10x optical zoom and in-display finger scanning that works all over the screen showcased by Oppo
Just as expected, the Chinese phone juggernaut Oppo took the stage in Beijing this afternoon to demonstrate two exciting new technologies that could be making their way in future phones.
Back at MWC 2017, it demonstrated for us 5x optical zoom on a phone prototype, done by using a periscope-style lens inside the body. Today it doubled the abilities of said technology to 10x hybrid optical zoom, "covering from super wide angle to telephoto" this time around, and employing dual optical image stabilization throughout the kit for clearer shots.
Thankfully, Oppo said that the 10x zoom tech is in a commercial stage already and ready for mass production. Hey, it's their 10th anniversary, after all, so why not offer 10x zoom! The company will be showcasing its abilities at the MWC expo next month and we will be there to test it for you.
Another cool new tech that Oppo demonstrated during its keynote today is what Synaptics, the granddaddy of all things 3D Touch-y and biometric-y, used to call Phase 3 of "under-glass" fingerprint readers:
Initially the sensor will be located in the bezel area of the cover glass where the button was located. The next step is placing the sensor in the lighted display area, likely in a fixed location at the lower edge just above where the bezel is today... Phase 3 is the ultimate goal of fingerprint scanning on mobile devices. Full in-cell integration of the display with touch navigation and fingerprint scanning will enable persistent authentication that is performed continuously in the background, and in a way that is totally transparent and unobtrusive to the user.
After all, the Holy Grail of such scanning is that you can apply your digit anywhere on the screen and still get it recognized. Oppo's biometric demo is not quite there yet, but it still enlarges the active area where your thumb's print can be recognized 15x, compared to regular scanners, making it inherently easy to unlock your phone without even looking down.
Things that are NOT allowed: