Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- OnePlus might finally fix the disappointing aspect of its flagships.
- It could finally bring the camera on par with other flagships, especially by including a 200MP primary sensor.
- However, it’s unclear whether this is for the OnePlus 16 or any other phone.
OnePlus’ parent company, OPPO, has recently made significant strides with its flagship Find X series cameras, from using a large 200MP telephoto sensor to supporting external zoom lenses on the phone. Unfortunately, OnePlus has been deprived of these features, with the camera especially sidelined to improve performance in the latest OnePlus 15 and 15R phones. This, naturally, has drawn much criticism, which OnePlus now appears to be preparing to tackle with the next flagship — most likely, the OnePlus 16. While the launch of that supposed phone is still several months away, we’re already seeing early leaks, starting with speculation about the camera.
Last month, leaker Digital Chat Station predicted that OnePlus’ next flagship would feature an upgraded 200MP primary camera. Now, another leaker, Yogesh Brar, is highlighting details about the other sensors in the phone’s camera setup. According to Brar, the 200MP camera on the said flagship is expected to be joined by two 50MP cameras. One of these 50MP units is a 3.5x telephoto, leaving us to deduce that the other is a 50MP ultrawide-angle camera.
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The OnePlus 15 features triple 50MP cameras, as did the previous OnePlus 13. However, when moving from the 13 to the 15, OnePlus downgraded all three cameras to smaller sensors and narrower apertures. It isn’t immediately clear whether the next flagship will retain the same downgraded sensor and lenses as the OnePlus 15. If it retains the same sensors, the only true upgrade would be the 200MP primary camera.
It’s also unclear whether this is indeed the OnePlus 16 or another OnePlus flagship in the works. The company is also rumored to be bringing a more premium version of the OnePlus 16 — likely a Pro or Ultra, and this improved camera setup could be seen on that instead. Currently, we’re unsure if OnePlus will release both the regular and a Pro, or just the latter.
It’s quite unlikely they are referring to the rumored OnePlus 15T, which is likely to be OnePlus’ next small phone.
Additionally, the leaker ends their post with “but,” leaving uncertainty about the camera system. While there are numerous possibilities, such as this camera being exclusive to China or being a mediocre 200MP from existing Android mid-rangers, we can’t ascertain what they are truly implying. We hope to learn more in the coming weeks and months as leaks about this OnePlus flagship gain momentum.
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