Oppo shows off 5x “lossless” camera zoom on a smartphone

Oppo has instead used its MWC media launch to instead talk technology, and specifically camera technology.

While Apple is now offering 2X lossless zoom through their dual camera setup on iPhone 7 Plus, OPPO will give much better output even at 5X zoom compared to other smartphones available in the market. The module is only 5.7mm thick, meaning it should be possible to include on smartphones without requiring a large camera bump. The company also said its system is 10% thinner than typical 2x zoom modules found in smartphones like the iPhone 7 Plus.

Ever since entering the smartphone market, OPPO has had a singular focus on being a leader in mobile photography.

OPPO have been working on the technology for almost a year and over 50 patents have been filed for the technology. Basically, any dual camera setup is a combination of two units, which is a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens.

At an event where mobile phone after mobile phone is announced, it’s refreshing, if not surprising to see a company announce something other than a phone. “Our 5x Dual-Camera Zoom will again set yet another technological standard that others will emulate”, Sky Li added.

Considering some flagship manufacturers are now focusing on upping the size of camera sensors and not working on areas such as stabilization and zoom, this is a big step towards a great new feature in our smartphone cameras. Oppo’s optical image stabilization is similarly impressive, the prism and the telephoto lens move around to compensate for shaky hands on the fly. But Oppo promises 5X optical zoom for lossless details in pictures. Oppo’s implementation is definitely unique and interesting and we can’t wait to see it in a smartphone. Oppo said that it worked on developing the new technology for nearly a year and filed more than 50 patents for the new mechanism. The resulting shift from after the light deviates from its natural path is said to be capable of achieving a very high level of clarity at any zoom level.