OnePlus dials Leica to help improve camera performance for its next flagship

OnePlus 8T
(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Smartphone brands often collaborate with other brands to come up with a co-branded device or to add value to their devices. One such common collaboration is seen in the camera department where smartphone makers along with camera or lens makers look to improve the camera performance.

We saw the good ol’ Nokia and Zeiss partnership during Nokia’s heydays and Huawei’s collaboration with Leica resulting in some amazing monochrome shots has been there since the last few years. Just the other day we had Vivo announcing a longterm partnership with Zeiss for obvious reasons.

Now it is being reported that even OnePlus is looking to rope in Leica for its upcoming smartphones. While a leakster has revealed that this partnership could be seen in the upcoming OnePlus 9 series, it is not known if it is a long-term collaboration or it’s one odd experiment.

OnePlus which has had stellar success due to its optimized user interface, devices with top-of-the-line specs, blazing-fast charging technology yet it’s the camera performance that has often been the weakest link when compared to the devices from Google, Samsung or Apple.

In a recent announcement, OnePlus’s CEO Pete Lau had confirmed that the company is looking to improve their smartphone camera both in terms of hardware and software. With flagship devices and the segment that the company focuses on, it is criminal to not have this gap covered.

Lau, without naming this partnership with the German company, had hinted that the company is looking to focus on improving photography on both - the flagship as well as the Nord lineup.

That said, there is no official communication from either side as of now and after the recent events that took place at OnePlus, it looks like the company is looking to ring in a string of changes which include a literal U-turn from its one-device-a-year policy.

It is also yet not sure if the Huawei-Leica partnership remains intact though with uncertainty looming large over Huawei's future, we may see OnePlus remaining the exclusive partner with Leica.

Jitendra Soni

Jitendra has been working in the Internet Industry for the last 7 years now and has written about a wide range of topics including gadgets, smartphones, reviews, games, software, apps, deep tech, AI, and consumer electronics.  

Latest in OnePlus Phones
OnePlus 13
OnePlus is ditching the Alert Slider for an iPhone-style customizable button - and I’ll be sad to see it go
OnePlus Open camera bump up close
Bad news: the OnePlus Open 2 won’t be released in 2025, OnePlus confirms
The Oppo Find N5 next to the Galaxy Z Fold 6
OnePlus Open 2 could make the Galaxy Fold 6 look old with invisible crease, according to new teaser
OnePlus 13R from the back
New OnePlus Mini 13 leak suggests its camera setup won't be as impressive as we thought
OnePlus Open
Oppo is launching the world's thinnest foldable in two weeks – and the OnePlus Open 2 should follow soon
OnePlus Open
The OnePlus Open 2 rumored to get a camera upgrade even the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't have
Latest in News
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Samsung's rumored smart specs may be launching before the end of 2025
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #386)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #1154)