Vivo showcases trifecta of imaging, audio and fingerprint reader tech at MWC Shanghai 2017

In Malaysia, Vivo is best known for their selfie centric array of smartphones though they upped the ante on the technology stakes by showcasing  several new technologies at Mobile World Congress Shanghai this year. The biggest technology on offer is their Vivo Under Display that effectively enables a smartphone to have a fingerprint reader under the display glass. This eschews the need for a smartphone to have a separate fingerprint reader elsewhere on the chassis. The technology itself uses ultrasound waves to map a fingerprint and is effective enough that it can scan a fingerprint when immersed, assuming there is a need for you to unlock your smartphone underwater. The new technology supports displays that are up to 1.2mm thick.

Another nugget of tech that is of interest for camphone photographers was their Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Photography solution for improved backlit and low light shots; traditionally challenging scenarios for smartphone cameras. Vivo’s DSP Photo tech is ensconced in a new RK1608 DSP chip that has 256MB RAM with the ability to take multiple images in RAW format and process them into one high quality RAW image before being exported to the usual JPG format. On paper, this should significantly improve image quality by improving detail and reducing noise.

Vivo also announced a new DAC decoding chip that offers improved Hi-Fi audio. The new chip has a signal-to-noise ratio of 122dB, a beefed up dynamic range of 120dB and an output power of 2.2VRms for richer quality audio. The MWC launch had working examples on display of each of the new technologies showcased but Vivo has yet to deploy any of the technologies in any of their phones yet. Odds are they’ll likely have to undergo a bit more field testing and optimisation for mass production before they see service in a future Vivo phone but which one and when hasn’t been announced as yet.