Rumor | The OnePlus 9 series' cameras will be capable of Moon Mode, Tilt-Shift, Hyperlapse and more

Earlier, OnePlus' CEO Pete Lau stated that this OEM's upcoming 2021 flagship smartphones would have improved cameras. According to a new leak, this might involve some impressive new tricks including Focus Peaking and Tilt-Shift. References to these new Modes within what might be the devices' native camera app have allegedly been discovered in a new APK tear-down presented in a new XDA post.

The OnePlus 7 and 7T have just seen their first Open Beta of OxygenOS 11 (OnePlus' well-received skin for Android 11). It contains the latest version of the OnePlus camera app, (6.4.23) which apparently holds code for a number of heretofore-unknown proprietary Modes. They reportedly refused to work when applied to current phones, which supports the theory they are to be exclusive to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro (to start off with, at least).

Tilt-Shift, a camera effect often used to make cityscapes look as though they are in fact models of the scene in question, is an eye-catching example of the new features. It is usually achieved by adjusting the angle of an image sensor relative to a lens, although it is unknown whether the OnePlus 9 hardware will actually be capable of this, or if this new option is just to be based on software trickery.

Either way, it unpacks a number of options and controls so as to achieve a tilt-shift photo in its part of the app's UI. The OnePlus 9s may also be capable of Focus Peaking (in which one area of an in-focus view is highlighted on a screen), which is normally only available in dedicated DSLRs.

In less possible new "pro" options, OnePlus Camera v.6.4.23 also adds the option of Moon Mode. This part of the leaked code is not much more than a bunch of new purpose-made filters with which to capture that subject (e.g. Snapseed, Pop Moon, Soft Moon and monochrome options). This, then, may inadvertently confirm earlier rumors of a lack of periscope zoom in the OnePlus 9 series.

The new camera app can also reportedly support Hyperlapse, which might be a more powerful form of time-lapse with added motion-capture; and Starburst, which could ensure a radiating effect in shots including the sun. Therefore, these new features might be part of the presentation when OnePlus comes to launch its new phones, an event currently thought to take place in March 2021.

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