Google has just announced official Android 11, rolling out to supported Google Pixel devices on the stable branch. Along with these stable builds, other OEMs are also joining in on the Android 11 party with new beta releases. OnePlus has arrived at the scene with Open Beta builds with Android 11 and OxygenOS 11 for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. While users dig into the new OS update and experience the new stuff that both Google and OnePlus have added in, we have discovered hints for upcoming features such as 8K 960fps video recording, and the existence of the OnePlus Buds Z.

A teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

8K 960fps Video Recording in OxygenOS 11

OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro includes these new strings within the OnePlus Camera app:

        <string name="action_item_video_1080p_960fps">1080P 960FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_4k_120fps">4K 120FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_4k_240fps">4K 240FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_4k_480fps">4K 480FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_4k_960fps">4K 960FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k">8K 30FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k_120fps">8K 120FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k_240fps">8K 240FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k_480fps">8K 480FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k_60fps">8K 60FPS</string>
<string name="action_item_video_8k_960fps">8K 960FPS</string>

The strings suggest that OnePlus is working on bringing in 8K 960fps video recording support to its smartphones, likely on the upper-end flagships. However, we aren't exactly sure how the company would achieve 8K 960fps on the currently available hardware. The Spectra 480 ISP on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 supports capturing 720p @ 960fpos for an unlimited duration without overheating. But the ISP cannot natively process as many frames as would be required for 960fps at 8K, 4K, or even 1080p. The ISP can handle 8K 30fps as we have seen on several Snapdragon 865 flagships this year, but going beyond this would be a first.

As mentioned, we aren't sure how exactly OnePlus will execute this. These strings could be in preparation for a future device with Qualcomm's next-gen SoC. Or, OnePlus could resort to using some crazy upscaling and interpolation to achieve this effect.

OnePlus Buds Z

XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username spotted a mention of the yet-unreleased OnePlus Buds Z in /vendor/etc/dolby/dax-default.xml:

        <tuning name="oneplus_bluetooth_BudsZ" endpoint_type="headphone" mono_device="false" tuned_rate="48000" orientation="2" output_channels="2">
    

To be clear, there already is a separate oneplus_bluetooth_Buds tuning profile, so these Buds Z are not the same as the OnePlus Buds that have already been released. OnePlus' Bluetooth audio accessory lineup currently includes the OnePlus Bullets Wireless, OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2, OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, and the OnePlus Buds. So, the OnePlus Buds Z could be the next Bluetooth TWS to arrive, possibly at a lower price tag than the OnePlus Buds if the company follows its pricing tradition.

And to be even more clear, this singular mention isn't conclusive evidence that the Buds Z definitely exists, but it is a device that could be released in the future. We do not have any further information on the Buds Z. If we are allowed to speculate, the company could launch it alongside the OnePlus 8T.

OnePlus 8T - "kebab" renders

The OnePlus Settings app is seeing a few minor changes under the hood. The OnePlus 8T render (titled "oneplus_8t.webp") found earlier has disappeared. Instead, we have a new file named "oneplus_kebab.webp", though the render within is the same as the OnePlus 8.

The Settings app also has strings hinting at there being two variants of the OnePlus 8T - kebab and kebabt, with the kebab destined to arrive in Canada and India and kebabt destined for the USA.