Leak: OnePlus 9 series' camera could fall well short in the zoom stakes

OnePlus is better known for its well-rounded, affordable flagships than it is for pure camera performance. Now, according to tipster Max Jambor, the OnePlus 9 series may not sport one of the hottest features in smartphone photography — a periscope zoom camera.

For fans of pocket zoom photography, it could be a big blow. Even if it sports a traditional zoom lens, the OnePlus 9 series may not boast as impressive a reach as devices from the likes of HUAWEI, Samsung, and OPPO. The Galaxy S21 Ultra sports high quality long-range zoom thanks to its redesigned camera array, featuring 3x telephoto and 10x periscope cameras. It’s highly unlikely that the OnePlus 9 would come close to this without periscope tech.

While Jambor doesn’t rule out the existence of a traditional zoom lens, there’s a chance OnePlus may ditch that feature too on the standard model. The OnePlus 8T swapped out the 3x telephoto snapper from the OnePlus 8 Pro for a 5MP macro shooter. Initial camera leaks pointed to two 48MP camera sensors on the OnePlus 9, with a third sensor possibly pulling monochrome or macro duty. However, we’re guessing that the OnePlus 9 Pro could retain a telephoto camera if it’s anything like last year’s model.

Despite the lack of a periscope lens, it’s possible OnePlus could be putting its resources into its primary and wide-angle cameras for the OnePlus 9.

OnePlus co-founder and CEO Pete Lau recently stated that the company will invest heavily in the camera hardware arena to bolster its imaging performance. Lau also admitted that he wants OnePlus to overthrow the competition to finish atop the camera charts in 2021. Whether this will be possible for the OnePlus 9 series without a periscope camera remains to be seen.