OnePlus Drops Hasselblad for Its Own DetailMax Engine on OnePlus 15

OnePlus has officially confirmed the end of its camera partnership with Hasselblad, a collaboration that has been a staple of its flagship smartphones since the OnePlus 9 series. While the Hasselblad branding brought prestige, many users argued it was little more than a marketing exercise, with limited real-world impact on the camera experience.

Now, OnePlus is shifting focus toward its own proprietary technology – the newly announced DetailMax Engine – which CEO Pete Lau describes as ushering in a “new era of computational imaging.”

The DetailMax Engine is set to debut on the upcoming OnePlus 15 and promises advanced image algorithms capable of delivering photos with greater realism, depth, and nuance. Lau revealed that he has already tested an early prototype and claimed the results are impressive enough to rival what the Hasselblad collaboration offered. Still, skepticism remains among longtime fans. Many argue that Oppo’s involvement during the OnePlus 12 era was the real reason its cameras shined, and without that backbone, OnePlus risks sliding back into mediocrity reminiscent of the OnePlus 9 days.

The move is particularly interesting considering Oppo, OnePlus’s parent company, has extended its own deal with Hasselblad. That means we will still see Hasselblad-branded photography on Oppo’s upcoming Find X9 series, while OnePlus attempts to prove itself independent in the highly competitive smartphone photography race

. Some industry watchers compare DetailMax to Apple’s Deep Fusion or AI-powered tools like Topaz Photo AI, noting that OnePlus may simply be repackaging common computational photography techniques with its own branding.

For loyalists, the separation is bittersweet. On one hand, dropping the Hasselblad name removes the divisive orange shutter button and branding that some thought cluttered the design. On the other hand, Hasselblad’s Master Mode and color science, particularly on Oppo devices, gave advanced users more creative control. Whether DetailMax can replicate or even surpass that flexibility remains to be seen. OnePlus is entering a critical stage: either it delivers a camera breakthrough worthy of competing with Vivo, Samsung, and Apple – or it risks alienating its shrinking base of enthusiasts who already feel the brand has lost its original spark.