TECNO smartphones have gained popularity among the young generation in multiple countries across the world. Part of this growth is spurred on by the brand’s award-winning and widely respected TAIVOS™ Labs, which focuses on innovative and cutting-edge technological breakthroughs for mobile imaging technology. TECNO’s labs have been involved in numerous in-depth research and analysis that contributed to many new camera innovations that we see today. We’ll soon see the fruits of this lab via new features on its upcoming smartphones like the TECNO Camon 18 Premier.
We talked to Jiangtao Li, Senior Director of TECNO Imaging Product and Head of TECNO TAIVOS™ Labs to learn more about the lab and also to learn about how he reimagines the future of mobile camera technology.
When asked about how the lab came about, Jiangtao Li said: “With TAIVOS, our objective is to provide users with the best camera and video functions. Based on these grand objectives, our TAIVOS laboratory studies our devices extensively in order to make some deeper innovations that our users will enjoy and benefit from. We want to redefine how the mobile camera is perceived and what it can do for our users.”
TAIVOS™ Lab, which is short for TECNO AI Vision Optimization Solution Lab, was set up to enhance photography and videography through the latest technology. With this goal in mind, one of TECNO’s grand challenges it had to overcome– to cater to the many varying views of beauty over different regions and cultures, combining the best of the past and the present.
With this awareness that beauty can be subjective and very individualized, TAIVOS™ Lab has established various localized Research Centers across the world, in Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and more. TECNO adds that their research team has successfully produced more than 6,120 Evaluation Scenarios that spanned across 115 countries. TECNO is putting in so much effort, according to Li, because it is not enough to advance technology, but also it is important to build it with diversity in mind, so that everyone can enjoy and utilize mobile imaging technology together.
TAIVOS™ Lab’s final products have continually exceeded the expectations of consumers, producing many successful commercialized features. Specifically, TECNO TAIVOS™ certified cameras can reach a remarkable 4,500 fine-tuning settings thanks to the 3A Algorithm and ISP (Image Signal Processor) module. Pictures that are inclusive of all demographics and all three primary skin types, particularly those with darker skin tones, are sharpened. A comprehensive Material Library covers nine skin types and 76 categories so that everyone, regardless of demographic, gets to enjoy these improved features. On TECNO’s upcoming camera flagship, the CAMON 18 Premier, these optimizations enable excellent visuals even in low-light situations.
Another major breakthrough of TECNO TAIVOS™ Lab is in the advancement of the Screen Inspection Process. TECNO screens and cameras are fine-tuned for up to a half-year apiece throughout this procedure to provide the most bright and effective colors for its users. This has brought about many learnings for TECNO, as lighting is one major issue for mobile camera users that inhibits them from creating professional-level photos and videos. Li wants to democratize the pleasures of taking a good photo, and technology can be a big aid to people looking to gain confidence in their photography skills.
TAIVOS™ Lab’s innovative deep technologies are also evident in its Image Algorithm Technology. Using AI algorithms for Image Super-Resolution, low-resolution images caused by digital zoom can be recovered. TAIVOS™ Lab’s intelligent AI can gather information through multiple frames, analyze individual pixels, and reduce noise. Even for those with close to no photography skills, images on TECNO’s upcoming flagship will turn out to be clearer, richer in detail, and more true-to-life than ever before.
TAIVOS™ Lab has also patented various technologies to support the innovative ideas churned out by the lab. For example, featured inside the upcoming CAMON 18 Premier, the new model will also feature a self-developed Galileo Algorithm Engine that includes the “Moon Lock Focus System”, “Lunar Revolution Elimination Algorithm”, “Lunar Fine Section Protection Algorithm”, and “AI Deep Learning Enhancement Algorithm”. Taken together, these algorithms developed by TAIVOS™ Lab’s enhance the details and effects of photos focused on the moon to produce ultra-clear telescopic images. Thanks to this new engine, TECNO says that users can enjoy ultra-long-distance shooting effects comparable to astronomical telescopes and pixel-level image segmentation accuracy all from the comfort of the smartphone in their pocket.
Li states: “In terms of algorithms, we actually have a natural advantage. TAIVOS started five years ago when we established a project department at that time, and then we began to accumulate our data at that time. We have a very large database to support our localized algorithm, and compared to the entire industry, the quality of this local-driven database is high, because firstly, it is very focused, and secondly, we are spending a lot of energy to label the data. That’s because we understand that data is useless if you don’t label it. After we accumulate and label the data, we can do so much more to improve on what we have so that our users will always have the best.”
That data becomes useful in applications such as a cutting-edge gender recognition feature that will come packed in the CAMON 18 Premier. With a full understanding that males and females have unique facial traits and have different desires when it comes to taking selfies, the gender recognition AI protects the details of your natural features – men with beards can enhance them, while women can enable the technology to deliver beautiful lashes.
Li concludes: “TAIVOS™ Lab has allowed us to enable our users to analyze and recombine photos on a pixel level, bringing out the best photos for our users. Now with the CAMON 18 Premier, we are extending this technology to video. Hardware is only half the battle. We work incessantly to improve our software to bring the best user experience to our customers. TAIVOS™ Lab is at the forefront of mobile imaging technology today and we will keep you excited for years and decades to come.”
The TECNO CAMON 18 Premier is slated to launch in October and we can expect it to feature some very interesting innovations developed by the TAIVOS lab at its highly-anticipated launch.
