What you need to know
- During its Future Lens 2023 event, TECNO discussed a few new camera technologies aimed at refining problems consumers face with smartphone cameras.
- The company's new Physical Aperture takes aim at backlit scenarios while also bringing in tools to help manage light and reduce "harsh glare."
- Its Liquid Telephoto technology is said to take users in closer, keeping details sharp, and full.
- Tecno's work with skin tone technology uses three AI-powered engines to keep photos vibrant and "true-to-life" for everyone.
At its annual event, Future Lens 2023, TECNO detailed three new technologies aimed at solving "major imaging problems." As detailed in a press release, TECNO seeks to alleviate the "pain points" consumers have faced with camera innovations as the market continues to grow.
The first "game changer" is TECNO's "W-shaped Adjustable Physical Aperture," which is designed to solve problems with backlit scenarios. With bionic vision and new fixed apertures, the company states users won't have to decide between taking shots of a detailed subject or a beautiful background — axing the need for compromise, as well.
This technology gives users control over a camera's aperture to manage light and reduce "harsh glare" for a well-rounded photograph.
The next imaging solution is TECNO's "industry-first" Liquid Telephoto Macro Lens, designed to improve focus speed and zooming. The OEM sees this as a perfect fit for the periscope lens some Android phones sport. The press release adds the Liquid lens uses voltage to adjust the camera's curvature whereas traditional periscope lenses take up a lot of room and increase the size of the motor drive to be able to focus on a very close subject (5cm).
While the latter produces a much smaller yield (and higher cost), TECNO's design is said to keep costs low while maintaining a compact design. It's expected that this new method can capture "minute" details about a subject.
The final piece is TECNO's Universal Tone technology for capturing users' skin tones that may not be accurately represented by smartphone cameras. Its purpose is to ensure that the content produced is vibrant and "true-to-life" for photos and videos. Work to become inclusive and accurately portray the spectrum of skin tones was a venture Google has leaned on with Real Tone capture on Pixel phones.
TECNO's Universal Tone is backed by three AI-powered engines in the background: Multi-Skin Tone Restoration, Local-Tuning, and Computational Portrait. Each of these engines works to bring more vibrancy, skin tone adjustments through the color spectral matrix, and image tone mapping for a well-constructed photo.
The company didn't make it clear when consumers can expect this technology to arrive on the market. Presumably, it would be used in TECNO's next wave of flagships. The company launched the Phantom V Flip back in September, and the mid-range foldable had flaws in various places, particularly with its camera, as the V Flip struggled with low-light scenarios and portrait photos of inanimate objects.
The device did shine in daylight scenarios, but it's clear TECNO sees more work in the forecast as its new Physical Aperture aims to aid in situations with an abundance of light.
