OnePlus 9 Pro has high ambitions. With this model, the manufacturer is trying to become one of the leaders in mobile photography. Proof of this is the cooperation with Hasselblad, which is a world leader in the sensor segment.
OnePlus 9 Pro has quality sensors and cooperation with Hasselblad
The novelty builds on the proven combination of the main sensor with optical image stabilization, telephoto lens and ultra-wide angle lens. This trio is complemented by a monochrome camera with a resolution of 2 Mpix, which creates black and white photographs.
The high-quality camera set, in conjunction with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and software tuning from Hasselblad, looks great on paper. What is the reality? Let's look at that right now.
The famous YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss compare the camera in detail with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera. How did you do OnePlus 9? Although it has not surpassed the proven manufacturer, it is tighter than it might seem.
12 categories, one winner
The comparison was divided into twelve smaller categories and the phones competed in each. The winner was the one who won more of these categories. The first was to compare a number of different features that cameras offer. The winner was not found in this direction, because both models are literally loaded with different photo functions.
Macro photography and zoom clearly directed by Samsung
Both smartphones offer a dedicated macro mode and photos of both are high quality, but Samsung can focus at a shorter distance. Proximity capabilities are also on Samsung's side, but you could count on that. While the OnePlus 9 Pro offers a telephoto lens with 3,3x optical zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has two zoom lenses.
The telephoto lens can optically zoom in 3x and the periscope lens even 10x. In this respect, it is a clear win for Samsung. When directly comparing photos zoomed in 10 or more times, Samsung clearly leads. The question remains whether you really really need such an extreme zoom, you have to answer this question yourself.
The OnePlus 9 Pro camera also does not take a selfie
The selfie camera and video category is once again a clear win for Samsung. The new OnePlus still uses the old sensor with a 16 Mpix resolution and a significantly weaker dynamic range. On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 40 Mpix sensor with autofocus. His photos are better both day and night.
Video shot with a selfie camera is practically incomparable. 4K@60fps vs 1080p@30fps says it all. Samsung wins in resolution, frame rate, dynamic range and overall quality. Clearly. In the audio recording category, both models are similar, with similar quality. You won't have a problem with any of them.
The most important category, ordinary photography
Now, we come to the part where we talk about the middle ground. Comparison of main and ultra-wide angle sensors. This is the category where cooperation with Hasselblad should be most pronounced. Did it work?
Comparative photographs are in many cases almost identical. Equally sharp, very similar color rendering. OnePlus tends to spoil the darker (black) parts of the photo. In this case, black is far too black, so unnaturally. In more difficult situations, OnePlus often chooses a darker exposure.
Another difference is that OnePlus tries to sharpen every detail in the photo, while Samsung has no problem leaving the background area slightly out of focus. However, this focus on sharpening is not necessarily a bad trait. This is useful, for example, when shooting indoors, in low light. It is also worth mentioning that she herself application speed and photography is significantly better in the case OnePlus.
The OnePlus 9 Pro does not offer consistent results
The biggest problem is that the OnePlus 9 Pro can't be trusted. Sometimes you get a really great photo, other times you don't. Samsung is more consistent in this regard.
The ultra-wide angle camera takes very good photos. Compared to the main sensor, however, there is a significant difference in the colors in the photo. This is something that manufacturers are trying to avoid. Collaborating with Hasselblad should help with that, but it doesn't seem to help.
In portrait mode, Samsung wins again. Once again, we come to the conclusion that Samsung is consistent. In the case of OnePlus, up to three shots were sometimes needed to make a photo look good. The S21 Ultra also better recognizes what should be sharp and which part of the photo should be out of focus. Interestingly, although both models have telephoto lenses, they still rely on the main sensors to zoom in on portraits.
Video
For video, both smartphones are among the best. OnePlus sometimes overexposes the sky or underexposes darker parts of the image. Sometimes it even happened that OnePlus could not focus properly. But that doesn't mean the video from this smartphone is bad.
Both smartphones are capable of recording video in 8K resolution. In the case of Samsung, this is that it zooms in slightly closer to the scene, OnePlus has a wider angle of view. This means that 8K video is also more stable. Plus, it can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second.
OnePlus is very powerful in night photography. Photos are sharper and colors cooler, which is welcome at night. Both models offer a special night mode that can enhance photos quite well. According to YouTuber, OnePlus 9 Pro won this category.
OnePlus 9 Pro is a great photo car
At first glance, it might seem that Samsung is the clear winner. It is, but the difference is not as drastic as you might think. The OnePlus 9 Pro is still a great photo car, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a bit better.
When you take the price into account, OnePlus doesn't do badly at all. In the basic version with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, you can buy it from us for 929 euros, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra costs 1249 €.