OnePlus prides itself on being a forward-thinking smartphone company. Consider the limited-edition OnePlus Concept One 2020. This gadget has an inconspicuous camera: when the device is not in use, the camera is hidden behind color-changing glass. The camera system appears to have even more technical prowess in store for the Chinese company. A patent submitted by OnePlus for a so-called magnetic rotation camera confirms this. It’s not a pop-up camera like previous OnePlus phones, such as the OnePlus 7 Pro. This time, it’s a 180-degree rotating camera on the phone’s rear. Will the OnePlus 11 Pro include this camera technology?
At the end of 2020, Shenzhen OnePlus Technology filed a patent application in China for a camera module and electronic equipment. The documentation was approved in June 2021 and also submitted to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) for the worldwide protection of the patented technology. It is a OnePlus smartphone with a large rear camera.
It is a rotating camera, with which the user can take photos and video recordings with a unique viewing angle. To better visualize the patented technology, graphic designer Parvez Khan aka Technizo Concept has produced a series of product renders for LetsGoDigital of this unique OnePlus camera smartphone. 3D images are made based on OnePlus patent documentation.
Anti-shake system and rotating recording mode
Only a little portion of the camera protrudes from the casing. The camera revolves on its own axis, preventing it from protruding further from the enclosure. Several magnets are employed. ensure that the camera system can rotate 180˚. This creates various new user options. The 180 rotation of the camera allows the user to easily change the composition to shoot from difficult angles – without the photographer having to manoeuvre into the craziest positions. The idea seems to come from mirrorless cameras with tilting screens.
In the fields of videography and panorama photography, the spinning camera opens up new possibilities. OnePlus will design a specific rotational recording mode to enable these functionalities, as detailed in the documentation. Details about this unfortunately remain unknown. Apart from a rotating shooting mode, this unique OnePlus smartphone also comes with a normal shooting mode. In standard mode, the camera module will be able to rotate axially, acting as an anti-shake system to prevent unwanted camera shake.
Incorporation of cameras into smartphones
In recent years, the camera functionality of smartphones has taken a huge turn. Nowadays, several cameras are integrated as standard, with different types of lenses to be able to record photos and videos in various circumstances. However, this does not say anything about the future, as the integration of multiple lenses also poses problems, even though manufacturers are now able to easily change lenses while taking a photo.
In addition, not everyone is happy with the appearance of current camera systems, after all, they are designed more and more pompously. The recently introduced OnePlus 10 Pro features a second-generation Hasselblad camera, with improved color calibration, improved Pro mode, and a new Film mode. The viewing angle of the ultra-wide lens has also been increased to 150°, allowing you to capture even more. It’s clear that OnePlus continues to focus on improving image quality and creating new camera options with our smartphones.
In this regard, we are already looking forward to the OnePlus 11 series scheduled for next year. However, it’s still not that far away, before the OnePlus 10 Pro is announced internationally. The smartphone will appear in the Netherlands in spring 2022, according to the manufacturer’s website. This is the brand’s first smartphone to be powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. Also noteworthy is the fast charging function, which has been increased to a maximum charging power of 80W.
