Upcoming smartphone may feature 10x optical zoom
Smartphone camera technology has been evolving quickly, but manufacturers are still trying to prove that their devices offer the best camera experience possible. Now that multi-sensor cameras have become the norm, we’re seeing a few unique approaches which will allow devices to truly compete with high-end cameras.
An invitation to an Oppo launch event which is scheduled for the 16th of January in Beijing just went out this week for the Oppo F19 and the Oppo F19 Pro. While the invitation doesn’t reveal much about the coming smartphone, it does reference num number 10 which some claim is a reference to the device’s 10x optical zoom module. Oppo has experimented with a similar concept in the past when it showed off a concept device at MWC 2017 which has a 5x zoom lens on one of its cameras on the back of the phone. Unlike the 2x zoom modules which are quite prevalent these days, Oppo’s implementation flips the sensor on its side and uses a prism to reflect the light from the zoom lens back to the sensor. This setup gave the sensor enough zoom to take advantage of the 5x zoom lens without introducing an obnoxious camera pump which would protrude from the back of the phone.
While these two smartphones won’t be packing flagship processors, Oppo should be able to introduce its unique camera setup to the public at price point that won’t break the bank. The Oppo F19 and the Oppo F19 Pro and likely never make it to the US market, but we could see some of this camera technology ported over to OnePlus in the future.
If you had to choose, would you rather have a zoom or wide-angle lens on the secondary sensor on the back of your smartphone?
Source: Android Authority