MWC 2016: OPPO unveils SmartSensor image stabilization to turn smartphone into pocket-sized SLR camera

At MWC, OPPO also announced a growing emphasis on its “Camera Phone” strategy. Under the new strategy, OPPO plans to strengthen a well-deserved association between OPPO and great photography.

The smartphone player OPPO has unveiled SmartSensor image stabilization at Mobile World Congress 2016, which it claims to be the first ever sensor-based, pixel-level optical image stabilizer.

Optical image stabilization technologies come in two types, lens-based and sensor-based, but due to the size limitations of smartphones, all previous solutions across the industry were lens-based. Relying on a groundbreaking MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system), OPPO’s SmartSensor is the first-ever sensor-based solution for smartphones, as well as the smallest optical image stabilizer of any kind in the world.

Moreover, SmartSensor improves on other solutions with a key advantage. Existing lens-based stablizers can only correct for vibrations on two axes of motions, the pitch axis and yaw axis, even though the most common type of unwanted shaking during photography actually takes place on the roll axis. SmartSensor solves this problem, allowing for image stabilization on three axes, pitch, yaw and the all-important roll. Making split-second adjustments with its comb-shaped monocrystalline silicon MEMS, SmartSensor achieves full three-axis image stabilization in a mere 15 milliseconds.At the same time, SmartSensor uses a voltage-driven sensor, reducing power consumption to as low as 10 milliwatts, 50 times less than the power consumption of lens-based solutions.

Lens-based systems, with their increased power consumption, can quickly heat up the module, affecting image quality, especially during extended photo shoots. But the low power consumption of the fine-tuned MEMS keeps temperatures low and preserves image quality even in long shooting sessions.

Meanwhile, whereas lens-based image stabilizers generally have a precion of between 3 and 5 μm, SmartSensor remains precise to a vibration of just 0.3μm. The size of a pixel is usually larger than 1 μm, meaning that SmartSensor is the world’s first pixel-level image stabilize.

With SmartSensor, OPPO smartphones become like pocket-sized SLR cameras, able to capture life’s beautiful moments in breathtaking detail. Even when lighting conditions aren’t ideal, such as at a party or concert, SmartSensor ensures clear and bright images by allowing a longer exposure time.

At MWC, OPPO also announced a growing emphasis on its “Camera Phone” strategy. Under the new strategy, OPPO plans to strengthen a well-deserved association between OPPO and great photography.

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