- By Vikas Yadav
- Sun, 14 Jul 2024 06:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
CMF by Nothing announced the CMF Phone 1 for buyers in India this month. Soon after it went on sale across several regions, a user pointed out a peculiar capability of the depth camera of the smartphone. The lens can see through objects in select lighting conditions and colours. While it is not possible to access the depth sensor from the Camera app, the user managed to access it via a walkaround.
X (formerly called Twitter) user IfeelNothing managed to access the depth sensor with a custom third-party app in developer mode. While it appeared a usual monochrome sensor at first, the see-through capability came to light once the user pointed towards their television remote. The sensor managed to film the batteries inside the black remote.
Soon after the video gained traction on social media, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis shared a detailed response. "While hundreds of millions of these camera depth sensors are out there, a CMF Phone 1 user went the extra mile and accessed the output of the depth sensor via a third-party app in developer mode, achieving a see-through effect," @AkisEvangelidis posted.
At Nothing, we have some of the most knowledgeable and crafty users in the world. It's also fair to say that our popularity attracts a lot of scrutiny. Ultimately, this drives continuous improvement, benefiting users - so we see it as a good thing.
— Akis Evangelidis (@AkisEvangelidis) July 13, 2024
In this case, while hundreds… https://t.co/fPxB8Xg0Vu
Explaining how the effect works, the co-founder noted the phone uses triangulation to generate depth-of-field data by gathering photos from the primary and the secondary lens. This is used to generate cut-outs or push blur in portrait mode via machine learning algorithms. However, the depth sensor in CMF Phone 1 does not have an infrared light filter.
In the absence of the filter, the infrared light may "reveal the internal structure of thin or semi-transparent objects, especially when it is black acrylic material," Evangelidis noted. While this can raise privacy concerns, Nothing users cannot access the depth sensor's output from the default Camera app. Going forward, the company will also restrict third-party apps from accessing the sensor via a software update.
The OTA fix is expected "within a week." When a user questioned its restriction, Akis replied the company aims to "play it safe". Meanwhile, the CMF Phone 1 sits in the sub-Rs 16,000-18,000 price bracket and offers a 50MP + 2MP rear optics, a 16MP selfie shooter, Nothing OS 2.6, a Super AMOLED 120Hz display and a Dimensity 7300 5G processor.