What you need to know
- The OnePlus 8 Pro is launching with the color filter camera disabled out of the box in India.
- The move comes after it was found that the 5MP lens can see through thin layers of plastic and clothing.
- OnePlus is working on an OTA to fix the issue, and will enable the color filter camera once the fix is rolled out.
The OnePlus 8 Pro is set to make its debut in India, and we can confirm that the phone will launch without the color filter camera in the country. The lens will be disabled out of the box, but OnePlus has mentioned that it will enable the 5MP module once it has a fix for the privacy issue where it was found that the lens can see through thin layers of plastic and clothing.
It's not a good idea for any brand to offer a camera that can potentially see through thin layers of clothing in any country, and this is particularly true for India. So it is a good thing that OnePlus is disabling the feature out of the box on Indian units of the OnePlus 8 Pro.
The company has confirmed that it will enable the feature via a future OTA update that will be rolled out before the end of June. A possible fix could include increasing the distance required for the camera to work. The "x-ray camera" only works when the color filter lens is in close proximity to an object, so by increasing that distance, OnePlus should be able to sort out the issue.
So while you won't be able to use all the camera modules on the OnePlus 8 Pro at launch in India, you don't have to wait long for the fix to show up. As for when the OnePlus 8 Pro will be going on sale in India, the company hasn't revealed a date just yet, but it should be very soon.
Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.
