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Shortly following the announcement of the OPPO R17, the world’s first smartphone with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6, the Chinese handset manufacturer started teasing a more capable variant of the same handset – the OPPO R17 Pro. While the front of the device appears to be largely identical to that of the recently unveiled mid-ranger, its back houses a triple-camera setup that might offer depth-sensing capabilities akin to those of 3D cameras found on the likes of the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Apple iPhone X.
While such high-tech imaging solutions have so far only been commercialized in the form of front-facing cameras, the OPPO R17 Plus will possibly use a similar mechanism on the back, hence placing a large focus on augmented reality experiences. Alternatively, the third camera may also be utilized to deliver higher-resolution photographs, as is the case with the three-lens system used by Huawei’s P20 Pro which the Chinese tech giant unveiled earlier this year. With all three rear sensors being focused on mobile photography, Huawei managed to create the world’s best smartphone camera ever, according to French image benchmarking company DxOMark. While the value-oriented nature of the OPPO R17 Plus is unlikely to see it surpass Huawei in the photography department, the addition of a third rear camera may still allow the company to set a new internal benchmark for image quality.
The OPPO R17 Plus is also rumored to utilize a variable-aperture lens capable of switching between f/1.5 and f/2.4, which is the same range supported by the main camera of the Galaxy S9 line. It’s still unclear when exactly is the Chinese OEM planning to officially announce its new product that’s expected to debut with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710, though the device is unlikely to ever become officially available for purchase outside of select Asian markets, as is the case with the vast majority of OPPO’s mobile portfolio.