Tecno has been one of the vanguard companies in terms of innovation. They have been doing well in terms of their smartphones, while also coming up with ideas like the Tecno Phantom Ultimate. Recently Tecno announced three camera innovations that could prove to be pivotal in the coming days. What are these innovations? Why are they important? Let’s discuss further about them here, shall we?
Tecno Camera Innovations Overview
Tecno unveiled three new camera innovations at their Future Lens 2023 event in Shangai, China. The event also featured a platform for engagement, third-party industry expertise, and so on. Tecno announced a W-shaped adjustable aperture, a liquid telephoto macro lens, and a universal tone technology. These new technologies could very well define how mobile photography develops in the coming years.
W-shaped Adjustable Aperture
Firstly, we have the W-shaped adjustable aperture is a physical aperture that takes its cues from Mother Nature herself. This Tecno camera innovation emulates the eye of cuttlefish, which live in varying levels of depth in the sea. It can be found in shallow waters, as well as in depths of up to 600 metres. To put things into perspective, light cannot travel further than 1,000 metres under the ocean. Therefore, cuttlefish are exposed to varying levels of brightness, and it is well adept at seeing in any of those given conditions.
By basing this aperture on a cuttlefish’s eye, Tecno is seeking to ease photography in challenging lighting conditions. It allows the user to manually shift the aperture and have better control over light exposure, and glares. As a result, photographers can easily tackle backlight situations, and get clearer and more vibrant images with this technology. And boy have they patented it.
Liquid Telephoto Macro Lens
The second camera innovation Tecno announced is a liquid telephoto macro lens. We have seen ultrawide cameras being used for macro shots. However, just as the name suggests it is a telephoto lens that doubles down as a macro shooter. Just like the W-shaped Adjustable Aperture, this technology takes inspiration from real-life biology, this time the human eye itself.
It mimics how the ciliary muscle in our eye stretches and contracts our lens to something close or far. This tech alters the curvature of the lens by passing varying amounts of voltage through the transparent fluid wrapped in the film. As such, this lens is capable of “seeing” something close as well as far. This dynamic structure of the lens also helps in omitting the need for a dedicated macro lens, which needs a larger space within the phone.
Universal Tone Technology
It’s an open secret that we humans — the species, come in different shades and colours. And Tecno is addressing that with this camera innovation. As of now, smartphones use a uniform standard of skinning beauty. Meaning, that our smartphones do not recognise the wide spectrum of skin tones we have. As such, when taking portraits skin tones are not reflected accurately.
Tecno has invested hugely in the research and development of this technology. They have partnered with universities worldwide to gather comprehensive skin tone spectral data. In addition, Tecno then uses three AI engines to accurately render the skin tones in their photographs. The large sample size of skin tone data coupled with the usage of AI to perfectly mirror it into the photograph, makes Tecno’s Universal Tone Technology the most advanced skin tone imaging technology in the industry.
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More from TECNO Future Lens 2023
Apart from revealing the three new groundbreaking innovations, we also had industry experts provide their valuable opinions during the TECNO Future Lens 2023. Firstly, we had Mr. Xiaohan Huang — Director of TECNO’s Image R&D Centre — speak of their commitment to user-centric innovation. He also said that they aim to enhance and redefine the way users engage with technology.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jun Zhang — Director of Sony Semiconductor Solutions — told us about their collaboration with smartphone manufacturers. He added, “Only through communication with the engineers at the handset manufacturers can Sony develop better image sensors.” Furthermore, the Sony man also said they were looking forward to further cooperation with Tecno, and bringing joy of mobile imaging to more consumers around the world.
Lastly, we have Mr. Nigel Atherton — Editor-in-chief of Amateur Photographer — explain the challenges of smartphone photography. Moreover, he also spoke on how smartphone camera technology is getting more capable, and how they enhancing the value of photography, especially with Tecno’s latest innovation.
Conclusion
All in all, these innovations from Tecno add a whole new value to mobile photography, while also opening up a wider prospect. However, it will all depend on how the technology is executed in the coming days. Hence, we will have to wait and see if these Tecno innovations will “catch the wave” or become “what could have been”. Either way, the three new tech have huge potential, and we are excited to for it!
- Meanwhile, you can check our Best Smartphones of 2023 video!
