Zeiss

With Huawei's position in the smartphone market hanging by a thread, the opportunity for other players to displace it has become even greater. This opportunity is mostly open to Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, OPPO, and, of course, Vivo. The latter has just laid out its plans this year and it is quite ambitious in growing not just its market presence around the world but to also grow its digital ecosystem of apps and photography content.

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Vivo has definitely been rising in the global smartphone market, in no small part thanks to some of its rather bold new features. The Vivo X50 Pro, for example, brought the world's first phone camera gimbal system and, despite the lukewarm reception, is returning this month to a slightly smaller degree. That said, the Vivo X60's claim to fame won't be that and will instead be its partnership with famed optics company ZEISS, hoping to also raise its profile in smartphone photography circles.

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The next generation of top-tier smartphone camera power is in the making with a new partnership between ZEISS and vivo. The two companies unveiled a plan to "establish a joint R&D program" that'll be called vivo ZEISS Imaging Lab, which will lead to their next major project, the "vivo ZEISS Master Photography" campaign. The first devices that'll benefit from this next-generation collaboration is the vivo X60 series smartphone family.

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HMD Global is set to unveil a handful of Nokia handsets at IFA 2019 next month but it may not have a model that's worthy of competing with the big guys like the newly announced Galaxy Note 10. That isn't HMD Global's main market anyway but it still has at least one, maybe even two, Nokia phones that could try to make a case for flagships. The Nokia 7.2 was at least rumored to have a new design and even three cameras, both of which have now been confirmed by an unexpected source.

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Zeiss has introduced a new fixed-lens full-frame camera featuring Adobe Lightroom CC built-in. It's a surprising choice for the company, which boasts a "unique" UI that gives users access to the most commonly used functions directly on the camera display. The camera itself sports a very minimalist design and is targeted at photographers who don't want to spend too much time tinkering with settings.

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HMD Global seems to have adopted a two-pronged branding strategy when it comes to its Nokia smartphones. It launches a “X#” series model for China, followed by an “#.1 Plus” variant for the rest of the world. Barely a month after it did the latter with the Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus, HMD Global is now rumored to be preparing the Nokia X7 and 7.1 Plus. And judging by this first leak, it will mix new Nokia designs with old Nokia legacy.

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Some will argue that smartphone-based VR platforms like Cardboard and Daydream can’t give justice to what virtual reality is really capable of. While smartphone hardware has improved by leaps and bounds, they still pale in comparison to VR PC rigs. On the other hand, headsets like Vive, Oculus Rift, and PS VR are prohibitively expensive and tied to a specific headset or iteration of that headset. That is why ZEISS has come up with the VR ONE Connect to try and bring the two worlds together, letting you enjoy PC-grade SteamVR experience on your phone.

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Once upon a time, Nokia phones sporting ZEISS lenses we're a fairly common sight. Now that Nokia smartphones are being revived by HMD Global, it only makes sense to rekindle that old partnership as well. That's exactly what HMD and ZEISS have done today, announcing that ZEISS lenses will soon feature on Nokia smartphones once again.

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The iPhone already has a reputation for photography, but ExoLens wants to crank that up with its Zeiss-lens-toting case for the iPhone 7 arriving in stores. Announced back in January, the iPhone 7 case builds on the previously-revealed lens framework that the iOS smartphone slides into, with an impact resistant shell to help in case of drops or bumps. However, it's the lens mount that's most interesting.

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Nokia may have eclipsed the smartphones of MWC 2017 with its nostalgia-stoking 3310, but the resurrected brand is reportedly planning something altogether more high-tech very soon. While the Nokia 3310 does little more than let you make calls, send texts, and play Snake - and, even then, not if you're in the US - brand-licensee HMD did have two new Android smartphones for the Barcelona show. The Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 slotted in beneath the existing Nokia 6, but it's in true flagship position that HMD is believed to be targeting its next handset.

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Cars, AI assistants, and mixed reality. Those seem to be the major thrusts of tech companies of late, and Apple is no exception. But, as typical of the Cupertino-based company, it keeps its major projects under wraps, dropping hints here and there for fans to chew on. Thanks to renowned blogger Robert Scoble, we have confirmation about Apple’s next major endeavor. Well, third-party confirmation, of course. After grilling an unsuspecting Carl Zeiss AG employee, Scoble says that the two companies are indeed working on a pair of smartglasses that will become Apple’s first and formal entry into the augmented reality market.

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Ever since olloclip popularized attachable lens accessories for smartphones, there has been an explosion of similar trinkets, especially for iPhones. While the iPhone 7's camera might already be commendable, but you can only cram so much camera hardware inside an ultra thin smartphone. For some more professional-looking shots, you'll need professional-grade lenses like the ExoLens launched by ZEISS. At CES 2017 this week, the famed lens maker is adding a new piece to the puzzle: a clear case that shields your iPhone 7 while you take fancy shots using the ExoLens.

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