A large matrix, high resolution, bright aperture and 10x optical zoom – all in one camera? The OPPO Find X9 Ultra is shaping up to be a photographic powerhouse.
Periscope telephoto lenses with 10x optical zoom aren’t new, with examples like the 2020 Huawei P40 Pro+ and the 2021 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. However, those smartphones often involved compromises to achieve that long focal length.
The telephoto lenses in those devices utilized small sensors with modest resolutions (8 and 10 megapixels, respectively) and dark apertures (f/4.4 and f/4.9). While they delivered impressive zoom capabilities, they required excellent lighting conditions, and image quality didn’t match that of the other cameras.
Both Huawei and Samsung quickly moved away from 10x telephoto lenses, opting instead for smaller optical zoom ranges but larger sensors, higher resolutions, and brighter apertures. Now, OPPO plans to demonstrate that both worlds can be combined.
OPPO Find X9 Ultra to Feature 50-Megapixel 10x Camera
OPPO has confirmed that the upcoming Find X9 Ultra will be equipped with a 50-megapixel camera featuring a 10x telephoto lens with an f/3.5 aperture. This high resolution is intended to provide 20x optical-quality zoom.
Pete Lau, head of OPPO, revealed on X a number of technical details about this solution. The key to fitting a 50-megapixel sensor with 10x zoom into a phone turned out to be OPPO’s proprietary Quintuple Prism Reflection Periscope system. The special design of the periscope telephoto lens causes light to reflect up to five times inside the module, reducing the overall module length by 20 percent and allowing the phone to maintain acceptable dimensions while preserving a native focal length of 250mm.
This complex optical path carries the risk of flare and scattered light, which degrades image contrast. To prevent this, OPPO implemented a Pristine Optical Path architecture, where the prisms are separated by a nanometer membrane and a special air capsule. According to the manufacturer, this solution eliminates 99.999 percent of unwanted light reflections.
In traditional periscope telephoto lenses, optical stabilization is usually integrated with a moving prism, but with five light reflections, this solution became ineffective. Engineers therefore opted for a Sensor Shift system, which stabilizes the sensor itself. This is designed to provide smooth viewing and sharp images even with digital zoom reaching 20x. This innovation represents a significant step forward in mobile photography, potentially bridging the gap between optical and digital zoom quality.
The entire camera system in the OPPO Find X9 Ultra was developed in collaboration with Hasselblad and will consist of:
- a 200-megapixel main camera;
- a 50-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens camera;
- a 200-megapixel camera with a 3x telephoto lens;
- a 50-megapixel camera with a 10x telephoto lens.
The OPPO Find X9 Ultra is scheduled for release in April. The manufacturer confirmed that this smartphone – unlike its predecessors – will be available in Europe.
