Oppo retractable camera prototype showcased at Inno Day 2021

Day one of Oppo’s Inno Day has concluded and we saw several noteworthy developments on stage with the new Air Glass aR monocle and MariSilicon X NPU. In addition to these, Oppo also showcased its retractable rear camera prototype device. The big breakthrough here is that Oppo managed to fit the large 1/1.56 inch 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor in a 8.26mm thick phone. One downside is that the fancy tech is only available once the camera retracts so it's useless in its stationary position.

As for the use case of a moving sensor, it allows for more distance between the sensor and the actual lens. The 50mm equivalent module offers 2x optical zoom which captures more detail from the flagship sensor compared to a regular telephoto module. Another added benefit comes in portrait shots which offer more natural look and better subject and hair separation.

Oppo is also touting superior signal-to-noise ratio from its zoomed shots which is specifically useful in nighttime shots. The entire contraption and its moving bits are splash and dust resistant and can retract automatically in 0.6 seconds if dropped. Oppo has plans to bring this tech to its future devices though we don’t get an actual time frame for when this might happen.