At the end of 2020, OnePlus applied for a patent for camera modules and electronic devices in China. The document was approved in June 2021 and submitted to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) to protect the patented technology worldwide.
The smartphone in the patent has a huge circular camera on the back, which is a rotating camera that allows users to take photos and record videos from a unique perspective. To better showcase the patented technology, graphic designer Parvez Khan (aka Technizo Concept) has created a series of product renderings of this unique OnePlus smartphone for Dutch media LetsGoDigital. These 3D images are based on the OnePlus Patent documents created.
The picture shows that the camera of the phone in the patent protrudes slightly from the body, and the camera rotates around its own axis, so it does not protrude further from the casing during the rotation. The camera system uses several magnets to ensure that the system can be rotated 180˚.
Since the camera can be rotated 180˚, users can easily change the composition and shoot from difficult angles. The rotating camera also enables panoramic photography and other functions. According to the patent document, to enable these features, OnePlus will develop a special rotating shooting mode, although the details of this are still unknown.
In addition to the rotating shooting mode, this unique OnePlus smartphone will also have a normal shooting mode. In standard mode, the camera module will be able to shake in the axial direction to form an anti-shake system to counteract camera shake. The stabilization system also allows the use of slower shutter speeds for the enhanced evening and nighttime photography.
The company has been working with the famous Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad since the OnePlus 9 series, and the recently launched OnePlus 10 Pro is equipped with a second-generation Hasselblad camera with improved color calibration, enhanced professional mode and a new movie mode. As a patent, it’s unclear if or when OnePlus will bring this camera system to the phone.