Skip to main content

Oppo promises big innovations in smartphone charging and camera tech for MWC

MWC 2025
Read our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress

Oppo’s got something major planned for this year’s Mobile World Congress. The China-based smartphone maker released an ambiguous teaser image promising such technological showstoppers as a “groundbreaking power solution” and an “unprecedented smartphone camera innovation,” among other as-yet undisclosed surprises.

The language may be hyperbolic, but Oppo’s managed to deliver in the past. One example: its latest smartphones feature the company’s proprietary VOOC Flash Charge, which is battery recharging tech that can deliver up to 66 percent more power than Qualcomm’s comparable Quick Charge 2.0. The Oppo Find 7’s battery takes just 30 minutes to reach 75 percent capacity, or 5 minutes to reach 2 hours.

Recommended Videos

Where phone photography inventions are concerned, it’s safe to say Oppo’s an industry leader. It kicked off its selfie-centered F Series earlier this year with the F1, a mid-range handset that features a front-facing shooter capable of taking in around “44 percent more light” and “30 percent clearer selfies” than most smartphone cameras. Last year’s N1 and N3 sported motorized swivel cameras that could capture photos and track objects at different angles. And the Find 7 featured a software photo-stitching mode that could produce a 50-megapixel image from several separate pictures.

OPPO-MWC-2016-teaser-poster
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As for what awaits at Mobile World Congress, it’s anyone’s guess. A VOOC-based wireless charging solution isn’t out of the question, nor is a follow-up to Oppo’s NFC-based discrete optical zoom accessory it launched last year. We, like everyone else, will be anxiously awaiting the details.

One thing’s for certain: Oppo’s flying high. It sold 50 million devices — right behind electronics behemoth LG — in 2015 on year over year growth of 67 percent. That secured it an eighth-place spot among the top ten smartphone manufacturers in the world, according to market analytics company TrendForce.

But Oppo’s ambitious. We’ll see just how ambitious in a few months, when the company reveals its new innovations.

Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
Moto Watch Fit Preview: A familiar design with a difference
Watch face on the new Moto Watch Fit 2025

Motorola isn’t best known for its smartwatch lineup, but for the past few years, the company has launched a range of smartwatches running the Wear OS platform that look fairly familiar. These have featured round displays, utilized Google’s wearable platform, and offered a compelling alternative to the best smartwatches running on Android.

Today, the company unveiled a new smartwatch that differs from its past devices, yet bears a striking resemblance to another smartwatch. The new Moto Watch Fit is square, doesn’t run Android, and is designed to be a competitor to one smartwatch: the Apple Watch.

Read more
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 preview: the flip phone we’ve been waiting for
Motorola Razr Ultra

It's been quite the week for Lenovo-owned Motorola, with the company announcing four smartphones, a return to smartwatches and possibly some of the most daring headphones I've seen. There's plenty to say on all of those launches but despite the Bose-tuned headphones being covered in crystals, it's the Razr Ultra that's captured my attention.

On the surface, the Razr Ultra doesn't look all that different to the Razr+ from 2024, but looks can be deceiving. The Razr+ remains in Motorola's line up for 2025, but this Ultra model sits above it offering some upgrades under the hood that are well worth getting excited about.

Read more
Moto Razr 2025 Preview: stronger, familiar and more stylish
Moto Razr 2025 in Pantone Spring Bud green

If you’ve been considering a flip phone over the past three years, the Motorola Razr series will have inevitably been on your shopping list. 

The Razr Plus is widely regarded as the best flip phone available today, and the regular Razr offers many of the same features at a lower price, making flip phones and folding phones more accessible to a wider audience.

Read more