OnePlus 8 Pro Rumors: Why Netizens Think Smartphone Has X-Ray Camera

KEY POINTS

Netizens talk about the OnePlus 8 Pro's "X-ray camera"
The device is able to see through certain materials due to its color filter camera
It's not a full-on x-ray feature, however

Various reports on the internet reveal that the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus's latest flagship, has a camera that “sees” behind certain materials. The device is capable of doing this using a 5MP color filter camera that can be activated by using the “Photochrom mode” in the camera app.

How does the device do this? What are the limits to this camera's capabilities? Should people be worried about perverts using it to see through their clothes? Here's a quick guide as to the device's “X-ray” feature.

It can see through certain plastic

Concept designer Ben Geskin recently got attention after he uploaded a video showing the device seeing through the Apple TV's plastic body. At first, the device was able to capture a video of the Apple TV just like how the naked human eye sees it: a block of black plastic.

After activating Photochrom mode, however, the OnePlus 8 Pro saw through the set-top box's outer casing as if it wasn't there, and revealed what was inside.

One of the best examples 🤯#OnePlus8Pro Color Filter Camera can see through some plastic pic.twitter.com/UkaxdyV6yP
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) May 13, 2020

Marques Brownlee, after seeing Geskin's tip, also tried the feature and uploaded what he saw: the OnePlus 8 Pro was also able to see through some plastics used on certain controllers.

How it does that

Brownlee noted that the smartphone was able to see through plastics without IR shielding. He's right. According to TechPP, the OnePlus 8 Pro seems to have some sort of IR filter that allows it to see infrared light as it hits a surface. And since infrared light can pass through certain objects, the device's camera can also be configured to see through those same objects IR light passes through.

What it can do

The feature can be helpful, especially for those with the right intentions and needs. Lifewire Tech editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff posted images of what the OnePlus 8 Pro saw when Photochrom mode was enabled and the camera was pointed at an Amazon Fire TV cube. Apparently, the device can be used to take a look at some internal components used by certain devices.

An image sent to AndroidPit, however, also showed that the device can somehow see through certain kinds of cloth. Nevertheless, the site said the device is “not likely” to become a “nude scanner,” which means people shouldn't worry about it being used to see through their clothes.