Has OnePlus really ended its Hasselblad partnership, or is it just rebranded: DetailMax Engine presented

Vivo has Zeiss, Xiaomi has Leica, Oppo and OnePlus had Hasselblad – recently, it became known that OnePlus has effectively ended its camera partnership with Hasselblad (while Oppo has already extended it).

But is that really so, people wonder. Recently, an interesting discussion popped up at the OnePlus Community, where the DetailMax Engine, an in-house imaging system, was introduced.

The five-year history is now history

The thread discusses how OnePlus has officially announced the end of its five-year collaboration with Hasselblad, closing a chapter that began with the OnePlus 9 and continued through the OnePlus 13 series.

The partnership was a major step for OnePlus, bringing Hasselblad's expertise in color science and image tuning to its smartphones.

Looking ahead, OnePlus is shifting focus to its own in-house system called the DetailMax Engine. This new platform is designed to prioritize realism, with an emphasis on sharp details, natural colors, and minimal "beautification" filters. According to the company, DetailMax represents years of development and is meant to give OnePlus greater control over the camera experience.

The upcoming OnePlus 15 will be the first device to debut this new imaging engine. While the Hasselblad name will no longer appear, OnePlus has said the collaboration leaves a lasting legacy in its approach to color accuracy and photographic style.

The big question now is whether DetailMax can not only match but also surpass the Hasselblad-era cameras, delivering the kind of results that will keep long-time fans and mobile photography enthusiasts impressed.

The OnePlus members' doubts

OnePlus community members have been weighing in on the changes with a mix of curiosity and cautious optimism. Some suggest that the new DetailMax Engine may be more about branding than a complete technological overhaul, noting that Oppo is keeping its own Hasselblad partnership and speculating that OnePlus could still be using licensed Hasselblad tech behind the scenes.



Questions also arose about whether DetailMax might share elements with Oppo's new Lumo Engine, highlighting the potential overlap between the two companies' imaging developments.

Others expressed confidence that the new engine could perform as well – or even better – than the Hasselblad collaboration. Users pointed to impressive results from midrange OnePlus phones, like the Nord 5, and speculated that a flagship device with DetailMax could produce exceptional image quality.

Some feel that OnePlus has likely absorbed all the key lessons from Hasselblad and no longer needs the partnership to deliver professional-level photos. The only noticeable differences could be the absence of specific Hasselblad filters and features like X Pan mode.

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