SINGAPORE — In a bold bid to penetrate the international market, Chinese phonemaker Oppo unveiled in this bustling city two new smartphones — the N3, said to be the world’s first smartphone with automated swivel camera, and the R5, the thinnest smartphone in the planet so far.
The global launch, held at the iconic Marina Bay Sands on Wednesday, Oct. 28, brought together dealers and media from 15 markets, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Beyond its customer base in China, Oppo said it currently holds the number four position in Vietnam in terms of sales and the number five position in Thailand.
The company said it is also an emerging player in Indonesia, a market Oppo entered in May 2013. Oppo currently has a market share of 6.5 percent in Indonesia, giving it the number four ranking in the market.
The company is also building its footprint in the Middle East, Mexico, and Australia and plans to have a presence in 20 markets worldwide by the end of 2014.
The Chinese firm said its future products will incorporate the feedback garnered from a worldwide community of users and employees from each market to ensure local needs are met.
In 2013, Oppo launched the N1, the first smartphone in the world to feature a rotating camera and in 2014 launched the Find7, the first smartphone able to take 50M Ultra-HD pictures.
The company’s new flagship product, the N3, features the distinctive trait of the N series — the rotating camera, but with an added function — automation.
The N3’s camera has the ability to rotate 206 degrees and is capable of taking pictures using its free-stop and multi-angle shooting features.
Additionally, the camera can take panoramic and wide-angle shots, such as cityscapes, with a click activating the automatic rotation to capture clear images — in both landscape and portrait orientations. The phone’s 16-megapixel camera can take high resolution images.
Furthermore, the camera showcases Oppo’s target-tracking focus shift function, which allows users to identify the target in focus and the camera will constantly modify its angle to follow the moving target.
It also features mobile camera lens technology developed in partnership with German firm Schneider Optics.
In addition, users can control the camera rotation in three ways — by O-click, gestures, and touch access.
The N3 also includes the next generation of Oppo’s Pure Image processing technology, the PI 2.0 plus. Before consumers press the shutter, PI 2.0 plus will complete the white balance settings, brightness adjustment, auto focus, face recognition and other actions intelligently.
The company said the N3 delivers a user experience equivalent to that of a professional DSLR camera.
It features a hollow underside design that not only presents a light and textured feel to the phone, but gives notification to consumers as well.
The hollow space houses the Oppo skyline notification light 2.0, which takes the form of polar light and breathes with the incoming message.
Whenever consumers receive a text, email or message, the lights, visible from every angle, notify consumers about incoming texts and messages at all times.
Also, this hollow underside protects the phone if it is dropped. If the phone falls, the hollow space between the bottom of the phone and the screen bears the brunt of the impact, protecting the screen, and ensuring a sturdy phone.
The N3, which will be sold for $649 (about P28,000) also boasts of touch access, which allows for a higher recognition rate. The touch-sensitive device will also respond to wet or gloved hands, making it the ideal phone for users in any situation or environment.
The Oppo N3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core CPU and is packed with 32G ROM and 2G RAM and a 5.5-inch screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
The phone includes Oppo’s VOOC mini rapid-charging system. A 30-minute charge will provide 75 percent battery, and a five-minute charge allows for a two-hour call.
The R5, meanwhile, is the world’s thinnest full high-definition phone.
Measuring just 4.85mm in width, the R5 combines sleek elegance, innovative technology and outstanding personalization, in the thinnest form available today.
The R5 is the first smart phone to measure less than 5mm thick, a level that the industry had previously considered unachievable.
Despite its thin frame, the R5 is equipped an octa-core Qualcomm MSM8939, and comes with a 5.2-inch AMOLED screen giving the highest brightness and color rendition, the lowest reflection ratio, and highest ambient light contrast ratio available.
The R5 is also the world’s first smartphone that uses phase-change material, keeping it at a constant cool temperature.
The R5’s patented heat dissipation technology “Cool Element” protects its octa-core CPU, in turn prolonging the life of the phone.
With the latest PI 2.0 Plus Flash Shot technology, the R5 lets users take the shot with an imperceptible focus time – it has a maximum focus time of 0.18 seconds and delivers 50MP high-definition picture clarity.
Built with first-grade steel and designed with a micro-arc frame to make the entire device smooth and strong, the R5 is manufactured to fit in the hand like a glove.
Like the N3, the R5 also includes Oppo’s VOOC mini rapid-charging system, where a 30-minute charge will provide 75 percent battery life and a five-minute charge will allow for a two-hour call. It’s retail price is $499 (about P21,500).
