The OnePlus 8 Pro was all over the news last week; this time not due to any display issues, but over its "novel" color filter camera that allowed users to see through solid objects. Sadly, the fun isn't going to last for much longer.
OnePlus has now confirmed that it will disable the color filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro in a future software update. The company says it will temporarily disable the function and work on it to prevent future privacy breaches, before relaunching it in the future. The update is billed to be sent out within a week.
Sorry, people. Enjoy it while it lasts.
A lens like this isn't exactly novel, as phones with dedicated IR sensors are also able to replicate the effect to an extent. It is, after all, just hardware sensitive to infrared rays. The Poco F1, for example, used an IR sensor for its face unlock feature back in 2018. In any case, OnePlus's stance is sensible, as a feature like that potentially leaves the company open to liability in privacy violation cases. Better safe than sorry.
OnePlus just announced on Weibo they are disabling the OnePlus 8 Pro's color filter camera in a future update.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) May 19, 2020
Source: https://t.co/97bDVPH2Zg
Context: https://t.co/beVN0htJPz