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Vivo "X90-series" leak makes bold claims of portrait lens upgrades the OEM only hints at in a new mobile imaging tech event

The "Vivo X90" schematic. (Source: Ben Geskin)
The "Vivo X90" schematic. (Source: Ben Geskin)
Vivo's press conference for the next generation of flagship-grade, Zeiss-branded, mobile camera solutions of today (October 24, 2022) has met with an initial leak suggesting how they will look in devices such as the rumored X90 premium Android smartphone series. They are touted to come with upgraded low-light and portrait performance, as well as a new dedicated image signal processor (ISP).

Vivo's Imaging Strategy Conference of 2022 has just concluded, succeeding in its implicit goal of dropping hints as to what successors to devices such as the flagship X Note or X Fold, not to mention the X80 series, will be capable of in terms of their rear cameras and the processing behind them.

The OEM's representatives were joined by some from Zeiss, indicating that these 2023 devices will once again debut with those little blue logos from the latter to adorn their rear camera humps. It now appears that one or more of these smartphones will also pack a successor to the X80 Pro's ISOCELL GNV in the same general area.

It is now rated for up to 77% improved light sensitivity generation-on-generation. Vivo and Zeiss' co-developed technology is also touted to yield an ISO of up to 102,400, touted to render the device to be equipped with it as a practically standalone astrophotography machine.

This feature might be joined by new AI tricks such as the Ultra-Clear Image Quality and True Color Restoration Engines, developed to reduce optical defect-related data loss by up to 35% and to help ensure white balance accuracy respectively.

Otherwise, Vivo and Zeiss have also announced the development of a new 50mm portrait lens. This new glass will, according to the leaker Ben Geskin, be "the largest yet" (presumably on a Vivo smartphone) and will house an OIS-enabled f/1.6 Sony IMX758 in the X90-series devices, 1 or more of which may even have 2 of these new lenses for a potentially ground-breaking dual portrait mode.

Geskin has also reacted to Vivo's press conference by posting a render of what one of these smartphones might look like. The image suggests that it might sport 1 large, rear-panel-dominating yet off-center glass circle atop a large rectangular base, under which multiple individual lenses may or may not be hidden.

Finally, Vivo introduced the successor to its V1 in-house ISP (likely to accompany SoCs like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 9200 in 2023 premium devices) - albeit not in overly huge detail. This may be because the chipset is likely to get its own dedicated press conference in the near future.

Regardless, the OEM has previewed it in terms of its dedicated SRAM, support for a range of AI tasks and support for up to 16.3 trillion operations per second (TOPS) per watt (W).

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The "X90" camera hump gets no less Vivo in its first ever alleged render. (Source: Ben Geskin)
The "X90" camera hump gets no less Vivo in its first ever alleged render. (Source: Ben Geskin)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2022 10 > Vivo "X90-series" leak makes bold claims of portrait lens upgrades the OEM only hints at in a new mobile imaging tech event
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2022-10-24 (Update: 2022-10-24)