OPPO showcases impressive next-gen imaging tech for upcoming smartphones

OPPO is gearing up to show Samsung how to make an under-display camera.

What you need to know

• OPPO unveils new camera technology at its Future Imaging Technology event.
• Its new Continuous Optical Zoom maintains image quality at different magnifications.
• The company shows off a new RGBW sensor and 5-axis Optical Image Stabilization.
• OPPO also highlights its next-generation under-display camera with a high pixel density.

With companies like Samsung and ZTE touting their new under-display camera tech, OPPO is showcasing its own imaging advancements at the 2021 OPPO Future Imaging Technology Launch Event.

One of the biggest advancements announced at the event is OPPO’s new Continuous Optical Zoom. Thanks to a new structural module, the lens system can physically move and capture images between 85mm and 200mm focal lengths. OPPO says that the module can move with precision thanks to a tunnel magnetoresistance sensor, providing “sharp images at every magnification level, from up close and personal portraits to far-away landscapes.”

It sounds a lot like what Sony has cooked up in the Xperia 1 III, which can switch between 70mm and 105mm focal lengths. However, OPPO’s solution takes it a step further as it doesn’t digitally crop between the different magnifications like most smartphones. OPPO says that the new system will also keep images quality consistent between the different focal lengths, avoiding another common problem that multi-camera systems that often suffer from.

OPPO is also developing a new 5-axis Optical Image Stabilization, which it says will be available on its smartphones in early 2022. The company claims it will improve the vibration compensation performance by up to 65%, which should account for small movements to give you much better low-light and nighttime shots.

Later this year, OPPO will launch products that take advantage of its new RGBW sensor that uses additional white sub-pixels in addition to the typical red, green, and blue ones. OPPO says this will increase light capture by 60% and reduce noise by 35%. For reference, this was used in the LG G7 ThinQ to achieve its “Super Bright Display,” and some of the best Android phones from companies like Huawei have also used this type of sub-pixel arrangement.

Lastly, OPPO took time to hype up its next-generation under-display camera technology that it recently detailed. The company touts its high display pixel density and algorithmic compensation technology, optimizing the camera’s performance while remaining fairly inconspicuous.

While companies like Samsung have released phones with under-display cameras like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the solutions have often fallen short of expectations, either in performance, appearances, or both. However, OPPO is using its R&D centers and Imaging Labs worldwide to improve its imaging technology, and we may soon see the fruits of its labor trickle out into its smartphones. That said, given the superb image quality from this year’s OPPO Find X3 Pro, it’s hard to imagine how it can get any better.