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.
READ MORE: New OnePlus 9 5G leak bares it all |
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.