Is Oppo launching a smartphone with 10X zoom?

Oppo is having an event in Beijing that’s taking place on 16 January 2019. From the looks of it, it appears that they could be launching a smartphone that could offer 10X zoom. That’s quite a feat considering Huawei offers 5X Hybrid zoom with is current Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro flagship smartphones.

On the event teaser image, the main text roughly translates to “Ten Views” and you can see “10” reflected below the rays. It isn’t clear if this is a product launch or merely a technology showcase from Oppo.

Serial leakster @UniverseIce had mentioned before that Oppo is expected to offer a 10x hybrid optical zoom technology which could be announced at either CES or MWC. Nothing was announced last week so there’s a chance that the technology might be revealed in China before it goes to Barcelona.

Two years ago, Oppo had showcased its 5X Hybrid Zoom technology that claims to be the first dual-camera feature that uses a periscope-style design. It consists of the main shooter and a secondary telephoto unit that has an array of lens elements and prism to reflect light at a 90-degree angle. For steadier shots, the secondary zoom lens even gets optical image stabilisation.

Unfortunately, this technology wasn’t introduced on any Oppo smartphones released to date. That might change this coming 16th January and we’ll find out more in the next couple of days. For the device to achieve 10X Hybrid zoom, there’s a possibility that the upcoming device might come with at least 5X optical zoom with additional help via digital zoom.

It’s worth pointing out that this won’t be the first smartphone with 10X zoom. Samsung had that with the Galaxy K Zoom back in 2014 but it was crazy thick especially with its extended lens barrel.

If we look at the current trend, most smartphone makers are now moving towards having an ultra-wide-angle lens to provide additional versatility on top of the existing telephoto shooter. Do you need more zoom on your smartphone? Let us know in the comments below.

[ SOURCE, VIA ]