A new smartphone is dividing the internet after a tech fan discovered that the camera can be manipulated to see through certain objects.
Last week (July 12), Nothing launched a new budget smartphone called CMF Phone 1.
The technology company wants to combine accessibility with leading user experience while “bringing fun to a boring industry.”
However, the technology is already causing controversy online after a social media user discovered how to turn a phone’s camera into an “X-ray machine.”
The content creator downloaded a third-party app to access the “X-ray camera” (purely_maxwell/Instagram).
Last week, a user with the username @purely_maxwell posted a reel on Instagram claiming, “We have a problem.”
“Here we have Nothing’s newest phone, the CMF Phone 1, and I’ve been using it for a while now.”
Maxwell went on to say that one of the phone’s two cameras confused him and he had searched online for how to use it to no avail.
After further research, the creator decided to download a third-party camera port in the hopes of being able to replace the camera.
“It appeared to be a low-resolution monochrome camera – until I accidentally pointed it at my TV remote.”
In the clip, Maxwell positioned the camera over the back of his remote control and showed his 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 the batteries inside, which you can’t see with the regular camera. But if you switch to the over camera, you can see it.”
To further demonstrate the phone’s capabilities, Maxwell used it to see through a black garbage bag and a gray T-shirt.
The YouTuber uploaded the video on social media. (purely_maxwell/YouTube)
The creator of the content also confirmed that he did not make any additional settings for using the so-called “X-ray camera”.
After seeing the clip, fans of the tech object flocked to X to share their opinions on the alleged find.
One user wrote: “Camera development is progressing at a rapid pace. The next goal of the camera is to zoom in on other types of planets and find aliens.”
A second joked: “Now I can find out how many Lays are in a pack.”
“I was considering buying the phone just to use it,” wrote another user.
After the now viral video, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis commented on the matter.
The businessman wrote to X on July 13: “At Nothing, we have some of the most knowledgeable and sophisticated users in the world.
“You could also say that our popularity generates a lot of criticism. Ultimately, this leads to continuous improvements that benefit users – so we see it as a good thing.”
He said that while there are “hundreds of millions of these camera depth sensors” on the market, this particular CMF Phone 1 user went a step further and “accessed the depth sensor output through a third-party app in developer mode, creating a see-through effect.”
Evangelidis explained how it works: “We use triangulation to generate depth of field data by collecting images from the depth sensor and the main camera to create crops and apply blur effects using specific algorithms for portrait mode.
The co-founder of Nothing has commented on the situation. (Nothing Technology Ltd.)
“Unlike conventional cameras, our depth sensor does not have an infrared light filter, which improves 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 when it comes to black acrylic material.”
He added that while users cannot access this “depth sensor output” through the Nothing camera app, he understands that the viral clip could “raise some concerns.”
“For this reason, we will limit third-party apps’ access to depth sensor results through a software update that we expect to release within a week.”