Oppo Reno7 lineup's LDI design process detailed ahead of February 4 global launch

The Oppo Reno7 series unveiled in November in China will begin its global journey on February 4, starting with India. The lineup consists of Reno7, Reno7 SE, and Reno7 Pro. We know the Pro model will launch in India, but the company hasn't confirmed if it will bring both the vanilla and SE versions to the Asian country or skip one.

While we await more confirmation on the number of Reno7 phones launching in India next week, Oppo has detailed the design process of the LDI technology we'll see on the global models of the Reno7 series.

LDI, which stands for Laser Direct Imaging, is used to design PCBs in the aviation industry. And Oppo says its engineers worked for three years to repurpose the "aircraft-grade" LDI, which is used to create 1.2 million micro-etchings with a width of 20 microns across the surface of the smartphone's rear panel.

This gives the phone's back cover a visual and textural illusion of shooting stars that Oppo calls "Aircraft-Grade Shooting Star Design." Additionally, the micron-scale etchings help Oppo achieve a matte, brushed finish on top of the Oppo Glow layer, which is just a rebranded Reno Glow design we saw on the Oppo Reno6 Pro last year.

The first stage of the LDI process involves coating a layer of UV protective ink on the glass side that faces the phone to prevent it from being chemically etched during the later steps. This protective layer also helps improve the accuracy of the laser engraving due to its light-absorbing properties.

After this, the opposite surface of the glass, that faces the users, is coated with a photoresist layer to create the desired star trails pattern on the Reno7 series which gives a "dynamic optical effect" when you see the phone from different angles.

Oppo also tells us a bit about the camera module on the phone's rear panel. The island's design is called Twin Moon Camera Design, having the upper half decorated with metal and the lower half coated with ceramic "to provide a contrasting but premium experience."

The phone maker also says that the Reno7 Pro features a color ceramic plated lens bezel made of zirconia, which is a first for the company. Zirconia has a hardness of 8.5 compared to 5.5 of stainless steel, and it's coated with another harder, slightly protruding film to protect the lens it surrounds, keeping it safe from scratches.

Besides, the Reno7 Pro's camera module features breathing lights around it, where Oppo has used a 1mm diameter fiber that's bent to frame the camera area. This fiber emits soft, pulsating lights when the smartphone is charging or receives a call or a message.

Oppo also confirmed that the international Reno7 Pro will pack a 4,500 mAh battery like its Chinese counterpart. The smartphone will also have an aluminum frame and have a 2.5D rounded design claimed to fit comfortably in your hand. However, with those flat edges, it remains to be seen how comfortable the Reno7 Pro will be to hold.

Oppo hasn't detailed the global Reno7 Pro's specs sheet yet, but the company already confirmed that it will come with the Dimensity 1200-MAX SoC, 65W charging, and Wireless PC Connect. The smartphone will be 7.45mm thick and feature Sony's IMX709 and IMX766 sensors.

While we await more details on the Reno7 series launching globally next week, you can head this way to check out the detailed specs of the Reno7 lineup available in China.