What you need to know
- OPPO launches its first NPU to enhance its smartphone imaging.
- MariSilicon X enables 4K AI Night Video, enhanced RGBW Pro Mode, real-time RAW image processing, and more in a power-efficient design.
- OPPO says that the chip will debut on its next flagship Find X smartphone, slated for Q1 2022.
OPPO took to INNO Day 2021 to unveil its first in-house imaging neural processing unit (NPU), the MariSilicon X. This new chip will enable enhanced imaging capabilities that will take OPPO's smartphones to another level.
MariSilicon X is a 6nm chip that combines an NPU and image signal processor (ISP), both of which can take full advantage of the chip's computing power. This should boost performance while simultaneously reducing power consumption. OPPO touts 20x faster performance than the Find X3 Pro, which already produces impressive imaging.
OPPO says the MaliSilicon X chip "unlocks the full potential of OPPO's RGBW sensor" and is capable of capturing 20bit HDR for improved contrast, even when shooting RAW thanks to real-time 4K AI processing. This is also applied to nighttime video capture to reduce noise in each frame for sharper videos that should be just as good as daytime video. OPPO says this will mark the first time that 4K AI HDR Night Video will be available on an Android smartphone.
As far as availability, this new imaging chip will apparently skip OPPO's upcoming foldable phone and instead debut on the next Find X Series flagship device, set for release in Q1 2022. While there are no details on OPPO's next flagship, the Find X3 Pro's imaging capabilities hold their own among the best Android phones, and its successor is likely to impress.
