Oppo confirms to develop 10x zoom technology for smartphones

Oppo confirms that it is in the process of developing a camera technology for smartphones that will enable 10x optical zoom. The technology will be shown next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The Verge reports that Oppo has confirmed the earlier rumor about the 10x zoom technology and that the manufacturer will show the technology at the upcoming MWC fair. It is not yet clear whether this demonstration is only about the technology or whether a smartphone is already being shown in which the technology, whether or not in working condition, is integrated. The technology is in any case ready for mass production, according to Oppo. The system is comparable to the 5x optical zoom technology that the manufacturer showed in 2017, although this has never been integrated into smartphones until now.

The 10x optical zoom is a system that effectively enables a zoom range of 15.9 to 159mm. The system consists of three different prime lenses, which, according to Oppo, allows zooming without loss of quality. It actually uses a kind of periscope-like prism, probably using the entire thickness of the device. Whether this means that phones with this system are thicker than an average smartphone is not clear. Oppo reports that optical image stabilization is present, but the company has not yet disclosed information about the aperture.

The manufacturer also announces that it will show a new fingerprint scanner at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that will be placed behind the screen of smartphones. According to Oppo, this sensor has a surface area that is fifteen times larger than comparable sensors from competitors. This may be similar to the Vivo Apex, a concept smartphone that was announced early last year. With this phone, about a third of the OLED screen turned out to be usable as a fingerprint scanner.