Official information from the manufacturer has not yet arrived, yet the OnePlus 10 Ultra is slowly taking shape: what was a simple rumor is finding confirmation in official documents.
OnePlus 10 Ultra: previous rumors and new documents
The name OnePlus 10 Ultra does not jump out today for the first time, in the previous weeks we had indeed gone from the first rumors to something more concrete. As we told you in late January, an image clearly from a patent was shared by the tipster TechInsiderBlog on Twitter.
The smartphone portrayed, visible at this link, shows a clear resemblance to the already formalized OnePlus 10 Pro, but also evident differences in the configuration of the rear photographic sector.
The presence of a camera with periscope zoom immediately led to the presumption that a more premium model will join the aforementioned OnePlus 10 Pro and the still expected OnePlus 10 this year.
This speculation has just become more credible thanks to a patent: the request regarding a design was submitted by OnePlus Technology to the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) in September 2021 and was recently approved: the official documentation you see at this link was published on January 28, 2022. The same design had already been patented at home by the Chinese manufacturer in March 2021 but has now also entered the database of the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
New concept: Hasselblad and periscope zoom
Graphic designer Jermaine Smit (aka Concept Creator) has created a series of high-quality concept images based on the official drawings, giving us a clearer idea of what the OnePlus 10 Ultra could look like.
Seen from the front, the smartphone is practically identical to the OnePlus 10 Pro and comes with a large display with curved edges and a small hole in the upper left corner for the front camera.
The buttons for adjusting the volume are positioned on the left side, while on the right side there is the power button and the much appreciated alert slider. Above you can see the presence of a first microphone, while a second is placed on the lower side together with a system speaker, USB-C port and SIM slot.
Where the situation becomes decidedly more interesting is on the back of the smartphone: the images of the concept and the official drawings show a camera system positioned at the top left with a design that can be superimposed on that of the OnePlus 10 Pro.
But with substantial technical differences: while the model Pro has a triple camera with LED flash (and bizarre writings), the alleged Ultra model has a third camera with a rectangular lens, therefore with a periscope optical zoom system. The other two cameras should be the same as the 10 Pro, so a 50MP ultra-wide angle and a 48MP wide-angle main one.
If all is confirmed, the OnePlus 10 Ultra would be the brand’s first smartphone with periscopic zoom, given that so far the manufacturer has not gone beyond the 3.3x of the 10 Pro. The patent does not mention the zoom range, but it could be the same 5x . of the already sighted OPPO Find X5 Pro.
The merger of the two brands, which will soon result in a unified OS, is leading to an important sharing of technologies, just think that Find X5 Pro will be the first OPPO to take advantage of the collaboration with Hasselblad and that OnePlus 10 Pro takes advantage of SuperVOOC fast charging.
Speaking of sharing, the OnePlus 10 Ultra could be the first OnePlus model to integrate OPPO’s proprietary MariSilicon X NPU. This should guarantee great photographic improvements, from the ability to process RAW files without loss of quality, to 4K AI Night Video videos complete with real-time preview.
Given the path now traced, it is not surprising that the OxygenOS, which should also be on board this smartphone, now looks a lot like the ColorOS. As for fast charging, the OnePlus 10 Ultra shouldn’t go beyond the 80W SuperVOOC and 50W wireless AirVOOC already seen on the Pro.
The latter entrusts its performance to the Mobile Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1, it can therefore be assumed the presence of a slightly improved version – probably arriving later in the year – on the OnePlus 10 Ultra.
Last month OnePlus got another patent for complex photographic technology, however, we will hardly see it before next year. Waiting to learn more, here are the images of the OnePlus 10 Ultra concept.