Whenever I find myself testing an Oppo or OnePlus flagship, I look forward to using a camera feature called XPAN mode.
Inspired by the iconic Hasselblad XPAN camera from the late 1990s – famous for its ability to shoot panoramic images on standard 35mm film – this cinematic shooting mode lets you shoot ultra-wide frames with a 65:24 aspect ratio.
Oppo and OnePlus first brought XPAN mode to their flagship smartphones in 2021, when the brands’ partnership with Hasselblad began, but it was hidden away inside their respective camera apps for the longest time. You had to go to the ‘More’ tab to access XPAN – and that’s why so few Oppo and OnePlus users knew about it.
It was only with last year’s Oppo Find X7 Ultra that Oppo finally allowed its users to add XPAN mode to their viewfinders. And, thankfully, OnePlus followed suit with the OnePlus 13 series this year.
I recently went back to using Oppo’s latest flagship, the Find X8 Ultra, on a trip to Sweden, and I re-realized why I love XPAN mode so much. It adds a signature touch to the flagship experience, and I recommend it to anyone who owns one of the best Oppo phones or best OnePlus phones. You’ll soon see why…
I love XPAN mode for the vibe it brings
As mentioned, XPAN mode lets you capture ultra-wide, cinematic frames with a 65:24 aspect ratio. It’s roughly the size of two standard 35mm frames side by side, which allows a single subject to get added context with more of its surroundings in the frame.
That ratio might sound odd or too wide, but I shot these photos on my trip to Sweden, and I’m going to frame at least a few of them:
On the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, you can capture XPAN photos on all of its lenses. So, you get the versatility of choosing from 15mm, 23mm, 70mm, and 135mm equivalent focal lengths in either colored or black-and-white modes.
I’m obsessed with XPAN mode because of the flexibility it offers with different perspectives. It adds that extra cinematic flair to the types of photos I love shooting: streets, patterns and lines, and human emotions.
In the above shots, I spotted a cute couple sitting and soaking up the place. For comparison, the 75mm (3x) photo conveys their emotions better than the 135mm image (6x), which looks like a movie still. But I then edited the latter in Lightroom and really leaned in to that movie-like vibe (see below).
I love how Oppo and Hasselblad’s color science comes across in these shots, which is only elevated in Lightroom.
In the shot above the couple, I was able to capture the moody sunset vibe thanks to the Find X8 Ultra’s soft processing of the streetlight colors, and the added pop to the warmth in the building’s windows.
During sunset, you are bound to get movie-like frames and colors – all you need to do is pay attention to the framing.
In the above example, I edited a few XPAN shots, added four of them in a frame, and hope to print this for one of my personalized postcards.
The future of XPAN mode on Oppo and OnePlus phones
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Oppo recently announced the extension of its partnership with Hasselblad, meaning future Oppo phones will retain features like Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, Hasselblad Portrait Mode, Master Mode, and, of course, my beloved XPAN mode.
XPAN mode adds that extra cinematic flair to the types of photos I love shooting.
Oppo is also rumored to be introducing a 200MP periscope telephoto camera on its next flagship phone, which could really test the limits of these Hasselblad shooting modes.
OnePlus, on the other hand, is expected to step away from Hasselblad color tuning in favor of an in-house imaging algorithm on the OnePlus 15.
That said, if you currently own a OnePlus or Oppo phone, I urge you to take more photos in XPAN mode. I love anything that helps me see the world differently, and XPAN does just that. It brings an amazing new perspective that I wouldn’t have paid attention to otherwise.
Of course, XPAN mode won’t suit every shot in your library, but if you love shooting landscape shots or street photos, this is the mode for you.
