Smartphone manufacturers have created several solutions to solve the problems associated with the front camera. We have already seen notches, all sorts of drop-shaped and V-shaped cutouts, pull-out modules and flip modules. Now the Chinese company Oppo has come up with a completely new idea.
According to LetsGoDigital, The development has received a patent from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). At the end of January, a multi-page application documentation was published in the database.
The design does not solve the problem with the available screen area, but is working to improve the quality of images – the user of such a smartphone will be able to take selfies from different angles. To do this, the camera module is moved with a special motor to the left and right along a special recess in the body.
By default, the camera is fixed in one position. When you turn on the camera, it can be moved to the desired position, the process is fully automatic. By moving the camera, the user gets the opportunity to better build the composition and take pictures from different angles. For example, you can take a photo at an angle when the user is looking straight ahead.
In addition, the documentation mentions the possibility of using a similar design for the main camera on the rear. This will make the smartphone “ideal” for panoramic photos.
Oppo can use its development in the Oppo Reno series of smartphones, in which unusual form factors are encountered. For example, the Oppo Reno2 uses a shark fin-shaped retractable camera.
Gizchina News of the week
IDC: The smartphone market has returned to growth
Experts of the analytical company IDC summed up the results of the fourth quarter of 2020 and the whole year in general on the smartphone market. As stated in the corresponding report, the smartphone market returned to growth. Sales in the fourth quarter of 2020 were 385.9 million units, which is 4.3% more than smartphones sold in the fourth quarter of 2019. At the same time, for the entire 2020, smartphones were sold 5.9% less than in 2019.
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple was named the market leader. It was able to increase sales in annual terms, that is, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, by 22.2% – from 73.8 to 90.1 million devices. This led to an increase in Apple’s share from 19.9% to 23.4%. The second place is occupied by Samsung, which in annual terms increased sales by 6.2%, as a result of which its share increased from 18.8% to 19.1%. The third place is taken by Xiaomi. Its share increased from 8.9% to 11.2%. The top five also include Oppo and Huawei. Also, The share of Oppo increased from 8.3% to 8.8%. The share of Huawei decreased from 15.2% to 8.4%.
As for 2020 as a whole, Samsung remained the leader with 20.6% of the market. Apple is in second place with 15.9%. The share of Huawei, which is in third place at the end of 2020, is 14.6%. The fourth-place belongs to Xiaomi, whose share is 11.4%, the fifth – to Vivo, whose share is 8.6%. In 2019, Samsung’s share was 21.6%, Apple’s 13.9%. Huawei – 17.5%, Xiaomi – 9.2%, Vivo – 8.0%.
