While smartphone camera hardware keeps getting better, there’s a limit to how much can be packed into a phone before it becomes oversized and bulky. Therefore, the real magic happens on the software side. TECNO, a pioneering technology brand in global emerging markets, is at the leading edge of these exciting advancements. They’re focused on tackling the challenges that have long troubled phone cameras, helping you elevate your smartphone photography experience like never before.

During the Future Lens 2024 event in Chongqing, China, TECNO introduced three groundbreaking image processing solutions — the TECNO Image Matrix (TIM), the innovative EVS Dynamic Shot technology, and the versatile Tap Any Zoom Dual Prism Telephoto — and these fantastic features will be available on TECNO smartphones in the near future. Here’s what you need to know.

The TECNO Image Matrix (TIM) – the new AI imaging “brain”

The TECNO Image Matrix, aka TIM, completely changes the way your phone processes imaging data. It essentially reorganizes the data pipeline so that every stage of the imaging experience — from the moment you frame and take a photo to the final image you see on your screen — gets the optimal AI processing treatment. The main goal is to ensure you get the perfect shot in one go without having to figure out complicated settings and features that only professionals may be familiar with.

TIM uses a layered structure to optimize the four stages of image creation. Starting from the bottom, the foundation is the hardware, which includes the camera modules, sensors, processing package, and display, which all help build a stable base. Up next is the deconstruction layer that includes a series of 10 imaging refinements like noise reduction, color balancing, tone adjustment, image stabilization, color correction, and more.

Now, the image data reaches the Engine Re-construction layer, the central hub known as TAPS (TECNO Algorithm Process Stack). In simple terms, this is where the magic happens. Four AI-driven imaging engines work together: AI RAW, AI SNAP, AIGC Studio, and AI UT (Universal Tone).

AI RAW enhances low-light and backlight scenes and improves sharpness, image clarity, and color. AI SNAP, as the name suggests, eliminates shutter lag and allows for lightning-fast image capture without lag, guaranteeing that a moment you want to capture will never pass you by. Meanwhile, the AIGC Studio is all about powering image enhancement, generation, and editing tools.

Finally, AI UT (Universal Tone) automatically restores and enhances skin tone to provide the most accurate representation of the people in your photo. As you might have guessed, each and every engine targets a smartphone photography pain point, creating a seamless, accurate, and detailed image experience for every shot.

The fruits of all that computational work are realized at the top in the Application layer. Of course, you will get sharp and vibrant images, regardless of whether you’re shooting a still landscape or an athlete in action. But this also serves as the backbone for new features and functionality, like AI Shooting Quality++, Portrait Master, Video Master, AI Snap, and AI Image Studio.

As capable as smartphone cameras are, taking a photo of a subject in motion is often more miss than hit. Unless everything lines up perfectly to the millisecond, the shot will either be too early or too late, resulting in a blurry mess of the actual action, while the still background will be sharp. TECNO’s EVS Dynamic Snapshot technology addresses this significant pain point by completely changing how it captures an action shot.

Rather than capturing pixels frame by frame, EVS Dynamic Snapshot monitors the full trajectory of a subject’s movement and records motion data. It employs dynamic tracking to lock onto a moving subject, while AI algorithms integrate the dynamic information gathered by EVS with the stable background recorded by the RGB camera, resulting in a single, clear, and comprehensive image that highlights the action in sharp focus.

Whether you are photographing a car race at the track, your dog running around the park, or your kids on the tennis court teeing up a smash, EVS Dynamic Snapshot completely takes the guesswork out of timing the press of the shutter perfectly. Instead, you’ll enjoy crystal-clear shots with the action in focus, no matter the situation.

Telephoto lenses in our smartphone cameras have been an exciting addition, but they have proven to be more innovative in theory than in practice. Unless you have extremely steady hands or additional equipment like a tripod that smartphone photographers don’t usually carry around, getting the perfect highly zoomed-in shot can be quite a chore.

Not to mention the annoyance of pinch gestures or having to manually adjust a zoom slider, all while trying to keep your phone completely still, you are more often left with a distorted, unfocused image rather than the beautiful close-up that you were hoping for.

That’s where TECNO’s AI-powered Tap Any Zoom Dual Prism Telephoto technology comes in. This tech uses a dual prism design, lens-shifting OIS, and AI algorithms to capture fantastic telephoto shots. Instead of manual sliders and uncontrolled pinch gestures, all you have to do is double-tap the subject on the screen, and the camera will instantly zoom to the necessary level (up to 30x) for fast and precise framing.

The dual prism offers a wide shooting area, while the lens-shifting OIS counteracts external vibrations. Working in tandem with AI algorithms, you ultimately get a clear, focused, and detailed shot of the subject you are trying to capture from a distance. The best part is that with the wide field of view as the starting point, the telephoto sweep function stitches full-frame shots without distortion, making re-framing a breeze.

TECNO is set to revolutionize smartphone photography in 2025

TECNO’s image-processing solutions are another step in the right direction for the global technology brand. With these innovations, the company is pushing beyond hardware limits and leveraging software and AI to take the capabilities of smartphone cameras to a whole other level.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect action shot, a gorgeous panorama with multiple re-framing opportunities, or just an excellent still with vibrant and true-to-life colors, TECNO’s latest tech is the answer.

So, will all this exciting new tech make its way to consumers soon? The great news is yes, with TECNO expected to roll out many of its new camera upgrades with its flagship releases in the near future.