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OnePlus commits to videography with long list of features & updates

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Jan 27, 2020, 5:29 AM

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OnePlus commits to videography with long list of features & updates

OnePlus smartphones aren’t exactly known for having great cameras, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t committed to improving the experience.

In December, OnePlus hosted an Open Ear Forums event in New York and invited both regular users and professional mobile photographers to provide feedback and request new features. Today, after reviewing everything, the brand has announced several commitments to advance videography on its devices.

Exposure, color, and white balance shift across cameras

The versatility of newer OnePlus camera systems has been praised in the past, but many users have complained about the lack of consistency between cameras when it comes to exposure and white balance levels, in addition to the way colors are reproduced.

OnePlus is now working on a fix that should eliminate these issues on newer devices and hopefully older models too. The company says this is its “first priority and main goal.”

Skin tone consistency

Users have complained several times about the way OnePlus phone display skin tones. Some devices add red or yellow undertones, others drastically increase saturation, and some simply soften skin too much.

OnePlus has now recognized the issue – it’s another top priority – and says a fix will be coming via a future software update.

4K video recording

OnePlus says there are numerous hardware limitations at the moment, but it has nonetheless made one important commitment.

Through a future software update, OnePlus is planning to bring “super stabilization” to 4K video. This should result in a vast improvement to quality because, as of the time of writing, Super Steady Mode doesn't support 4K video.

Unfortunately, after looking at both the performance and temperature of devices, OnePlus has revealed that it won’t be extending the 5-minute 4K video limit.

Lens feature-parity

On a related note, OnePlus has announced plans to bring support for both 1080p and 4K video recording to all cameras including the telephoto and ultra-wide-angle shooters on future smartphones. However, support won’t be introduced on existing models due to hardware limitations.

Night Mode for night video

OnePlus already offers Nightscape for photos, but several users requested an equivalent for video. The company says this is a “very interesting” idea and confirmed that it’s already been “researching and working on it.”

Improvements to the camera app

OnePlus revealed that several people complained about the existing Camera app because it’s difficult to reach features in the top bar. The good news is that it’s already talking to the design team about a solution.

Others also pointed out that a single-hand zoom mode would be quite useful and OnePlus is open to the idea.

Last but certainly not least, the company said that creating a faster camera app is a “main goal” this year. Faster shutter speeds and speedier animations will arrive with future updates.

Video editing

Users have asked for more video editing tools and OnePlus is granting their wish. A future update will fully overhaul the Gallery app’s video tools and more information about color grading will be announced soon.

Social Media Mode

Although some people take mobile photography extremely seriously, the vast majority of people use it solely for social media. OnePlus is aware of this and confirmed plans to develop a dedicated mode that will allow users to share directly to Twitter or take photos in Instagram’s crop ratio.

Other improvements to the experience

OnePlus wasn’t able to replicate the autofocus consistency and panning shots issues that many have complained about, but it has confirmed that both features will be updated later this year.

The Chinese brand is also working to strike a better balance between sharpness and noise, fixing HDR problems, and any light flickering issues that users may have encountered.

Features unlikely to arrive anytime soon

Some people have requested a Reverse Recording Mode and a Light Painting Mode, but OnePlus doesn’t think there’s sufficient demand for either, so both have been put to the back burner for now.

Augmented reality (AR) is becoming increasingly popular among consumers, but OnePlus doesn’t believe there’s a “killer scenario for AR in video” yet. As such, the company has no plans to introduce AR emojis or stickers for video.

Lastly, and perhaps most controversially, is a Pro Video Mode. Several customers have asked for the feature, but OnePlus says its priority right now is improving the default video quality and user experience.