A new smartphone is dividing the internet after a tech enthusiast discovered that you can manipulate its camera to see through certain objects.
Last week (July 12), Nothing released a new budget smartphone called the CMF Phone 1.
The technology company aims to combine accessibility with leading user experiences while “bringing fun to a boring industry”.
However, the technology is already causing controversy online after one social media user discovered how you can turn your phone’s camera into an “X-ray device”.
Content creator downloads third-party app to access ‘x-ray camera’ (purely_maxwell/Instagram)
On Instagram last week, a user who goes by @purely_maxwell posted a Reel claiming: “We have a problem.”
“Here we have the latest phone from Nothing, the CMF Phone 1, which I’ve been using for a while now.
Maxwell went on to say that he was confused by one of the phone’s two cameras and searched online in vain for how to use it.
After doing some more research, the creator decided to download a third-party camera port in hopes of switching the camera.
“It looked like a low-resolution monochrome camera – until I accidentally pointed it at the TV remote.”
In the clip, Maxwell placed the camera on the back of his remote and showed the audience how the CMF phone’s camera can see through objects.
In another video posted on YouTube, Maxwell explained: “You can see inside. You can see batteries inside, which you don’t see in a normal camera. But if you switch to the camera, you’ll see.”
To further demonstrate the phone’s power, Maxwell used it to see through a black trash bag and a gray T-shirt.
The YouTuber uploaded the video to social networks. (purely_maxwell/YouTube)
The content creator also confirmed that he didn’t toggle any other settings to use what’s being called an “X-ray camera.”
After watching the clip, fans of this technical object gathered on X to comment on the alleged find.
One user wrote: “Camera development is going at a good pace. Another goal for the camera is to zoom in on other kinds of planets and find aliens.”
Another joked: “Now I can find out how many Lays are in the pack.”
“I was thinking of buying a phone just to use it,” wrote another user.
Following the now-viral video, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis has spoken out on the matter.
A trader on X wrote on July 13: “At Nothing, we have some of the most skilled and craftiest users in the world.
“It’s also fair to say that our popularity attracts a lot of attention. Ultimately, this leads to continuous improvement that benefits users – so we see that as a good thing.”
He said that while there are “hundreds of millions of these camera depth sensors on the market,” this particular CMF 1 phone user went “the extra mile and accessed the depth sensor output through a third-party app in developer mode, achieving a see-through effect.”
Explaining how it works, Evangelidis continued: “We use triangulation to generate depth of field data by collecting images from the depth sensor and the main camera to create cutouts and apply blur effects using portrait mode specific algorithms.
The co-founder of Nothing commented on the situation. (Nothing Technology Ltd.)
“Unlike typical cameras, our depth sensor does not have an infrared light filter, which increases its ability to capture light.
“By definition, this includes infrared light, which can sometimes reveal the internal structure of thin or semi-transparent objects, especially black acrylic material.”
He added that while users cannot access this “depth sensor output via the Nothing camera app”, he understands the viral clip could “raise some concerns”.
“As a result, we will restrict third-party apps from accessing the depth sensor output through a software update expected within the week.”