The Vivo X80 Series has been officially launched in its first global market outside of China today, in none other than the tropical Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. 

As an industry-leading flagship from Vivo, the Vivo X80 series brings in several firsts to the global smartphone market which include the 1st flagship to sport a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, the 1st flagship to sport its Vivo V1+ imaging processor and the 1st flagship to sport a Sony IMX866 sensor.

Vivo X80

Starting with the design, the Vivo X80 features a curved AMOLED screen at the front and a flat glass back panel with a rectangular ceramic camera island on top. The front display is a 6.78-inch FHD+ 120Hz E5 Samsung curved AMOLED that goes up to 1000 nits of brightness covering 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. The front display is then complimented with a centered hole punch housing the 32MP selfie camera.

Powering the standard Vivo X80 is MediaTek’s top-of-the-line Dimensity 9000 SoC, with 12GB of onboard LPDDR5 RAM, 4GB of extendable RAM and 256GB of blazing-fast 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. Keeping the lights on is the device’s generous 4,500mAh battery, paired with Vivo’s class-leading 80W fast charging. Vivo claims that its 80W fast charging will be able to charge from 0% to 50% within 11 mins and 0% to 100% within 34 mins.

Coming to the photography, besides the ISP on the MediaTek Dimensity 9000, the Vivo X80 also comes with Vivos first in-house ISP, the Vivo V1+. Vivo proudly exclaims that the Vivo V1+ ISP paired with the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 allows the company to produce newer and more advanced smartphone camera algorithms to ensure that the best camera shot comes out of your smartphone.

As for the cameras, the Vivo X80 features a triple rear camera setup. The main sensor is Sony’s latest 50MP IMX866 sensor. The 50MP sensor comes with a wide f/1.75 aperture, OIS stabilisation, and an RGBW colour arrangement. The setup is then supported with a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. All lenses are also equipped with Zeiss’ T* coating technology to reduce ghosting and stray light to capture more natural colours and finer details when you are using the device.

For haptics and audio, the Vivo X80 is included with a linear X-axis haptic motor and features dual top-bottom firing stereo speakers for an immersive mobile gaming experience. The device weighs in at a hefty 206g and is sporting Android 12 with Vivo’s Funtouch OS 12 user interface on top. 

Vivo X80 Pro

The Vivo X80 Pro features a similar design as the Vivo X80 with the same curved AMOLED panel at the front, a flat matte glass panel at the back, and is rated for IP68 water and dust resistance. The display up front is upgraded to a 6.78-inch 2K 120Hz LTPO E5 Samsung AMOLED over the standard model and also houses a 32MP front camera in the punch hole at the top centre of the display. The display also supports up to 1500 nits of brightness, 10-bit colours and HDR10+ content.

The Vivo X80 Pro is coming to global markets with only the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 onboard, and with 12GB of onboard LPDDR5 RAM, 4GB of extendable RAM, and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Vivo X80 Pro is equipped with a larger 4700mAh battery, with 80W wired fast charging, and 50W Vivo FlashCharge wireless charging. In turn, the device weighs in at a heavier 219g.

As for the cameras, the Vivo X80 Pro is also equipped with the new Vivo V1+ ISP and features a more capable quad-camera setup on the rear. The main sensor is a 50 MP ultra-sensing Samsung GNV sensor with OIS stabilisation. As the first Android flagship to sport the Samsung GNV sensor, Vivo claims that with this new technology, the Vivo X80 Pro will be able to reveal the colours of the night, making the night look brighter and more natural.

The other 3 rear cameras are also flagship highlights as well, with the 48MP ultra wide-angle sensor being the Sony IMX598, the 12MP telephoto sensor being the Sony IMX663 sensor, and an 8MP periscope lens that boasts 5x optical zoom and 60x hybrid zoom. All lenses are equipped with Zeiss’ T* coating technology which aims to provide photos with true to life colours and finer details in the dark.

The Vivo X80 Pro is equipped with the same flagship linear X-axis motor and dual top-bottom firing stereo speakers as its X80 sibling and will run Android 12 with Funtouch OS 12 out of the box.

Pricing and Colour Options

For the Malaysia market, the Vivo X80 will be arriving in two gorgeous colour options: Cosmic Black and Urban Blue, meanwhile the Vivo X80 Pro will be only available in Cosmic Black.

The Vivo X80 series is available for pre-order starting May 8th in Malaysia starting from RM 3,499 (800 USD) for the standard Vivo X80 (12GB+256GB), and RM 4,999 (1,144 USD) for the Vivo X80 Pro (12GB+256GB). Both devices come included with free gifts and a 2-year local manufacturer warranty.

The Vivo X80 series is due to come to more global markets soon this month, with the Indian launch of the Vivo X80 series happening next week on May 18th.

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Sony has today officially launched its latest smartphone under the Xperia branding — Sony Xperia Pro-I, which is targeted towards the content creators. The highlight is the camera technology, which is developed with the same advanced imaging technology from Sony’s mirrorless Alpha brand cameras, found in the RX100 VII camera.

The newly announced Sony Xperia Pro-I is touted to be the world’s first smartphone to come with a 1.0-type sensor with phase detection. The device comes packed with a 1.0-type Exmor RS sensor with a 2.4µm pixel pitch for impressive low-light performance.

The 1-inch sensor is borrowed from its RX100 VII camera. It supports RAW 12-bit shooting for incredible dynamic range, and dual aperture that goes from f/2.0 to f/4.0 for changing the depth of field. The phone also features a BIONZ X for mobile and a front-end LSI.

The smartphone includes three camera lenses, all of which are enhanced with ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating and a 3D iToF sensor. There’s a newly developed 24mm lens that adopts ZEISS Tessar Optics for delivering high-resolution images with less peripheral image distortion and more intense contrast and sharpness.

The 24mm lens is clubbed with two other sensors — a 12-megapixel 16mm f/2.2 ultrawide sensor and another 12-megapixel 50mm f/2.4 2x optical telephoto lens. Further, the 3D iToF sensor calculates the distance between the camera and the subject to ensure fast and accurate autofocus.

The device also features 315 phase-detection AF points that cover almost 90 percent of the frame. There’s also an AF technology that includes features Real-time Eye-AF in humans and animals, Real-time tracking, 20fps AF/AE burst shooting, and anti-distortion shutter for a cleaner capture of fast-moving objects.

Sony claims the Xperia Pro-I to be the world’s first smartphone allowing users to shoot high-quality video in 4K 120fps and slow-motion video at up to 5x. There’s a monaural microphone next to the main camera for clear speech recording.

There are two physical camera buttons on the device — one is a two-stage shutter key and the other is a circular button that is mapped to launch the Videography Pro app. This app offers advanced controls like white balance, exposure and focus.

Given that the smartphone is aimed at content creators or vloggers, there’s a special Vlog Monitor which is basically a 3.5-inch 720p monitor accessory that can be attached to the phone’s rear, allowing to film users with the new 1.0-inch type camera sensor.

As for the rest of the specifications, the Xperia Pro-I features a 6.5-inch 4K OLED display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, the device comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM.

With such advanced camera functions, you will need a good amount of storage and Sony isn’t compromising as it is offering 512GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot allowing you to further expand the storage capacity up to 1TB on the device.

It supports the usual set of connectivity options, with support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6. The device runs the Android operating system and is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with supports for 30W fast charging technology.

Sony Xperia Pro-I will be available for purchase from December this year, for the price of $1,800 through authorized deals in the United States. It will also be available in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordics.

The company will start taking pre-orders from 28th October. Apart from the smartphone, the Vlog Monitor and Style Cover in Leather will also be available in December 2021 for around $200 and $90, respectively.

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Today, Vivo announced new X-series phones in China. The Vivo X70 series includes three devices – the standard X70, the X70 Pro, and the X70 Pro+. This post is for the topmost model, the Vivo X70 Pro+.

Vivo X70 Pro+ Design

The Vivo X70 Pro+ has a similar design to its predecessor but with some slight changes. It still has a centered punch hole in the front and the camera housing is still a rectangular slab though bigger now. However, Vivo has added a sheet of ceramic called the Ceramic Cloud Window to the right of the camera housing. This sheet of ceramic has a mesmerizing effect when it reflects the sky.

The phone comes in three colors – black, blue, and orange. The black variant is covered in glass while the orange and blue variants are covered in plain leather.

Vivo X70 Pro+ Specs

The Vivo X70 Pro+ has a 6.78-inch 2K (3200 x 1440) display. The 10-bit panel is Samsung’s E5 AMOLED and it has a 120Hz variable refresh rate, a maximum brightness of 1500 nits, 300Hz touch sampling rate (1000Hz max). The display has received an A+ certification rating from DisplayMate.

There is a Snapdragon 888+ processor under the hood and it is paired with LPDDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. Buyers will be able to pick up the phone in three configurations with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

There are four cameras on the back of the phone and all of them are equipped with optical image stabilization. The sensors include a 48MP micro-pan-tilt ultrawide angle camera with 360° Horizontal Levelling Stabilization so even if you rotate the phone while recording, you still get a stable video. There is also a 50MP Samsung GN1 main camera, a 12MP Sony IMX663 portrait camera, and an 8MP telescope camera that brings 5x optical zoom and 60x super zoom.

Vivo says that the X70 Pro+ uses a Low-Dispersion High-Transmittance Glass Lens for its main camera. This type of glass is found only in high-end SLR lenses. The Vivo X70 Pro+ also comes with four classic ZEISS lenses that allow users to capture portrait images in different styles. The lenses are the Contax Biotar, Contax Distagon, Hasselblad Planar, and Olympia Sonnar. All of the Vivo X70 phones come with a ZEISS T* coating to reduce ghosting. The Vivo V1 ISP chip is also present inside the phone.

The Vivo X70 Pro+ has a 4500mAh battery capacity with support for 55W flash wired charging just like its predecessor. However, it now adds support for 50W wireless fast charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. Seeing as Vivo now has a phone with wireless charging support, it is no surprise that it has announced a wireless charger. The vertical wireless charger pictured below is inclined at a 60° angle and features multiple charging coils at the top and bottom. It also has air vents on the rear for cooling and a breathing light in front.

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Vivo’s topmost X70 model also has an IP68 rating, making it on par with flagships from Samsung and Apple. The phone runs OriginOS based on Android 11 out of the box.

Vivo X70 Pro+ price and availability

The Vivo X70 Pro+ will be priced at ¥5499 (~$852) for the 8GB RAM + 256GB version, ¥5999 (~$929) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB version, and ¥6999 (~$1084) for the 12GB RAM + 512GB version. The 512GB version is also dubbed the Vivo X70 Pro+ Premium Edition and it comes with a free pair of the Vivo TWS 2 ANC earbuds which costs ¥299 (~$46), 2 years of warranty, one-on-one customer service, and an exclusive butler service worth more than ¥1200 (~$186). Those who pre-order the premium edition also get the ¥329 (~$51) wireless charger for free.

On September 12, Vivo Silver and Gold members will be able to experience the two pro models at designated experience stores in 38 cities across China.

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Vivo was working on its self-developed Image Signal Processor (ISP) chip which was recently leaked online. Soon after that, the company’s Executive Vice President Hu Baishan officially confirmed that the company is indeed gearing up to launch the Vivo V1 ISP chip.

Today, the Chinese company has officially launched its first self-developed chip, named Vivo V1 which is an Image Signal Processor. It has also been confirmed that the upcoming Vivo X70 series smartphones will come equipped with this new chip.

For launching this new Vivo V1 chip, a team of over 300 people worked for more than 24 months for Research & Development as well as the Chinese company had in-depth cooperation with smartphone processor manufacturers. This is to ensure that the Vivo V1 ISP works smoothly with the main processor without any compatibility issues.

The company claims that the new V1 chip offers high computing power, low latency, and low power consumption. Along with processing complex calculations at high speed, it can also complete parallel processing of data like GPU and DSP. However, the company adds that Vivo V1 has massive improvement in energy efficiency ratio compared to DSP and CPU even when faced with a large number of complex operations.

Vivo has optimized the data storage architecture as well as the high-speed read and write circuits inside the chip to maximize simultaneous processing capacity. It is able to achieve an equivalent of 32MB large cache with on-chip storage.

The company claims that it surpasses current flagship desktop processors when it comes to low-latency real-time noise reduction and frame insertion. When processing tasks with the same amount of calculation at high speed, the dedicated algorithm in Vivo V1 reduces the power consumption of the hardware circuit by about 50 percent.

Vivo also worked with the Zeiss team to over technical limitations like process and yield and the glass lenses can now offer high light transmittance, ultra-low dispersion, and thermal stability. The AOA dynamic optical calibration process is used to adjust the sharpness reduction by lens thickness errors and lens eccentric errors.

The China-based company has also introduced SWC coating technology which ensures that the reflected light is fully suppressed, and the reflectivity is reduced to a minimum of 0.1%, which greatly improves the quality.

Vivo and Zeiss also worked through 140 color card performance and 3D color mapping matrix algorithms to adjust 262,144 parameters to make the hue more accurate and the saturation processing more refined. As a result, the hue accuracy ΔE is increased by approximately 15.5%, bringing more natural colors.

As noted, the Vivo V1 ISP chip will be equipped in the upcoming Vivo X70 series smartphones that are set to be officially launched in the Chinese market on 9th September at 19:30 local time. Soon after the China launch, the smartphone lineup is expected to have its global launch.

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• Vivo continues to lead the Chinese market, Honor overtakes Apple: Counterpoint

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Vivo has already confirmed that the company will be launching its next-generation flagship smartphones under the Vivo X70 lineup on 9th September in China. Ahead of the launch, the company has been teasing key features of the devices through posters.

The brand has shared a new teaser poster which reveals that the Vivo X70 series smartphones will be equipped with Zeiss optical lens. Vivo’s product manager indicates that the X70 lineup could be the first phone that actually uses Zeiss’s original glass lenses.

For those who are unaware, Zeiss had partnered with Chinese smartphone maker Vivo last year and launched Vivo X60 series phones. Now, it’s confirmed that the successor models will also pack the same camera technology.

It has already been confirmed that the Vivo X70 series smartphones will come packed with the company’s self-developed Vivo V1 Image Signal Processor (ISP) that has not been officially launched yet but is expected to be announced at the same launch event.

Vivo X70 and X70 Pro will feature a 6.56-inch display with Full HD+ screen resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, the standard model will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC while the Pro model will pack Exynos 1080 chipset.

The phone will feature a triple-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 40-megapixel primary camera and two 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors. The Pro model will swap the 40-megapixel sensor for a 50-megapixel lens.

Both the smartphones will be powered by a 4,400mAh battery and will have support for 44W fast wired charging technology. The devices will come in three color options — Black, White, and Aurora.

On the other hand, the Vivo X70 Pro+ will feature a 6.78-inch 2K display with a 120Hz LTP refresh rate. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC, which is the current flagship chipset.

There will be four camera sensors on this one — a 50-megapixel Samsung GN1 sensor primary sensor, along with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX598 sensor, a 12-megapixel camera, and an 8-megapixel periscope camera with 5x optical zoom. It will be powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 55W fast charging and 50W wireless charging support.

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Zeiss Group, the Germany-based company that manufactures optical electronics and optical products, is now looking to expand its footprints in the mobile market as the demand for imaging technology is surging.

The German company is known for making eyeglass lenses, binoculars, and camera lenses. In an effort to further expand its presence in the smartphone camera market, Zeiss China, the local subsidiary, has partnered with Chinese smartphone maker Vivo and launched Vivo X60 series phones.

Smartphone makers are now partnering with optical image sensor makers to enhance the camera performance of their devices. This is being done to offer a unique feature and highlight the photography experience, a feature that has now become a make-or-break deal type for many users worldwide.

Maximilian Foerst, President and Managing Director of Zeiss China says that the company is committed to developing mobile imaging technologies as it sees great potential in the extremely dynamic market. He further adds that mobile imaging technology will be a key differentiator and an important driver of the mobile market worldwide.

Vivo and Zeiss are also establishing a joint Research & Development program which would be known as Vivo ZEISS Imaging Lab. It will be focused on developing innovative solutions for mobile imaging technology. Also, the program will oversee the joint development and co-engineering of optical components that would feature on Vivo flagships.

Zeiss previously had a partnership with Nokia for its smartphone cameras which is now defunct. Similarly, Huawei has a partnership with Leica while OnePlus recently established a partnership with Hasselblad. Samsung is reportedly tying up with Olympus for enhancing the camera experience on its upcoming flagship smartphones.

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In late March, Vivo announced the Vivo X60 Pro 5G in Malaysia. Almost two months later, the phone has now made its way to Europe. The phone was announced earlier this week, and according to Vivo, it is the official smartphone of the UEFA Euro 2020 championship.

The Vivo X60 Pro 5G’s selling point is its camera setup. Co-developed with ZEISS, the phone comes with a new gimbal stabilization system – Vivo says it boasts a five-axis video stabilization system, an upgrade from the four-axis of the last-gen model. It also has a new feature called Pixel Shift Ultra HD Imaging Technology that “enhances accuracy especially in colors, details, and zoom sharpness”. Vivo says it has also recreated the iconic ZEISS Biotar Portrait Style for the phone. This feature adds a swirly bokeh effect to portrait images.

There are three cameras on the back of the phone – a 148MP main camera, a 13MP super-wide-angle camera, and a 13MP portrait lens. The phone also has a 32MP front-facing camera.

The Vivo X60 Pro 5G has a 6.56-inch FHD+ curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz response rate. It has HDR10 and is certified as an SGS Eye Care Display. There is a Snapdragon 870 processor under the hood with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It packs a 4200mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging.

Vivo has put a price tag of £749 on the phone and it will be available for purchase in the UK on June 3. The manufacturer is also running a campaign in partnership with the football star, Michael Owen, that will see fans win a Vivo Golden Ticket to experience the Euro 2020 championships for themselves and a friend. All they have to do is show off their skills on social media. Vivo says that the ticket gives access to all matches of the winner’s country’s team. More details are available on the Vivo UK Instagram page.

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Chinese Smartphone maker Vivo entered Europe last year with the launch of Vivo X51 5G and a few other devices. Now, the company has revealed that it will double its presence in the region by this year and launch more premium flagship devices.

Vivo has officially entered the Romania and Czech markets. Before 2021, it hopes to present in as many as 12 countries in the European region. This is 6 more than the status last year. It also says that it will bring the smartphones with the ‘ZEISS‘ association to these markets this year.

If you recall, Vivo recently partnered with ZEISS, a Germany-based Optoelectronics company for a Global Imaging partnership. Currently, the Vivo X60 series of devices have cameras optimized by ZEISS. However, it is not clear which models will make it to Europe.

There is also a possibility that the Vivo X60 could launch with tweaks under different names just like the way Vivo did last year. It launched X51 5G, a tweaked version of the Vivo X50 Pro from China.

Anyway, the company also hints that it would partner with UEFA to bring its new drives during the UEFA EURO 2020 and 2024 football championships. The former event has been postponed due to the pandemic and is scheduled to start on 11 June 2021.

Apart from Romania and the Czech, Vivo also says that it will venture into countries like Serbia and Austria by H1 2021. Let’s wish Vivo Good Luck as it expands the ever-growing European Smartphone market in 2021.

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(via)

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We have just a few weeks left before the end of the year and while other industries are shutting down for the holidays, that is not the case in the tech industry as everywhere is still abuzz with activities. If you missed last week’s major announcements and happenings in the industry, then you should bring yourself up to speed with this roundup.

Vivo partners with ZEISS on smartphone cameras; OnePlus goes with Leica

The cameras on phones from Chinese manufacturers, Vivo and OnePlus, are about to get better. The former has confirmed it has signed a partnership with ZEISS to use its lens technology in its phones, beginning with the Vivo X60 series scheduled to launch by the end of December.

OnePlus, on the other hand, has been reported to have entered into a partnership with the German company, Leica, to co-develop the cameras of the OnePlus 9 series that will be announced in 2021.

Benchmarking the Snapdragon 888, unveiling the Snapdragon 678

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 888 processor earlier this month. The chipset will power the flagships of 2021 and is expected to make its debut after this month in the Xiaomi Mi 11. If you want to know how well the chipset fares in benchmark tests, then Qualcomm has got you covered as it has released a video showing just that. The chipset shows its prowess on the popular benchmark apps such as AnTuTu, GFXBench, Geekbench, and AIMark.

The San Diego semiconductor company also announced a new mid-range processor last week. The Snapdragon 678, as it is called, is an upgrade over the Snapdragon 675 announced in October 2018.

EDITOR’S PICK: Google Stadia is now available for iOS devices in beta

DJI gets a US ban too

DJI, the leader in consumer drone technology was added to the US Government’s entity list along with three others as they “enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance”.

A new OnePlus backpack but nowhere to go

OnePlus is known for its phones but its product portfolio also includes lifestyle products such as backpacks. Last week, it announced a new one dubbed the OnePlus Urban Traveler that is scheduled to go on sale in early January. With countries going into a second round of lockdown, buying a backpack knowing you will be indoors for the unforeseeable future doesn’t seem like the wise thing to do.

An expensive Flex

Samsung’s Galaxy Book Flex got a second-generation model last week and it comes with all the bells and whistles of a premium computer. You get a QLED touch display, Intel’s 11th Gen processor, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and an S Pen stylus. It also costs over $2500 and has a 5G model too.

A colorful galaxy!

The Galaxy S21 leaks were fully turned on last week. We got to see the colorful lineup of the standard model along with renders of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. There is also a leak that tells us how much the series will cost in Europe.

UP NEXT: Next Week in Tech: A new realme smartwatch, an e-reader with 5G, Nova 8, and a new Huawei smart screen

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Vivo and ZEISS have today, officially announced their strategic global imaging partnership. The smartphone maker had hinted of the partnership a few days back and the news was well-received. The new partnership is expected to showcase its first product on December 29 when the Vivo X60 series is expected to go official with the technology in play.

According to a statement released by Vivo on its website, the pair will team up to establish a joint R&D program which would be known as Vivo ZEISS Imaging Lab. The program will be focused on developing innovative solutions for mobile imaging technology. Also, the program will oversee the joint development and co-engineering of optical components that would feature on Vivo flagships.

The ZEISS partnership is similar to the now-defunct partnership Nokia previously had with the German imaging giant. Already, Vivo has several imaging R&D centers around the world with a staff strength of over 700. This time around, Vivo will have access to ZEISS’s decades of experience in developing optics and optoelectronics.

Vivo also announced that the partnership also commences the Vivo ZEISS Master Photography campaign to promote newly developed imaging systems and to “inspire users to enjoy their creativity with Vivo’s flagship smartphones”.

The Vivo X60 which is the first product of the partnership will be unveiled in no distant time. The product will come with a ZEISS Vario-Tessar lenses featuring the T* anti-reflective coating according to a recent leak. The flagship smartphone is also expected to use ZEISS’ 3D PoP algorithms for bokeh rendering. The camera technology co-developed with ZEISS will be included in future Vivo high-end phones.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi QLED TV 4K 55 launched in India: Android TV 10, Dolby Vision, and 30W speakers

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After a lot of rumors, Vivo has finally started teasing the Vivo X60 5G smartphones today in China. While the company hasn’t quite announced a date yet, it is expected to unveil the series on December 28 in China. That said, a tipster has, however, leaked the details of the device along with some live shots.

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Tipster Digital Chat Station says(via ITHome) Vivo X60 will have a thickness of 7.3mm(0.287-inches). Further, he adds that it will dethrone others(incl. Apple) to become the thinnest 5G smartphone. In case you don’t know, iPhone 12 Mini including the other 12-series 5G models have a thickness of 7.4mm(0.291-inches). That said, the tipster has also leaked the live shots of the Vivo X60 and says its rear will use an AG(Anti-Glare) glass.

As you can see below, the Vivo X60 is shown in three colors. And according to the tipster, the color variants will be Black, Warm Yellow, and Color gradient. A few of the images also show a black box packaging. As for the device, there is a textured power button and volume rockers to the right. At the bottom of the device, there is a Type-C port, SIM-slot, Speaker, and primary microphone.

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EDITOR’S PICK: Vivo study reveals that smartphone usage has risen immensely in 2020, raises concerns over mental health

At the top, there is a secondary microphone and a tagline, “PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY”. Further, the rear rectangular layout has triple-cameras and a ZEISS logo to confirm the company’s partnership with ZEISS optics. However, the leaked images seem to be of the Vivo X60 and not the Pro. To recall, the official teaser showed another device with an extra square-shaped lens.

So far, from the official teasers, we know that the Vivo X60 series will feature Exynos 1080 SoC. The X60 will have a triple-camera setup and the X60 Pro will probably feature an upgraded Periscope lens which explains the Ultra-Stable Micro Gimbal. Additionally, leaks also say that the devices will have a centered punch-hole display, which would probably be an AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Besides, other expected specs of the Vivo X60 are a 4,300mAh battery, 33W fast charging, and running Vivo’s new OriginOS out of the box.

UP NEXT: Vivo announces partnership with Carl Zeiss for its smartphone cameras

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German optoelectronics manufacturer ZEISS‘s full-frame Digital camera, the ZX1 could be finally hitting the retail stores soon. Announced way back in 2018, the fixed lens camera running on Android is priced at $6000.

A report from DPReview (via The Verge) says that B&H Photo Video sent emails regarding the price and availability. For the unware, B&H Photo Video is an electronics retailer in the US. As per the report, the camera would be available soon. The exact date is, however, not revealed yet. Also, the pre-order page has neither the price or availability but just a ‘coming soon’ tag. This suggests that it might take a bit longer for it to hit the stores.

Carl Zeiss, a company from Germany which holds the ZEISS branding, launched a full-frame fixed-lens camera that runs on Android back in September 2018. As described by the company, an overview of the pre-order website has a tagline, “Shoot, Edit, Share”.

Zeiss ZX1 camera Specifications

The Zeiss ZX1 has a 37.4MP CMOS sensor with a maximum resolution of 7488×4992 pixels. Having an aspect ratio of 3:2, it is a full-frame sensor and supports DNG, JPEG formats. IT also has Zeiss’ own T* 35mm f/2 lens for better low-light focus, sharpness, and illumination. Other features include a 255-area AF system, three physical dials for ISO, Shutter speed, and Aperture. It also has a 0.7-inch OLED viewfinder with FHD resolution and 0.74x magnification.

As per the specifications listed on B&H, the Android-powered camera has an ISO sensitivity from 80 to 51200, shutter speed up to 1/8000 to 30 seconds, continuous shooting at 37.4MP up to 3fps. And modes like Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority are also present. It can record 4K UHD(3840×2160) at 30fps and FHD(1920×1080) videos at 60fps.

Apart from this, there is a rear 4.34-inch LCD HD(1280×720) touch screen display with a 338ppi. It even has an Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC integrated so users can shoot and edit videos on the go. Other features like 512GB storage, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, USB-C, 3.5mm audio&mic jack are present. While the price is a bit higher compared to Sony’s RX1($3,300) and Leica’s Q2($4,995) cameras, we will have to wait and see how Zeiss has made the ZX1 unique to others.

Up Next: POCO C3 confirmed to arrive with 13MP triple rear cameras

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Last weekend should have been an exciting one for mobile phone lovers if MWC 2020 wasn’t canceled. Manufacturers such as TCL, OPPO, HMD Global, and Xiaomi had originally scheduled their product launches for the weekend but had to reschedule following the announcement that MWC will not hold this year due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Sony, on the other hand, scheduled its own event for today but has switched it to an online event that will be live-streamed on YouTube. Ahead of the launch, specs and renders of two new phones – the Xperia 1 II and the Xperia 10 II – have been posted online.

Xperia 1 II

The Xperia 1 II is a flagship and the successor to the Xperia 1 released last year. The phone has been slightly designed and comes with significant upgrades and features.

Sony is sticking to the 6.5” screen size and 21:9 aspect ratio. There is no notch or punch hole but we still have bezels. The OLED screen has a 4K resolution and Sony has added what it calls Motion Blur Reduction which provides the same benefit as having a 90Hz refresh rate according to the spec sheet.

There is a Snapdragon 865 processor under the hood and it is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. We do not know if there will be other configurations, especially in Sony’s home country.

The Sony Xperia 1 II has four rear cameras. There is a 12MP 16mm 1/2.6” sensor with Dual-PD autofocus. It is paired with a 12MP 24mm 1/1.7” sensor with Dual-PD autofocus and OIS. You also get a third 12MP sensor with a 70mm focal length, 1/3.4” sensor size, PDAF, OIS, and 3x optical zoom. The last rear camera is a 3D ToF camera with autofocus.

The rear cameras use ZEISS lens and have features such as Real-time Eye Autofocus and 20fps AF/AE tracking burst. The selfie camera is an 8MP sensor.

The Xperia 1 II has stereo front speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, and even has an audio jack, unlike its predecessor. There is a 4000mAh battery inside it with support for wireless charging but there no mention of the charging speed. The phone also has an IP65/IP68 rating which means it is dustproof and waterproof.

The spec sheet also mentions features such as 21:9 gaming support, DualShock 4 direct connection, Elite Gaming, and Game Enhancer.

The Xperia 1 II will be available in black and purple.

EDITOR’S PICK: Sony Xperia 1 and others win iF Design Award

Xperia 10 II

Sony’s second phone is the mid-range Xperia 10 II. It doesn’t have 5G support like the flagship phone but it comes with more cameras and bigger battery capacity than its predecessor, the Xperia 10.

The display is a 6.0-inch 21:9 FHD+ OLED panel with Video Image Optimisation. There are bezels at the top and bottom of the screen.

Sony has replaced the Snapdragon 630 with the Snapdragon 665 processor and paired it with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

It has three rear cameras arranged vertically on the left side. It includes a 26mm 12MP sensor with PDAF, a 52mm 8MP sensor, and a 16mm 8MP sensor. The spec sheet says it has color reproduction know-how from Digital Imaging. Users also get an 8MP front-facing camera.

The Xperia 10 II has an audio jack, Hi-Res Audio (wired and wireless), LDAC support, DSEE HX Digital Sound Enhancement Engine. It packs a 3600mAh battery and also has an IP65/68 rating. There is a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and NFC.

Sony will release the phone in black and white colorways.

We should know about the prices and availability of the two new phones when they launch later today.

UP NEXT: Sony Xperia L4 goes official packing a waterdrop notch, NFC, 21:9 aspect ratio

(Sources: 1, 2)

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The Nokia 7.2 is expected to launch next month at IFA 2019 in Berlin. Ahead of the event, ZEISS, invited some tech reporters to see the device before the launch.

Joachim Kuss who works for ZEISS tweeted about the press event, even including a photo of the phone and therefore confirming the design. While the tweet has now been deleted, those who saw it took a screenshot.

The photo confirms the Nokia 7.2 will come with triple rear cameras arranged in a circular housing just like we have seen in renders. There are two sensors at the top while the third and the LED flash are placed at the bottom. The camera housing isn’t flush with the body of the phone and sticks out noticeably. There is also a fingerprint scanner below the setup.

A close look at the sensors shows that one of the three is a depth sensor. Alongside the main camera should be an ultrawide angle camera.

The Nokia 7.2 is said to have an FHD+ display and will be powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor according to its Geekbench result. It will have 6GB of RAM and run Android 9 out of the box. Just like other Nokia phones, it should get two OS upgrades, so Android Q and Android R are guaranteed.

The Nokia 7.2 should be announced on September 5 alongside the Nokia 6.2 and some new feature phones at HMD Global’s IFA event.

(Source)

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Smartphone cameras have come a long way, ever since the first camera phone, the Kyocera VP-210 visual phone was announced back in 1999. Manufacturers are looking for new ways to differentiate their smartphones and cameras are often one of these features that makes a phone stand out. In the pursuit of differentiating a smartphone, manufacturers have started adding huge sensors on their phones and 48MP sensors have become the norm for a lot of flagships and mid-rangers. But now, smartphones with even 64MP sensors are coming our way in the next few months. So it begs the question: Are such large sensors necessary and useful?

According to Zeiss Group’s CEO & President Dr. Michael Kaschke, 40MP sensor is already more than enough for smartphones. While talking to the Indian Express, he explained that there are limits in terms of processing speeds, signal to noise ratio, and costs that put smartphone cameras already at its tipping point. According to his comments, anything over 40MP could be an overkill on smartphones given their limitations.

He further reveals that Zeiss Lens wants to focus more on products that cater to ‘professionals, semi-professionals, and artistic photographers’ rather than smartphones. However, he still wants to work with smartphone companies and currently has a partnership with HMD Global for its Nokia-branded devices. To recall, Zeiss and Nokia’s partnership dates back to the Nokia 95 days.

He adds that multiple sensor setup is the way to go for smartphones as it helps to enhance the photos as well as treat smartphones like a DSLR. However, he says for professional photography, consumers will look for professional cameras instead of smartphones.

What do you think? Will 64MP cameras be overkill for smartphones?

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(Source)

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Sony has used its G-lens series as the main camera for its smartphones right from the Sony Xperia Z1 that came out in 2013 to Xperia XZ3 from 2018. Leaked information that had surfaced last month had claimed that Sony may have replaced the G-lens with ZEISS MILVUS lenses for the triple camera sensors available on the Xperia 1 premium flagship phone that was announced in February this year. According to Sumahoinfo, they have learnt from a staff from Sony’s Thai factory that Sony will be replacing G-lens with Carl ZEISS lenses for its smartphones.

The images of the triple camera sensors of the Sony Xperia 1 that had surfaced last month had revealed that the Japanese tech giant had used a pair of ZEISS 12-megapixel lenses and a 12-megapixel sensor from Samsung. The publication has claimed that some of the employees from the Thailand plant have also claimed that Sony has used ZEISS lenses instead of G-lens on Xperia. Hence, it appears that forthcoming premium smartphones from Sony may not feature a G lens.

The ZEISS lens is said to be as good as G-lens. Hence, there may not be any significant improvement in the imaging quality with the usage of ZEISS lenses. That being said, the probable reason why the camera performance of the Xperia 1 is being praised is because of the addition of new camera functions, claims the publication.

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Sony is reportedly working on Xperia 2 flagship phone. The CAD renders of the phone were released by @OnLeaks in the previous month. The successor of the Xperia 1 is also expected to arrive with triple camera setup. Now that the company has reportedly starting ZEISS lenses on its smartphones, the Xperia 2 may not feature a G lens. Sony is yet to release an official statement to confirm that it has switched to ZEISS lenses for its smartphones.

The Japanese tech giant is known for using the IFA tech trade show platform for announcing its new phones in the second half of the year. Probably, the company may announce the Xperia 2 phone at the IFA 2019 event in September. Rumors have it that the Xperia 2 may come with a 6.2-inch CinemaWide display that offers 21:9 aspect ratio. It could be powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset and 6 GB of RAM.

(source|via)

UP NEXT: Alleged specs for Sony’s hexa-camera smartphone surfaces

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Earlier today, HMD Global launched the much awaited Nokia 9 Pureview flagship in China. It is the world’s first smartphone to feature five cameras at the back and considering the pricing of the device, it’s clear that the Nokia 9 will take on the recently released Huawei P30 Pro.

The new Nokia flagship is priced at 5499 Yuan (~$820) for its 6GB+128GB version in China. What’s interesting is that this makes it more expensive than the 8GB + 128GB (5488 Yuan) variant of the Huawei P30 Pro! This definitely puts the new Nokia flagship in a very tight spot, even if it’s backed by the power of five cameras.

The Nokia 9 Pureview is all about the camera experience. The five cameras at the back are all 12MP f/1.8 sensors and feature Zeiss optics, unsurprisingly. Further, the camera technology is powered by Light, the company known for its 16 lens camera called the L16. The phone takes photos from all the five cameras together and fuses them together to churn out a rich photo sample.

It’s also worth mentioning that this five-camera setup is flat, without any camera bumps. Only two of these cameras are RGB, while three others are monochrome. The trio enables higher light input, resulting in better looking night photos. Further, the phone leverages depth information from all the five cameras to capture samples with some really deep bokeh shots.

• RELATED: Nokia X71 powered by SD660 SoC and 6GB RAM launched in China

Despite the advantages of the Nokia 9 Pureview, one could argue that there are better camera flagships suited for the average camera users. As mentioned above, the Huawei P30 Pro, with its newer and more powerful Kirin 980 chip and a powerful 50X zoom camera comes in cheaper than the Nokia model. So, the phone is in a tough spot in a competitive market like China.

Still, photography enthusiasts will be willing to take its powerful camera setup on a joyride. Did I mention that the phone captures photos in RAW file format alongside JPEG? With the Lightroom app from Adobe installed, professional photographers can do wonders with this setup.

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