Recent case renders, leaks and a hands-on video show that the OPPO Reno smartphones may feature a unique pop-up selfie camera setup. The pop-up camera of the OPPO Reno opens diagonally, with the right side of the sliding module being positioned higher than the left, resulting in a slope-like design which looks rather bizarre compared to existing implementations of the same concept. The pop-up system of the OPPO Reno includes a front-facing camera, LED flash, and a conventional earpiece.
A new hands-on video posted on Chinese microblogging site Weibo demonstrates how the pop-up selfie camera would work on the OPPO Reno. The sliding mechanism will reveal the front-facing camera and LED flash hidden within the device’s chassis when the user switches to the selfie shooter mode in the handset’s camera application.
Aside from the camera specifications, the case renders leaks also supply information about the design of the OPPO Reno. For example, the left side of the handset has the volume rocker while the right side houses the power key. Meanwhile, the bottom of the OPPO Reno includes the USB Type-C port, a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and grills for the loudspeaker. Moreover, the use of a sliding mechanism for the front-facing camera allows for the OPPO Reno to offer a full-screen design with very thin bezels surrounding the display.
Background: The OPPO Reno will not be the first handset from the Chinese smartphone maker that will feature pop-up cameras, with the company already releasing the OPPO Find X late last year. However, the sliding mechanism of this device extends the entire upper part of the smartphone, and it contains both the front-facing and rear cameras. In contrast, the pop-up camera system of the OPPO Reno only moves the middle part of the handset’s top edge, while users may find the vertically-arranged dual rear cameras and LED flash on the device’s rear panel. It is interesting to note that while the Find X hides more camera components inside the chassis of the handset, it has a smaller screen-to-body ratio of 87-percent compared to the rumored 93.1-percent ratio offered by the upcoming OPPO Reno handset.
OPPO recently filed applications for five trademarks, which suggests that the company will release five Reno-branded devices. Among the variants of the OPPO Reno that the Chinese handset maker may release include the Reno Pro, Plus, Zoom, Lite, and Youth. It is likely that the Reno Pro will feature flagship hardware internals like the Snapdragon 855 chipset and support for 5G connectivity. This handset may also feature the 10X hybrid zoom technology, which allows users to zoom in to a subject within the image while keeping picture quality and details. An OPPO executive posted earlier this month an image of a premium handset with an additional rectangular cutout for the periscope camera. Given the differences in the design, the smartphone seen in the case leaks and hands-on video could be one of the cheaper devices in OPPO’s upcoming flagship lineup.
The Chinese handset maker will likely launch the Reno handsets with Android 9 Pie pre-installed, although the company’s proprietary skin, Color OS 6, will run on top of Google’s operating system.
Impact: Given the intense competition in the smartphone market, more manufacturers want to separate their offerings from rivals through unique designs and innovative hardware features. In OPPO’s case, the manufacturer aims to differentiate its handset through a unique sliding mechanism. While there might be questions raised over the durability of the handset’s mechanical components, OPPO will likely apply the lessons learned from manufacturing the Find X to improve the design of the Reno handsets.
