Oppo reveals the R1 smartphone, touts ability for quality night photos but doesn’t verify specs

Many handset makers are trying to equip their latest smartphones with vastly improved cameras, and Chinese manufacturer Oppo has particularly focused on this aspect.

Oppo has revealed on its Sina Weibo official account that its latest smartphone, the R1, is landing in the second half of December — and touts it as being able to take high-quality pictures in the dark. It comes equipped with the unique PI technology that Oppo’s flagship N1 smartphone also has, with the company promising that colors for images taken in low-light conditions will be “stunning.”

All smartphones imported to China must be certified to use wireless networks, and according to earlier leaks from radio communication device regulator TENAA, as reported by Chinese media outlet TechWeb, the R1 is reportedly a five-inch Android smartphone with a 960x540p screen resolution. It is said to be powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and comes with an eight-megapixel rear camera, as well as a five-megapixel front–facing camera.

The 💜 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

However, Oppo didn’t verify these specs in its Sina Weibo post taking the wraps off the R1 — so we will have to wait and see.

The R1 announcement comes shortly after Oppo unveiled the N1 in September, a 5.9-inch Android smartphone with a full HD display and a 13-megapixel camera fitted to an adjustable hinge. Oppo claims that the N1 camera, constructed from 67 different components, is the first to feature a six-piece lens design in an Android smartphone.

The N1 will land in the US and Europe on December 10 — for $599 and €449 respectively — but it remains to be seen when the R1 will launch (presumably in China first) and roll out to international markets. However, what is clear is that Oppo has ambitions for the global smartphone market, and producing a variety of devices is its roadmap in the near future.