OnePlus has not mentioned the real killer feature in its new flagship OnePlus 8 Pro. Because the camera of the smartphone can literally see through walls – if the material is right. The photo of Shu was taken with the OnePlus 8 Pro and it gets even creepier:

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The camera of the OnePlus 8 (left) takes such impressive pictures (right), above with, and below without filter… / © NextPit Image source: NextPit

So is the OnePlus 8 a nude scanner? Not likely, don’t worry. But some materials become almost transparent when smartphone users apply the color filter inside the camera app. The reason: a camera sensor of the OnePlus 8 Pro is sensitive to infrared light. Our photo expert Stefan Möllenhoff explains why:

“Normal cameras have an IR filter that blocks light outside the visible spectrum. However, some cameras allow a small amount of infrared light. You may have seen this before when you pointed a remote control into the camera and saw how the light appeared when you pressed the buttons on the remote control. The reason for this IR filter over the sensor is that infrared rays would interfere with the final result and affect the image quality.”

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… and such artistic results. / © OnePlus forum user: dos90 Image source: OnePlus / User: dos90

Now there is a big community out there, which removes the IR filters from the sensors of more or less decommissioned DSLRs. The result is cameras that capture spectacular IR images. The OnePlus 8 Pro is now able to do just that – without a complicated operation on an open smartphone. The additional sensor is sensitive to IR light ex-works.

Why now the X-ray vision?

Different materials absorb light depending on the wavelength. This is why there is, for example, a red transparent film – it simply absorbs all visible light except the “red wavelengths”. In the same way, some things that we perceive as not transparent at all – Shu’s T-shirt or the remote control – are actually transparent to other wavelengths; just as the human body is transparent to X-ray wavelengths. If you have the right camera and enough infrared light (e.g. sunlight), you can see through materials that are not transparent to the naked eye – but for infrared light they are.

OnePlus has not yet commented on this “new” feature. The smartphone is currently experiencing a lot of hype online because of the filter. Sure, since 1998 many good days have long since passed.