OnePlus 5 render
OnePlus 5 mock-up based on initial rumours and leaks Benjamin Geskin

OnePlus has announced a partnership with photography experts DxO that will bring "clearer, more beautiful photos" to its next flagship Android smartphone, the OnePlus 5. While the extent of the partnership is unclear at this stage, it suggests that OnePlus' upcoming device is gunning for the top spot in the DxOMark rankings – a scored system that compares every smartphone camera on the market.

In a blog post, that also happens to be the first official branding of OnePlus' next phone as the OnePlus 5, the company's digital marketing manager Diego Heinz said: "There's always more to be done to give you the ability to take clearer, more beautiful photos. Sometimes finding the right partner is one of the quickest ways to take things to the next level."

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"[OnePlus is] happy to announce that we have teamed up with DxO to enhance your photography experience with our upcoming flagship, the OnePlus 5. DxO is perhaps most well-known for creating the defining photography benchmark, the DxOMark. They've got years of imaging experience and expertise, both for professional cameras and for smartphones."

Early rumours for the much anticipated smartphone have pointed toward a dual camera unit, with OnePlus allegedly following the lead of Apple's iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei's P10, the LG G6 and more in the growing trend of offering twin-lens shooters.

The number one spot on the DxOMark table had been occupied by Google Pixel since October, however the recently revealed HTC U11 muscled out the 89-scoring Pixel with an overall grade of 90. DxO calls the grading "the trusted industry standard for camera and lens image quality measurements and ratings."

DxO's senior vice president of sales and marketing, Etienne Knauer, said of the partnership: "OnePlus has always been one of the leading innovators in the smartphone industry, and we are proud to partner with them and support their exciting mobile photography strategy."

The OnePlus 5 picture is still somewhat cloudy, with the phone's specs, price, release date and design all unknown. Leaks have hinted at a top-end, Snapdragon 835-powered device which will build on the company's successes in 2016 with the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.

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