When OnePlus seeded Android 7.1 Nougat to the OnePlus 3T it brought a security patch, stability improvements, bug fixes but also improved video stability.
The update changelog didnt specify what OnePlus did to make videos steadier so we decided to give it a test and see whats what.
We mounted two OnePlus 3Ts side by side - one running the older Android 7.0 software and the other running the new 7.1. It turned out that the new software-based stabilization makes a difference in 1080p only. 4K clips dont differ at all between the two software versions.
Weve put together a side-by-side comparison video so you can easily compare. Note that our tech monkey was moving very fast and broke into a run towards the very end of the video - this is a harsh test, if youre at least trying to stay steadier youll see far less shake.
And here are the full video samples.
The stabilization improvement isnt groundbreaking but it is noticeable. It smooths out bouncy movement, especially the shake resulting from walking while shooting handheld.
More importantly it doesnt take anything away from the quality of the video. Theres a slight jello-like effect from the stabilization but isnt noticeable unless you press your face against the monitor and really look for it.
Its interesting to see just how much you can improve with software - kudos to OnePlus fo r this update. Perhaps you wont even notice the new steadier 1080p videos, particularly if you stick to 4K recording, but its good that the manufacturer still cared enough to deliver it.
! ( hope useful)
