Oppo held an online presentation earlier today to show off the next-gen camera technology that's coming to its future phones, including a new image sensor, and a continuous optical zoom module with integrated optical image stabilization.
The first imaging development to be introduced by Oppo's Imagine Director Simon Liu was the company's next generation RGBW sensor, where 50 percent of the RGGB pixels in the array have been replaced with white sub-pixels with the aim of delivering clearer and brighter images in low-light conditions.
The technology was first introduced to an Oppo smartphone with the Sony IMX278 sensor used in 2015's R7 Plus, which unfortunately suffered moiré and color accuracy problems. To solve this, Oppo's engineers have now employed pixel isolation technology to eliminate troublesome signal crosstalk, and combined this with a pixel binning algorithm embedded in the sensor to greatly reduce moiré while improving color accuracy.
As a result, the company reckons that 60 percent more light is received by the sensor compared to previous generation RGB sensors, along with a reduction in noise of 35 percent. The new sensor will start to make its way into Oppo products from Q4 2021.
To get closer to distant subjects, and help steady the shot, a new 85-200-mm equivalent continuous optical zoom module has been developed, with built-in 5-axis optical image stabilization. Oppo adopts a G+P (glass plus plastic) lens array that moves the lenses inside the module for the promise of a "smooth transition throughout the zoom range with image quality comparable to that of a professional camera."
To keep things on the level, the stabilization setup will employ a lens-shift mechanism for horizontal and vertical shifting when the movement is low, but will dial in sensor-shift and algorithmic assistance when the shake is higher. The new image stabilization system will see commercial release in Q1 2022.
Earlier this month, the company revealed its latest attempt to get rid of notches and punch holes for front-facing cameras, and finished its online presentation with a summary of the tech. Instead of reducing pixel density, the company has made the pixel area smaller "to ensure a 400-PPI high-quality display even in the camera area." Transparent wiring is also used, each pixel circuit drives just one pixel instead of two, and algorithms are used ensure consistent onscreen color/brightness accuracy. Sadly, Oppo didn't reveal when users can expect this development to make its way into actual product.
You can watch the Oppo Future Imaging Event in the video below.
Source: Oppo