be a major disappointment for OnePlus loyalists, because camera prowess is one key area where OnePlus smartphones have customarily lagged behind Samsung and Apple’s offerings. In case you’re not familiar, a periscope-style telephoto camera system uses prisms to bend light and offers a much higher optical zoom range. In simple words, you can zoom in on objects much farther away compared to a regular telephoto camera without losing much in terms of detail.

However, the latest leak isn’t entirely shocking though. Leaked CAD-based renders that surfaced online last month also showed a quad-camera array at the back, but none of them had the signature rectangular lens opening of a periscope camera system. OnePlus’ Pro flagship for 2021 will likely be powered by Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 processor and will reportedly retain the 120Hz display as well. 

Notably, OnePlus is expected to shake up its smartphone portfolio once again next year by launching three smartphones in the core OnePlus 9 series. As per leaks, the upcoming trio will consist of the OnePlus 9, its Pro variant, and the OnePlus 9 Lite. The latter will reportedly draw power from the Snapdragon 865 processor and will likely be priced somewhere around the $600 mark.