OPPO claims to have taken a huge step forward in smartphone photography with its 5X Dual Camera Zoom.

A technology it worked and focused on for over 12 months, OPPO says it has managed to bring telephoto-lens-like capabilities to its new camera technology.

For comparison, Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus only goes as far as 2X optical zoom, so on paper, there’s a significant step up.

OPPO explains it achieved this “whole new level” of smartphone photography by using “a unique periscope-style structure to divert light through a prism and into a telephoto lens nested inside the smartphone, set at a 90-degree angle to a rear-facing wide-angle lens.”

OPPO’s Dr. King Bai looks pretty pumped while talking about the 5X Dual Camera Zoom

With a 40 percent improved optical image stabilization, OPPO says the shot remains steady even with 5X the zoom.

However, the announcement didn’t come with an actual working phone. What the GadgetMatch team saw in Barcelona, Spain instead are phone prototypes to showcase the technology.

OPPO’s product announcement happens every April, but it was excited about the technology and wanted to showcase it at MWC. This move bolsters its reputation as an innovative company.

Optical zoom technology requires larger lens elements and from what we’ve seen, they have indeed gotten smaller — no more huge, bulky lenses when you take a shot from afar.

The tech is promising, but we’ll have to wait and see how this translates into actual phone units.

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