Skip to main content

Oppo promises big innovations in smartphone charging and camera tech for MWC

oppo teases battery and camera innovation mwc r7 plus
Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends
Oppo’s got something major planned for this year’s Mobile World Congress. The China-based smartphone maker released an ambiguous teaser image promising such technological showstoppers as a “groundbreaking power solution” and an “unprecedented smartphone camera innovation,” among other as-yet undisclosed surprises.

The language may be hyperbolic, but Oppo’s managed to deliver in the past. One example: its latest smartphones feature the company’s proprietary VOOC Flash Charge, which is battery recharging tech that can deliver up to 66 percent more power than Qualcomm’s comparable Quick Charge 2.0. The Oppo Find 7’s battery takes just 30 minutes to reach 75 percent capacity, or 5 minutes to reach 2 hours.

Recommended Videos

Where phone photography inventions are concerned, it’s safe to say Oppo’s an industry leader. It kicked off its selfie-centered F Series earlier this year with the F1, a mid-range handset that features a front-facing shooter capable of taking in around “44 percent more light” and “30 percent clearer selfies” than most smartphone cameras. Last year’s N1 and N3 sported motorized swivel cameras that could capture photos and track objects at different angles. And the Find 7 featured a software photo-stitching mode that could produce a 50-megapixel image from several separate pictures.

OPPO-MWC-2016-teaser-poster

As for what awaits at Mobile World Congress, it’s anyone’s guess. A VOOC-based wireless charging solution isn’t out of the question, nor is a follow-up to Oppo’s NFC-based discrete optical zoom accessory it launched last year. We, like everyone else, will be anxiously awaiting the details.

One thing’s for certain: Oppo’s flying high. It sold 50 million devices — right behind electronics behemoth LG — in 2015 on year over year growth of 67 percent. That secured it an eighth-place spot among the top ten smartphone manufacturers in the world, according to market analytics company TrendForce.

But Oppo’s ambitious. We’ll see just how ambitious in a few months, when the company reveals its new innovations.

Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Read more
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Read more
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.

Read more