A blurry camera on your OnePlus Open can ruin the experience of its otherwise excellent Hasselblad-tuned lenses. The blur might be constant, only appear on one lens, or show up in specific lighting. Before you worry about a hardware fault, there are several things you can try.
Clean the Camera Lenses
This is the absolute first thing to check. Use a soft microfiber cloth to gently wipe the entire camera module on the back. Pay special attention to each individual lens. Smudges from your fingers are the most common cause of a hazy, soft look in photos.
Avoid using your shirt or any rough material, as the lens coatings can be scratched. If you've been handling the phone with the inner display open, check that the hinge area isn't transferring dust onto the rear cameras when you close it.
Remove Your Phone Case
Take your case off completely. Some cases, even official ones, can have a camera cutout that sits too close to the lenses. This can cause a slight shadow or blur at the edges of your photos, especially in bright light.
Also, make sure you haven't accidentally left a plastic shipping film or a third-party lens protector on the cameras. These almost always degrade image quality and cause flare.
Use Tap to Focus and Lock
Open the Camera app and tap directly on your subject on the screen. You'll see a focus box appear. The OnePlus Open's camera might be focusing on the background instead of your intended subject, especially in complex scenes.
For more control, tap and hold on the screen until you see "AE/AF LOCK" appear. This locks both focus and exposure, which is great for keeping a moving subject sharp or for maintaining focus in tricky lighting.
Switch Between Camera Lenses
Your OnePlus Open has multiple lenses: the main, ultrawide, and a periscope telephoto. Try switching between them in the Camera app to see if the blur is isolated to just one.
If the 3x telephoto lens is blurry but the main lens is sharp, it could indicate an issue with that specific sensor or that it needs a more thorough cleaning. This helps narrow down where the problem is.
Force Close and Reopen the Camera App
Swipe up from the bottom and hold to enter the recent apps view. Find the Camera app and swipe it away to close it fully. Then relaunch it.
A temporary software glitch in the app can cause the autofocus motors to stick or the image processing to malfunction, resulting in consistently soft photos. A fresh start often clears this up.
Restart Your OnePlus Open
If closing the app didn't help, give the whole system a refresh. Press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds until you feel a vibration and see the phone restart.
This clears out any system-level processes that might be interfering with the camera's performance. It's a simple fix that resolves a surprising number of odd behaviors.
Check for Proximity Sensor Issues
When using the inner display's front-facing camera, ensure nothing is covering the proximity sensor near the top of the screen. If the sensor is blocked, the phone might think it's in a pocket or bag and could dim or disable the camera improperly, leading to poor image quality.
Also, be mindful of the screen crease when taking selfies with the inner display. Your finger can sometimes rest on it and smudge the front camera lens.
Look for Condensation or Moisture
Moving quickly from a cold environment to a warm, humid one can cause condensation to form inside the camera lenses. This will make all your photos look uniformly foggy.
Let the phone sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to allow any internal moisture to dissipate. Don't try to speed this up by using a hair dryer or placing the phone in rice, as heat and dust can cause more problems.
Update Your Phone's Software
Go to Settings > About device > OxygenOS version and tap on the top banner to check for updates. OnePlus frequently releases updates that include camera algorithm improvements and bug fixes.
A blurry camera issue you're experiencing might be a known software bug that has already been patched in a recent update. I'd make sure you're running the latest version available.
Reset the Camera App Settings
If you've changed a lot of settings, something might be misconfigured. Open the Camera app, tap the hamburger menu icon in the top-left, and go to Settings.
Look for a "Reset settings" option at the bottom. This will revert all your photo ratios, timer settings, and other preferences back to default without deleting any of your actual photos.
Try Shooting in Pro Mode
Switch to Pro mode in the Camera app. This gives you manual control over focus. Try manually adjusting the focus slider to see if you can achieve a sharp image that way.
If you can get a clear photo in Pro mode but not in the standard Photo mode, it strongly points to a software or autofocus algorithm issue rather than a dirty or damaged lens.