OPPO unveils its new ecosystem philosophy alongside new AR glasses at its Inno Day 2020

OPPO held its latest Inno Day today (November 17, 2020), an event at which it teased its new and apparently working rolling phone concept. However, it also devoted a good proportion of its mostly virtual presentation to its new 3+N+X system.

This new title may look familiar to anyone familiar with Huawei's 1+8+N strategy, and mostly goes along the same lines. OPPO's version encompasses its 300+ "HeyThings" IoT devices, which, as OPPO claims now fall into over 50 different categories of "things" in partnership with about 30 brands worldwide.

These different use-cases comprise the "X" term of the new strategy, and is to expand to include new ones such as smart car tech in the future. The "3" in this new title refers to software, services and connected hardware, smart-home products included. OPPO aims to make the first part of this as backwards-compatible and as versatile amongst this general class of devices as possible.

X, on the other hand, generally refers to its proprietary hardware,  the VOOC charging system included. The latest example of this is the new mini 50W SuperVOOC charger, an apparently hotly-anticipated accessory that will become available in China on December 12, 2020. 

That was not all the OEM had to showcase at its latest Inno Day, however. Its latest mixed-reality (MR) product is known as the OPPO AR Glass 2021. This device, as suggested in its earlier teaser, has binocular cameras that are responsible for mixed-reality functions and the headset's responses to gesture controls included.

The glasses themselves have 0.71-inch OLED "lenses", apparently capable of creating the illusion of watching a 90-inch display from 3 meters away thanks to its new "Birdbath" optical system. It is rated to improve pixel-density (in AR terms) by up to 40% and consistency in brightness by up to 98% compared to its predecessor.

These AR glasses connect via USB type C to C to derive its feed from a smartphone, and also to make its design slimmer compared to that of yesteryear. Therefore, OPPO asserts that they are ideal for activities such as gaming, virtual shopping (superimposing potential new fixtures and fittings in the home included) and content consumption.

It is also to have a developer's program with a full panel of relevant SDKs, education and app-building support in the near future. OPPO will release these new glasses in 2021, although exactly when, where and for how much remains to be confirmed.