OPPO might have just blown everyone's mind with its Super VOOC fast charging technology, but that doesn't mean that the company's MWC announcements are over. SmartSensor is its new Optical Image Stabilization technology and it happens to be the smallest, fastest, and most precise sensor available on smartphones right now.

OPPO explains that SmartSensor is built on sensor-based OIS (or sensor-shift OIS) as opposed to the current lens-based OIS technologies in smartphones. Instead of using a motor to shift the lens around to compensate for movement, it keeps the lens stable but moves the sensor to counter the motion. It's also as thin as two sheets of paper, overcoming the size limitation when being implemented in modern smartphones.

The advantages of this sensor-based technology are multiple. It provides three-axis image stabilization compared to two-axis on lens-based systems, by also detecting motion on the roll axis. Check the video below to see what that exactly means — roll is shown in the end.

It's also more than 3 times faster than lens-based OIS, taking 15ms to compensate for any shaking whereas the motor in traditional OIS needs more than 50ms, and about 10 times more precise by detecting vibrations of 0.3 micrometers (less than a pixel) compared to their 3-5 micrometers. And finally, by not using a motor to move the lens around, it consumes up to 50 times less power and avoids heating problems that could affect the image's quality.

This all results in smoother and clearer photos, or at least that's OPPO's claim. There's no exact availability date, but it looks like the SmartSensor is a finished or quasi-finished product. The company says the technology took a long time to develop because it had to suspend the SmartSensor in a small space while allowing for rotation, and also connect it with 200 wires to the main board. Ouch. But they did figure it out eventually, so hurray!

Source: OPPO SmartSensor