If rumors are correct, OnePlus will not work with camera experts Hasselblad on the OnePlus 15, despite close partner Oppo renewing the collaboration for the future. To help make its new camera stand out, OnePlus may lean into a new design for the module to catch our eye, according to speculation.
The OnePlus 13 has a distinctive circular camera module in the top left corner of the phone’s rear panel, with three cameras and a flash unit inside, giving it a uniform and attractive look. For the OnePlus 15, we should expect a square camera module, according to known industry insider Digital Chat Station.
In a post on Chinese social network Weibo, it’s written the camera will have a “square matrix” design, and house three 50-megapixel cameras, including a periscope zoom. Individuals commenting on the post point to the recent OnePlus 13S as evidence OnePlus is already experimenting with less rounded camera modules in its designs.
A really big screen too
Interestingly, it’s also rumored the OnePlus 15 will have a massive 7-inch screen, making it one of the first to use such a large screen on a “normal” smartphone, but the resolution is listed as only 1.5K, which is usually 2160 x 1440 pixels. Hardly low resolution, but a surprise not to see a full 2560 x 1440 pixels on such a large screen.
The note on the OnePlus 15’s potential design also mentions the screen will be flat. For a phone with a 7-inch screen to be manageable in-hand, OnePlus may be the next to tout razor-thin bezels as a design selling point, following on from the Meizu 22. Other possible specification details include 100W battery charging.
OnePlus has used a square design for its flagship phone in the past, with the OnePlus 10 Pro sporting a triple-camera setup inside a square module. However, it was never as stylish and modern as the subsequent square and circular shape used for the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 13 is the brand’s best-looking smartphone in years, and immediately breaking away from a design that worked, while at the same time integrating an enormous screen some may find challenging, is certainly courageous.
A new look for new branding
If OnePlus has lost its partnership with Hasselblad, a new camera design may help the brand launch its own camera technology, signaling a new beginning for imaging on a OnePlus flagship phone. Few have been through a camera partner breakup, with Huawei’s split from Leica being the most notable. It launched its own Xmage branding afterwards, while Leica went on to join Xiaomi, and the two still work together today.
It may not be long until we find out what OnePlus has planned for the OnePlus 15. Over the past few years, the company has staggered the release of its flagship phone, starting with China and then continuing with a global launch later on. The OnePlus 13 launched in China at the end of October 2024, with a global release in early January 2025.
If it follows a similar launch pattern this year, it may only be a few months until the OnePlus 15 launches in China. It’s worth remembering the information provided here, and those related to its partnership with Hasselblad, are still rumors and may not be accurate.
