Invite and patent all but confirm imminent launch of Oppo F19 with 10x optical zoom
The camera on the iPhone XS (along with a gamut of other current-gen phones) offers 2x optical zoom, Asus’ first ZenFone Zoom boasted up to 3x optical zoom. Now Oppo is looking to take the cake with the F19, rumoured to pack a 10x optical zoom camera setup.
As spotted by The Next Web and originally cited on Chinese website MyDrivers.com, phone maker Oppo has started seeding invitations to its upcoming ‘Oppo 2019 Future Technology Communication Conference’, slated to be taking place in Beijing on January 16.
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Rumours of a device called the Oppo F19, boasting a 10x optical zoom camera, have been floating around since late 2018, however, the timing of invitations for this event and the recent discovery of a patent for a periscope-style transverse camera system for smartphones seem to be more than simple coincidence.
Oppo unveiled a similar camera setup as part of its presence at Mobile World Congress in 2017, showcasing a stabilised 5x zoom system attached to conventional Android smartphone hardware. It would seem that it was that tech demo that laid the groundwork for the camera system now destined to grace the F19.
Even if the Oppo F19 does indeed implement this impressive camera technology, it won’t actually be the first smartphone to offer such extensive lossless zoom– the likes of 2013’s Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and 2014’s Samsung Galaxy K Zoom both sported a 10x motorised telescopic optical zoom, akin to a conventional compact digital camera.
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Other hardware that’s expected to make an appearance on the F19 include a mid-range Snapdragon 675 or MediaTek Helio P90 processor (depending on region), as well as a 6.3-inch, 19.5:9 aspect ratio FullView display and the company’s signature VOOC flash fast-charging. We’ll know more once the phone arrives on January 16.
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