I'VE GOT THE BOTS FOR VIEW

Sky-high pixel counts only go so far: OnePlus also uses a fleet of robots to improve what its phone cameras capture

- Tom Morgan-Freelander

Image-processing algorithms can lift a flagship phone above its rivals, even if its hardware isn't particularly heroic. It's why most brands keep their behind-the-scenes software under lock and key. So when OnePlus offered to show us around one of its camera-tuning facilities, it was a rare chance to see what's in the firm's secret snapper sauce.

Something is clearly working, given OnePlus has come on hugely in the photography department in a relatively short period. In three years, we've gone from the OnePlus 10 Pro — an also-ran in low light — to the OnePlus 13, an ace performer in all conditions. The photography lab in Guangdong, China, almost certainly played a key part.

BOOM, FAKE THE ROOM

There's more here than walls full of test charts. Behind the unassuming exterior lies a maze of rooms fitted out to replicate the most common phone photography scenarios.