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Mystery solved: the "44MP selfie-cam phone" is...a new Reno3 Pro variant

The Reno variant with its new selfie camera. (Source: 91Mobiles)
The Reno variant with its new selfie camera. (Source: 91Mobiles)
Recently, a prominent tech vlogger teased a phone with a dual punch-hole camera alleged to contain a groundbreaking 44MP sensor. Now, this device has been revealed as OPPO's Reno3 Pro - but not as its existing fans know it. It has indeed sprouted this improved in-display shooter, but lacks an important marketing point from its original launch.
by Deirdre O Donnell, 2020/02/12
5G Android Chinese Tech Rumor Smartphone Wearable

Recently, the tech YouTuber Arun Maini (Mrwhosetheboss) posted a photo of an unknown mobile device with a dual punch-hole camera. Not that unusual these days - however, it was also claimed that the same module had a 44MP sensor, which would beat anything on the market at present. Many respondents to the tweets in question had their theories about what this phone could be. Frankie Herrera (Frankie Tech), as it turns out, got it more or less right: it is an OPPO Reno3 Pro.

However, it seems that this is a new variant and not the 5G phone launched in China earlier this year. The new device improves on the original's 32MP single punch-hole camera to a possibly significant degree. However, there is a trade-off: this 3 Pro variant lacks the relatively new Snapdragon 765G SoC.

To date, it is not clear which processor will replace this silicon in the "other" Reno3 Pro. However, it is more patent from a tweet posted by Tasleem Arif, OPPO India's vice president, that it will be 4G-only. On that note, this "Expert Camera" variant may be exclusive to this region, although it does not yet have a launch date in the same. However, another leak suggests that the OEM's Enco TWS earbuds (which look like AirPods with different branding) will be released to this market alongside it.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 02 > Mystery solved: the "44MP selfie-cam phone" is...a new Reno3 Pro variant
Deirdre O Donnell, 2020-02-12 (Update: 2020-02-12)
Deirdre O'Donnell
I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.