In the past seven years, the smartphone industry has seen some incredible technological developments. The security is better, the batteries are more efficient and the displays offer improvements like high refresh rates. Still, these improvements pale in comparison to the changes in smartphone cameras. With the OnePlus 9 Pro being marketed so heavily for its photography prowess, I felt it appropriate to compare the brand’s latest flagship with the original 2014 flagship killer OnePlus One to see how far OnePlus’ camera technology has gone has evolved.
The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a custom 48-megapixel Sony IMX 789 sensor, while the OnePlus One comes with a 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor – the same sensor as the Google Nexus 6. There is already a large one out there Difference between the two phones on paper, which is due, however, for pixel binning, the OnePlus 9 Pro pumps out a 12-megapixel image in the standard setting. The pixel sizes of 1.12 µm are the same (without pixel binning), but the 9 Pro has a much larger 1 / 1.43-inch sensor compared to the old 1 / 3.06-inch sensor of the OnePlus One. The OnePlus 9 Pro also has other technological advances and comes with omnidirectional phase-detection AF, laser AF, and OIS, while the OnePlus One doesn’t have any.
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It should also be noted that this comparison is only made between the main cameras of these devices as the OnePlus One only has one lens. How far have OnePlus’ camera phones come in seven years? Check out some of the examples below to find out, or watch the video above to delve even deeper into the differences between the two phones.
Examples of OnePlus 9 Pro vs OnePlus One cameras
In almost every image produced by the OnePlus One, there is a general lack of contrast and details. The phone tends to produce an imprecise white balance that gives poor contrast and a green image. The OnePlus 9 Pro, on the other hand, produces images with excellent color accuracy, white balance and contrast.
Another critical difference is the amount of HDR in each of these images. The OnePlus 9 Pro produces consistently detailed images with a healthy amount of HDR. The images produced balanced highlights and shadows with good contrast. In comparison, the OnePlus One delivers images with little to no HDR, and even with a certain dynamic range, the OnePlus One tends to blow out the whites and destroy the blacks.
In theory, this should result in a higher contrast image, but the software processing on the OnePlus One still manages to raise the midtones of the images, which makes the general photo look washed out.
OnePlus One Camera Sample HDR OnePlus 9 Pro camera example HDR
OnePlus 9 Pro versus OnePlus One: The verdict
Recognition: Luke Pollack / Android Authority
After looking at these photos, I’m amazed at how much improvement has been made over the past seven years. The OnePlus One performs worse than I remember, and I failed to see the limitations of poor software processing on a smartphone camera.
Obviously, there are a lot more differences between these two devices than just software. The hardware has been significantly improved as the OnePlus 9 Pro has three different cameras and supports portrait and night modes. You can only imagine these functions in 2014. Still, I think this comparison shows how important software is when it comes to image processing.
More OnePlus 9 Pro camera recordings:
For example, in the Pixel line, Google uses the same sensor in many phones, but the software processing is so good that it almost doesn’t matter which hardware is used. I’m not saying companies shouldn’t upgrade their hardware. Even so, the software is more important than is often thought, and I think this comparison is a good example of that.
The bottom line is it’s impressive to see how far OnePlus phones have come. Even so, the 9 Pro delivers consistent and accurate images that surprisingly blow the OnePlus One out of the water.
