TECNO continues to break boundaries in imaging with their recent line of smartphones — the CAMON 40 Premier highlighting that claim as it’s one of the market’s midrangers that deliver excellent camera quality without compromising overall price.

At this year’s event, not only this marks the fifth anniversary of its annual Future Lens showcase, they are delivering two new innovations in mobile imaging.

Two New Tele-nnovation

From 2023’s W-Shaped Liquid Telephoto Macro Lens to last year’s (very mouthful) Tap Any Zoom Dual Prism Telephoto, TECNO introduces two new flagship-level telephoto zoom innovations for future smartphones.

Dual-Mirror Reflect Telephoto

First and foremost, this new type of telephoto tech is based on a smaller telephoto module 50% smaller than traditional systems.

That’s all thanks to its coaxial optical structure that enables an evern slimmer design slimmer without totally compromising the zoom performance.

Moreover, this type of telephoto module also creates a distinct “doughnut-shaped” bokeh and low-light shots that are also strong.

Freeform Continuum Telephoto

This is another breakthrough of TECNO in terms ofd telephoto zoom tech.

From the term itself, the Freeform Continuum Telephoto tech provides true continuous optical zoom from 1x to 9x. By that, it totally eliminates those unwanted “focal jumps” very apparent in modern-day smartphone camera systems.

TECNO says this achieves with a pro-grade zoom performance comparable to camcorders. Still, providing full image quality and sharp detail at every distance and angle.

Advancing the TECNO Image Matrix

That said, it’s not always limited to just announcing an upgraded camera hardware and advanced optics alongside an intelligent camera software experience . TECNO seamlessly bridges all of these with its already-existing imaging architecture, the TECNO Image Matrix (TIM).

The uprising brand is also committed to imaging that favors humans in all races, as well as providing industry-leading color science with their very first automated imaging lab collab with DXOMARK.

ICYMI, it unifies AIGC-enhanced hardware and intelligent algorithms. This system also powers technologies such as TECNO’s revolutionary Universal Tone (UT) technology that continues to deliver accurate and inclusive color rendering of diverse skin tones — eliminating the racial bias in image processing.

TECNO’s Universal Tone Demonstration at MWC 2025

Technology that understands culture makes it possible. Cultural accuracy at the center — cultural fidelity the core in mobile photography. And in the wisest words of Amateur Photographer’s Musa Bwanali, “Every culture has a story worth telling”.

Musa Bwanali of Amateur Photographer

In addition to that, she told her that TECNO truly knows the path they’re aiming for. “This is not just about technical progress. It’s human progress.”

Why Focus on Telephoto?

Gaohan Bei, a Senior Analyst from Counterpoint, has revealed that more and more phone brands have invested and applied telephoto and periscope zoom lenses among their smartphones during the first half of 2025 — regardless if it’s a flagship model or a midrange one.

Shenghao Bai, Senior Analyst of Counterpoint

Furthermore, periscope zoom lenses is the most challenging part among smartphones nowadays. Not only with all the varying sizes of lens modules, quality also differs from one brand to another.

TECNO’s latest tech developments in telephoto modules demonstrate the clear alignment with these trends. And it’s not just zooming in and capturing light. Also,  intelligently understand scenes and intention of users.

Quick Fire Q&A

After the very-detailed presentation, some media friends were encouraged to ask anything and everything under the sun.

* These were answered in Mandarin by TECNO’s Director of Image R&D Centre, Xiaohan Huang, and was translated live for us by a human translator. The answers you will see here are non-verbatim and was simplified by the author during the writing process.

1. Is it possible to fuse these two new tech together?

Technically and mechanically speaking, it is impossible and incompatible.

Xiaohan Huang, TECNO’s Director for Image R&D

Other than the high-precision requirement, processing and manufacturing these modules are already very challenging to begin with.

2. Are there any realistic timeline for these to be available for users?

All I can tell is that, 2026 will be challenging for commercialization. For the freeform telephoto, it is very difficult. The two lens module groups in this unit have a high requirement for processing and manufacturing.

Laury Bai, TECNO’s CMO

On the other hand, the Dual-Mirror Reflect Telephoto is ready to be commercialized. However, TECNO is still testing what will be the effect for its intended users.

Commercialization and market-size are key factors for this survey.

3. Is TECNO re-considering to go back in making flagship smartphones (like the Phantom X2 Pro) or just focus on CAMON series moving forward?

There’s no definite answer to going back and moving forward. New technologies are very costly with an expensive sale price.

Hosted by Nicole Scott

That said, TECNO’s main goal is to focus and bring the latest and greatest to these users. This technique can solve the painpoints of mobile photography in the middle or lower-end spectrum of the market.

4. Is it possible to bring these two telephoto technologies to phones like the TECNO Slim?

If you don’t mind getting the bump thicker, it is doable. But realistically speaking, it is still too thick for this product — thicker than we wanted it to be. Therefor, it’s merely impossible to do it just yet.

Paco Zheng of Gizmochina

There are phone markets that are willing to sacrifice overall camera performance in favor of a pleasing design and appearance. Also, cmeras aren’t only the bottleneck, battery longevity is for another.

Bringing it to the Slim series may not be possible (for now) but should be doable for TECNO’s another set of phone series.

5. When can the DXOMARK collab be seen in TECNO’s phones?

Even though the first fully-automated imaging lab was announced just this year, TECNO and DXOMARK has already established a long-term partnership for many years now.

The first fully-automated Imaging Lab by TECNO x DXOMARK in Chongqing, China

At TECNO, we clearly focus and prioritize on portrait shooting. And, with our heavy reliance on DXOMARK’s professional quantifiable benchmarking tools and technologies, we are hoping to further deepen this relationship.

With all that being said, the collab can be felt and seen by 2026 without a specific date.

Shaping the Future of Mobile Imaging

Building on innovations ranging from periscope telephoto lenses to full-system imaging frameworks, TECNO reaffirmed its ambition to make pro-grade imaging accessible across global markets.

Through continued research partnerships and advanced testing facilities, it aims to deliver more personalized, authentic, and creatively empower photography experiences both for professionals, hobbyists, and even just casual users.

Together with TECNO’s “Stop At Nothing” mantra, they will continue to focus on breaking through the boundaries of smartphone camera innovation for the next five years — and the foreseeable future.

The problem with games today is how big they are. Try installing Call of Duty today and see how much of your hard drive it obliterates. This problem is most apparent with live-service games. Unfortunately, one unlikely suspect of this is the critically acclaimed Helldivers 2, which currently clocks in at around a whopping 154GB. Thankfully, Arrowhead Game Studios has done some cleaning to reduce the game’s phenomenal file size by an impressive 85 percent.

Released last year, Helldivers 2 presents an enjoyable third-person shooter which pits players, solo or in a group, against hordes of hostile aliens or rogue robots. Despite being difficult, the game wants players to have fun. However, because of new content getting added constantly, the file size can get to big for modern machines.

Today, in a new update currently in beta, Arrowhead, with the help of PlayStation port specialists at Nixxes, has reduced the required file size of Helldivers 2 to only around 23GB. That’s a gigantic reduction, swirling around 131GB of savings.

Despite the huge reduction, Arrowhead says that performance does not take a backseat. At most, the new file system can cause only a few seconds of more loading times, and that’s only for the few who still use HDDs.

Currently, the new file size is an opt-in beta update. Players will need to change their settings a bit, as guided by Arrowhead’s blog post. They also advise anyone who uses mods to take caution since the new files might break compatibility.

Ultimately, the main goal is to make the new file size the default state of the game. If you don’t want to opt into a beta, hang tight for the more definite update.

SEE ALSO: Helldivers 2 review: SIP ON SOME LIBER-TEA!

Samsung can’t let the year end without getting one last hurrah. After teasing the smartphone for months, the South Korean brand has finally unveiled the much-awaited Galaxy Z TriFold in all its glory.

This year started with a similar bang. Earlier, Huawei launched the Huawei Mate XT, the market’s first tri-fold smartphone. Since then, other brands have teased similar entries to compete against Huawei. Now, Samsung is ready with its own.

One gigantic screen

As with Huawei, the Galaxy Z TriFold will feature two hinges to complete the tri-fold format. Unfolded, the main screen is a humungous 10.0-inch screen. It will allow a lot of different uses; users can utilize the entire screen as one giant panel or split it into three windows for multi-tasking.

Then, users can fold the main screen inward, much like a brochure. When bent, the screen can turn into an immersive way to watch movies. Otherwise, the screen can fully fold into itself, which allows users to utilize the smaller 6.5-inch cover screen on the other side.

Both screens have a Dynamic 2X AMOLED display, featuring a refresh rate of 120Hz. It is also capable of up to 2,600 nits of brightness. Meanwhile, the main screen features 1,600 nits of brightness.

Both a looker and a fighter

If you’re worried that this just looks like a fad, the Galaxy Z TriFold has a wealth of hardware to convince you of what it can do.

Inside, the foldable sports a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, tailored specifically for Galaxy. It features 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

The main screen has three-camera setup. Heading the pack is a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera. It’s paired with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. Both the main and the cover screen will each come with their own 10-megapixel selfie camera.

Finally, the Galaxy Z TriFold will have a 5600mAh battery. It’s compatible with up to 45W Super-Fast Charging 2.0 (wired) and up to 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0. It also has Wireless PowerShare for other Samsung phones and those with WPC Qi wireless charging.

Built for durability

Durability is often a concern for those who want to buy a foldable. Have smartphone makers finally perfected a foldable screen?

While we can’t confirm this phone’s durability just yet, Samsung claims that the Galaxy Z TriFold focuses on keeping the screen safe for use for years to come.

Firstly, when folded, the screens will not touch each other. There’s a minimal gap, but there will be no contact between the folded screens. Regardless, Samsung still installed a new reinforced overcoat for increased resistance against dings and scratches.

Additionally, the chassis has been reinforced with an Advanced Armor Aluminum Frame. The hinges have also been strengthened with titanium for added durability.

Finally, the Galaxy Z TriFold is IP48 rated.

These added measures are nothing to sneeze at. When unfolded, the body is only around 4.2mm thin and weighs only 309 grams.

Price, availability

As bombastic as this reveal is, the Galaxy Z TriFold is not available everywhere just yet. Starting December 12, the foldable will launch exclusively in South Korea. China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates will follow shortly after.

Meanwhile, the United States will get the foldable in the first quarter of 2026. Presumably, the American launch will coincide with the wider global one, but Samsung has not confirmed this yet.

There’s also no word on price yet. However, if the Mate XT is anything to go buy, expect an eye-watering price for this one. For reference, the latest Galaxy Z Fold7 costs US$ 1,999.