Oppo releases new 3D camera technology

Oppo, one of the world’s top five smartphone vendors, has released 3D camera tech, integrating AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence), in their new phone models.

The new 3D technology, called ToF (Time of Flight), is used in navigation and mapping, which will be adopted in the gaming sector.

Chinese smartphone vendors, including Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, all invest heavily in innovation to offer consumers diversified products, as the domestic market is close to saturation point.

Oppo’s new models, R17 and R17 Pro, which were released in Shanghai on Thursday night, feature three cameras, including a ToF 3D stereo camera.

The phones include AI features such as 3D Portrait and AI beautification to automatically detect the environment and adapt the shooting settings. Meanwhile, they feature a 6.4-inch screen and super-fast charging, which can charge 40 percent of the phone's battery capacity within just 10 minutes.

Oppo also announced a partnership with AutoNavi, China’s biggest navigation application, to offer AR navigation, the first of its kind in China. It will also adopt the new technology to be used in games, Oppo said, which also has a partnership with Tencent and NetEase.

In the second quarter, Oppo sold 39.4 million smartphones with 8.6 percent market share globally, ranking the No.5 in the world, according to researcher International Data Corp.