The ZenFone Zoom might soon be dethroned

Jan 7, 2015 13:07 GMT  ·  By

Just a few days ago we saw ASUS announce the ZenFone Zoom at CES 2015, which has been released into the wild as the world’s thinnest handset to feature a 3x optical zoom.

Since things evolve extremely fast in the tech industry, it’s not a surprise that another sleek smartphone is already on its way.

4x optical zoom smartphone on the way?

This time it will pack a 4x zoom lens in its 9-mm / 0.35-inch thick body thus taking the crown from the ZenFone Zoomwhich comes with an 11.9-mm / 0.46-inch frame. Or at least that's what the Chinese sources would have us believe.

The name of this upcoming handset is the Oppo U3 and the first images showcasing it have already been dug out by Gizmo China (via TENAA).

But could this be possible? Judging by what we see in the photographs, the answer doesn't seem to be a positive one. The thing is the camera doesn't look like it takes advantage of a mechanized lens at all.

A Nokia-style zoom seems to be out of the question too, since the sensor here is only 13MP. At best we could be dealing with a technology similar to the Super Zoom the company uses in its Find flagships.

The purported specs of the Oppo U3

Anyway, you might be wondering what else the upcoming Oppo U3 will end up offering. The handset is built around a 5.9-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and 373ppi.

It will be powered by an octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz and working side by side with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (with microSD card for memory expansion).

The Oppo U3 will be good for video recording too, thanks to the inbuilt Asahi Kasei AK4961 high-performance 32-bit advanced audio codec.

Oppo is also known for its N3 smartphone which comes with a rotating camera, so it might not come as a surprise if the next handset produced by the company takes things to a whole new level in the photo-snapping department.

Oppo U3 smartphone (6 Images)

Oppo U3 back view
Oppo U3 said to arrive with 4x optical zoomOppo U3 frontal view
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