Oppo unveils auto-rotating camera, other specs for new N3 flagship smartphone

Photo: Tech in Asia

Chinese smartphone brand Oppo unveiled the N1 last year, its unique flagship smartphone with a camera that can be flipped front and back. The selling point here is that you’re essentially getting a great selfie camera that equals the shooter on the back, while other phones are stuck with an inferior front camera.

The N3 takes it one step further. Its 16 MP swivel camera now moves automatically with a motor, and can be controlled either by swiping the touchscreen, swiping the fingerprint sensor on the back, or by using a remote that comes with the phone.

A significant new feature, courtesy of the motor, is a vertical panorama mode which rotates the camera automatically to allow for some interesting photographic possibilities. Of course, an auto-rotate panoramic mode is available as well, giving the phone capabilities similar to what apps like Cycloramic bring. Here’s a video showing the rotating camera in action:

The camera itself has been upgraded, and it features a photo processor that lets you set the focus of a photo after it has been taken.

With recent leaks of celebrity nude selfies stunning the world, its fingerprint encryption feature is eyebrow-raising. It locks the N3’s photo gallery, along with apps and the phone itself. That means an unauthorized user or hacker might have more trouble accessing your photos without permission (though it probably doesn’t stop someone from retrieving phones that have been seemingly deleted from the hard disk).

N3 also comes with Oppo’s VOOC charging technology, which promises zero to 70 percent charging in 30 minutes. The phone will sell for US$649.

Here are more specs about the phone:

• 60MP CMOS sensor. Camera pixel size of 1.34 micrometers.
• The phone’s remote, called the O-click, can be used to play music, accept calls, and locate the device.
• The swiveling cam rotates up to 206 degrees.
• Quad-core MSM8974AA processor.
• 5.5 inch 1920×1080 TFT 403 ppi screen.
• Battery capacity of battery 3,000mAH.
• 16MP camera front and back.
• Color OS, Oppo’s take on Android.

See more: 15 new Asian smartphone makers hoping to crush Samsung and Apple