Ahead of INNO Day 2021, OPPO teased one of its upcoming innovations for the two-day event with their own retractable camera. An evolution of pop-up selfie cameras from years ago, OPPO is exploring the idea of a retractable rear camera to reduce the camera bump especially when it is not in use.
From the 15-second video, the retractable camera is described to have a 50mm focal length, an f/2.4 aperture, and a 1/1.56-inch sensor–which is speculated to be an IMX 766 sensor. Given the focal length, it appears that the retractable camera will function as a portrait lens, offering 2x optical zoom (main rear cameras on smartphones usually have a focal length of 23-25mm). We presume that the need for a retractable camera design is for a more natural bokeh effect when shooting portraits and to make the most out of the 1/1.56-inch sensor.
Most pop-ups are annoying…
But not our self-developed retractable camera! ?
Explore more in INNO WORLD on 14/12.#OPPOINNODAY2021 pic.twitter.com/33hgJSw8If
— OPPO (@oppo) December 7, 2021
Some interesting aspects about the retractable camera are that it sports water resistance (pop-up cameras had to sacrifice that feature) and a fall detection system that lets it retract once it detects the phone falling from a certain height.
Aside from teasing new innovations, INNO Day 2021 is also rumored to reveal more details about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered Find X4 Pro, which might be OPPO’s first phone to use a retractable rear camera.