This Smartphone’s Camera Could Have a 10x Optical Zoom

What’s next in the mobile photography world after the multi-lenses, selfie cameras, AI modes, and bokeh features? Reports point out to an Oppo smartphone camera with 10x optical zoom possibly in the works now. If you’re curious about that extra reach, the official announcement could be out very soon.

Just two years ago, better lens and improved zoom came on top of improvements that smartphone users want to see in their devices. Smartphone makers have been working on that, and a 10x optical zoom would definitely be remarkable.

Mashable reports of a January 16 event announced by Chinese smartphone maker Oppo that hints at this upcoming feature.  They sniffed the news from Chinese website MyDrivers.com, which pointed out the event’s tagline, roughly translated to “Ten for the See”, hinting at the 10x optical zoom feature. They also shared a leaked patent image for an Oppo F19 with a 10x lossless zoom technology and triple cameras at the back.

The reports also point out that the 10x optical zoom camera is to be expected, and was most likely built on the tech that the company unveiled last year during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It featured a horizontally-positioned “periscope” lens paired with a new optical image-stabilization technology to produce a 5x optical zoom. This setup, MyDrivers, added, keeps the mobile phone thin and compact. Official info from Oppo also says that this lens module is only 5.7mm thick.

Currently, the iPhone X’s 2x optical zoom and Huawei P20 Pro’s 3x optical zoom are the smartphones to beat. We are reminded that the 5x “lossless” optical zoom never really ended up in any of Oppo’s smartphones. But that could change given all the time they had since then to further develop the technology.

Looks like we’ll find out if this 10x optical zoom is the real deal by January 16.

Photos via MyDrivers.com

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