OnePlus and Pixelworks present IRX-certified gaming on latest premium Android smartphone

OnePlus touted the Ace 3 Pro as a gaming powerhouse disguised as a premium handset on its late June 2024 launch. Its version of ColorOS 14 is rated to pack the Picture Quality Engine and Super Frame Rate tweaks backed to keep frame-rates stable and detail intact.

The OEM did not stop there in ensuring that gaming on the Ace 3 Pro stays as sharp and immersive as possible, however. OnePlus has partnered with Pixelworks to install the latter's latest X7 Gen 2 display co-processor in the smartphone.

It is touted to augment the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's prowess by using its own AI to spot and reproduce in-game elements that need as little as 25% of the app's intended frame-rate and resolution, thereby leaving the main SoC free to run the game at optimal, up to 120fps/1.5K speed and detail overall.

There is a catch, however, which is that a given title needs to be compatible with Pixelworks' new tuning certification to do so. Games with this new IRX rating currently include One Piece Fighting Path, Diablo: Immortal, Persona 5 and the Chinese version of CoD Mobile.

Accordingly, the Ace 3 Pro is now backed to run those apps as their creators "originally intended", with potentially improved power efficiency to boot. On the other hand, the devices' oneday Snapdragon 8 Gen 4-powered successors might not need a co-processor to do the same, according to the latest rumors.