OnePlus could offer 8K/960fps recording, but here’s why you should be skeptical
- OnePlus could be working on a super slow motion mode at 8K / 960fps.
- It is very likely that this will be accomplished through software rather than native quality.
In addition to 5G and high refresh rates, 8K video recording is another important feature of flagships in 2020. Between Samsung, Xiaomi and LG, several large companies have adopted this quality option.
OnePlus hasn’t offered a phone with this video quality yet, but XDA developer looked at the Beta of Oxygen OS 11 and uncovered evidence of an 8K mode. However, this is not just any old 8K video mode from OnePlus, but a super slow motion recording at 8K / 960 fps. In addition, the software code points to 8 KB at 480 fps, 240 fps, 120 fps and 60 fps.
There’s only one problem, though: the Snapdragon 865 processor that powers the 2020 flagships doesn’t seem to offer 8K recording at more than 30 frames per second. The Qualcomm chipset has support for “unlimited” native 960 fps super slow motion recordings, but these are limited to a resolution of 720p and not higher values. Some camera sensors are equipped with a super-fast DRAM to also enable 960 fps. However, this function is missing from today’s high-resolution smartphone sensors.
What is to be expected then?
We suspect OnePlus is either working on it for a next generation phone with drastically improved silicon or offering 8K / 960fps recording (all the way down to 8K / 60fps) via software interpolation. That is, by duplicating frames to achieve the desired frame rate. This could result in a final clip that has ghosting and other artifacts when compared to native 960 fps video.
This wouldn’t be the first time OnePlus has used interpolation for video recording at 960 frames per second, as the mode was run through software on older phones as well. We hope, however, that the brand can use the camera processing capabilities of the Snapdragon 865 to deliver native 960 fps in a certain capacity or to interpolate from a higher frame rate.
In any case one XDA The member also discovered a reference to OnePlus Buds Z. The company previously launched the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z alongside the OnePlus 8 series and the OnePlus Buds alongside the OnePlus Nord. So we suspect that if the OnePlus Buds Z is the real deal, it will hit the market alongside the OnePlus 8T.
Connected: Who actually has real 960fps super slow motion recordings?
