Oppo Launches N1 Smartphone with Rotating Camera

Oppo, a brand of Chinese smartphone, has been hyping up its N1 smartphone for quite a while. It was finally released on September 23^rd in Beijing. The phone features a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and a large 5.9 inch 1080p display. It runs on a fork of Android 4.2 called Color OS, a highly customizable OS for the Chinese market. What most people are really curious about, of course, is the camera. So, let's get to it.

The Camera

The Oppo N1 rotating camera is a 13MP camera mounted on a hinge to rotate and serve as both the front and rear facing cameras. It activates on rotation and can rotate more than 206 degrees and has passed a rotation test during which the camera was rotated 100,000 times. Unlike other smartphones, the camera has 13MP functionality whether it faces the front or the rear. It features an f/2.0, 6-element lens with dual LED flash. The phone should serve the user well in low light conditions with long exposures of up to 8 seconds. Photos can be taken in normal, panorama, high speed, rewind, beautify and slow shutter modes.

O-Click

The phone comes with a keychain-style Bluetooth enabled remote called the O-click to take pictures from the phone up to 50 meters away. Just position the phone where you want, step back and push the button to take a picture. If you misplace your phone in your home, you can set off an alarm using the remote to make it easier to find.

O-Touch Panel

The O-Touch panel is new to this phone. It is a rear touch panel that makes it possible to use the large screen with one hand. It allows you to scroll, tap or snap photos using the back of the phone rather than touching the screen's display.

Purchasing an Oppo N1

In China, the phone will start at 3,498 Yuan for the 16GB version. That comes to about $570 USD. A 32GB version will also be made available. The phone will begin selling in China in October, and international markets can expect it in December.

Software

The phone's ColorOS is a new development that required 10 months of work and involved 243 developers and 20,000 testers. Some of the innovative features include the live weather themes that interact with the phone's icons. For example, when it snows, snow will settle on top of the icons. Another feature is the drop-down board designed to use drawing patterns to trigger the activation of certain apps. CyanogenMod will be released on a limited edition of the phone.

Other Features

Other features include a 3610mAh battery and 2GB of RAM. The 600 quad core processor is behind the curve, as many comparable phones now have the 800, but it is still powerful enough for the phone's functions.