Oppo's R&D prowess fuels Reno6 series' camera innovations [Exclusive Interview]

Oppo is gearing up for yet another big launch in India as it expands its popular Reno series with Reno6 and Reno6 Pro. The official launch of the two new premium smartphones is not until July 14, but that's not stopping fans from speculating in anticipation of learning more about the upcoming phones.

Oppo Reno6 and Reno6 Pro are already available in China and are likely to be launched in India with similar specs. The pricing, however, is where Oppo holds the element of surprise.

Oppo Reno6, as the name suggests is the vanilla variant, featuring a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate panel, a triple rear camera setup with 64MP+8MP+2MP sensors and a 4,300mAh battery with 65W fast charging support.

The Reno6 Pro will have a 6.55-inch AMOLED Full HD+ curved display, an additional 2MP macro camera sensor on the back and a bigger 4,500mAh battery. Both phones are expected to run Dimensity 1200 5G chipset and have a 32MP front snapper. With these features, the new Reno phones will be positioned in the premium segment.

Although some details are not official as yet, there's still a possibility that Oppo might surprise us on the day of launch. But in order to give eager fans something to nibble on until then, International Business Times interviewed Tasleem Arif, VP and R&D Head, OPPO India on a wide range of topics - not just limited Reno6 series.

Exclusive interview with Oppo India R&D Head

Here are the excerpts from our interview with Tasleem Arif. Through this interaction, eager fans will be able to learn some behind-the-scenes details about Reno6 series and what the R&D team is most excited about the smartphones.

IBT: How will Reno6 Series be positioned in the Indian market, and what will be its target audience?

Tasleem Arif: Our Reno series is one of the most loved series among our users, being the epitome of consumer-centric innovation, it has been very well received over the years. The 'Most Awaited Reno' smartphone – Reno6 Series - is an all-rounder, camera maverick that captures every emotion in portrait.

Today short videos taking over the world and replacing photos as the must-share content on social media. This trend is expected to grow even further and video will remain the future. Through our Reno6 Series devices, we are catering to that need of our customers who want to capture their emotions through their smartphones. With video being in the spotlight, these super 5G devices will elevate the videography experience with Bokeh Flare Portrait Video feature. The upcoming Reno6 Series devices will not just be a smartphone but a companion for young content creators.

IBT: If you have to pick, what would be the top three features that will get Indian consumers excited about Reno6 Pro?

Arif: Our Reno Series is known for the rich and long legacy of mastering innovation with industry-first features and a testament to OPPO's determination in video technology. The most awaited Reno6 Series devices are taking this legacy to newer heights by moving the benchmark for smartphone camera performance from photo to video. Using computational photography, Reno6 Series breaks through the limitations of mobile phone hardware to achieve an unprecedented level of video enhancement.

Like a portable studio in your pocket, OPPO Reno6 series comes equipped with industry-first Bokeh flare portrait video feature. The Reno6 Series is the first smartphone to include industry-first cinematic bokeh effect for recording video on a smartphone. The bokeh effect makes people appear more vivid both at night and during the day. Using OPPO's AI algorithms Bokeh Flare Portrait Video pinpoint real light sources in the background and create bokeh light spots with blurred depth-of-field portrait video effect, imitating professional cameras.

The device also packs in other stellar imaging and videography features, such as Focus Tracking, Colour Temperature sensor, upgraded AI Highlight video features supported by Full Dimension Fusion (FDF) Portrait Video System, and AI Pallete, amongst others. The phone also allows for real-time professional video editing whilst filming with its Soloop video editor. One device that fits all your videography needs, filling the role of director, editor, and cameraman – all in one.

In addition, Reno6 Series is a true 5G smartphone with Reno6 Pro supporting 11 5G bands and Reno6 supporting 13 5G bands. Equipped with MediaTek 5G UltraSave power-saving enhancements, the Reno6 Series devices have been designed with the most power-efficient and fully integrated 5G modems that empower users with incredible 5G experiences. OPPO Reno6 Pro 5G bundles in exceptional performance, featuring flagship MediaTek 5G SoC with RAM expansion, which helps you to multi-task, open and operate multiple apps and play games without any lag or screen freeze with extremely low power consumption. Furthermore, along with a unique elegant design OPPO Reno6 incorporates 65W SuperVOOC 2.0, faster, safer, and more stable low voltage flash charging technology.

With Reno6 series devices, we aim at attaining leadership in the premium device category.

IBT: With video and photo in focus for OPPO from a tech innovation perspective; how does computational photography fit into this, and what advances have you made in this area?

Arif: At OPPO, we are making huge advancements in computational photography and Reno6 Series devices represent the same. Using computational photography, Reno6 Series breaks through the limitations of mobile phone hardware to achieve an unprecedented level of video enhancement.

Capturing video on smartphones requires much more than taking photos. To achieve the type of cinematic video quality, we not only need compelling smartphone hardware but also need to make use of some clever computational photography tricks. Hardware can guarantee the lower limits of image quality, but the upper limits can only be reached through the innovation of advanced Algorithms.

With OPPO's long-term R&D in AI and its exploration of computational photography techniques, OPPO has built a 10 million+ database through which it can train its AI technology. Data in the database includes different image scenes, the posture, and positioning of people in the images, differences in shooting angles, changes in lighting, distances between objects and the camera, etc. Using this data, the Bokeh Flare Portrait Video algorithm was trained tens of thousands of times to ensure coverage of scenes users were likely to encounter when shooting. Thanks to this large database and extensive training, Bokeh Flare Portrait Video is able to identify portrait characteristics with 97% accuracy. The entire process can be completed within 10ms, allowing for real-time video previews. OPPO's Bokeh Flare Portrait Video feature is designed to capture professional video portraits similar to a wide aperture DSLR camera and offers users a new generation of experience.

Thanks to the advances we've made in computational photography, the Reno6 Series is a real videography expert capable of recording video comparable to that captured with professional equipment and edited with a professional post-production team. OPPO Reno6 Series will definitely up the game in smartphone video capabilities.

IBT: What is in OPPO's pipeline for 2021?

Arif: OPPO's performance in Q1 this year has been particularly strong, with data from various research firms showing that OPPO is the world's fourth-largest smartphone brand. In India as well we made a strong start to 2021. According to the IDC Q1 report, OPPO's smartphone sales ranked the 4th in unit shipments, growing by 35% year-on-year. 5G and IoT will remain the key focus area for the remaining year of 2021 and beyond. We will continue to delve deep into these categories by building a strong portfolio of products.

Another priority will be R&D and Innovation. With long-term investment in innovation and R&D, we aim for success in the premium segment. Our R&D team is working relentlessly on making unique premium technology accessible for all our users.

IBT: What futuristic tech you feel will dominate the smartphone space in 2021?

Arif: Four areas where we can see a lot of smartphone innovation taking place will include – Videography, Fast Charging, Design and 5G. The last year has seen an uptake in video content creation and this will continue as a trend. This will lead to a plethora of innovative features being introduced in devices across price segments, enhancing the overall videography experience.

Connectivity is another factor that will continue to gain importance. With the current time, we all have realized the importance of good connectivity with people taking up work from home. Now as we look forward to returning to normal, we need to ensure that the experience remains the same and only elevates. This is where 5G will play an important role in the coming times. As we near the implementation of the spectrum, we will continue to see more and more innovation here to develop more use cases for users.

Another feature that has been important and will continue to see innovation is battery and fast charging. We expect to see more innovation in fast charging technologies and the commercial implementation of concept technologies, also keeping in mind the safety of the consumers.

With a core believe in "Technology for Mankind Kindness for the world". Our India R&D team is working relentlessly in all the these areas to empower our consumers with better technology.

IBT: Oppo X 2021 is an interesting piece of tech. What according to you is the future of foldable smartphones and how invested is OPPO in the same?

Arif: Rollable device technologies will be the trends of tomorrow. The rollable screen is an amazing concept also because it gives the user the freedom to choose what screen size they want and are not dependent only on 1 or 2 sizes. This means users need to only tap a video and the phone to automatically adjust the screen size to suit the aspect ratio, providing a full-screen viewing experience at all times.

Alternatively, when reading an e-book or editing a document, the larger size provides a more pleasant reading experience. Meanwhile, message pop-ups that appear while playing a game can also present the full message without interrupting the game screen. We have already made significant progress in this technology. As a concept technology, our OPPO X 2021 has gained a lot of appreciation from tech experts and enthusiasts across the world.