Elliptic Labs, a company that creates AI smart sensors, has announced that Oppo will deploy one of its AI Virtual Proximity Sensors called Inner Beauty on future smartphone releases. What is unique about Inner Beauty is that Oppo can dispense with a hardware proximity sensor, which helps it cut costs and sourcing risks.
Another benefit of opting for Inner Beauty is that Oppo won"t need to include unsightly black holes or thick bezels on its future phones, making them more competitive. What"s interesting is that Elliptic Labs says that its software can match and even exceed hardware solutions.
Commenting on the deal between the two companies, Elliptic Labs" CEO, Laila Danielsen, said:
"Elliptic Labs is excited to announce this expansion contract with Oppo to utilize our AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform™ on more devices. This contract demonstrates that we continue to grow with the biggest smartphone makers, executing on our plan to expand our smartphone business. Elliptic Labs’ value is driven by our expertise in AI, ultrasound, and sensor fusion, enabling our customers to build products that are greener, smarter, and more human friendly."
By removing the need for a hardware proximity sensor from its phones, Oppo will be able to reduce its costs and simplify the design of its phones and potentially their repairability. As mentioned earlier, Oppo will also be able to reclaim room for its touch displays by shrinking the amount of room taken up by the bezels.
The announcement from Elliptic Labs didn"t specify whether this software proximity sensor would be coming to all Oppo devices or just to a certain segment of devices. It"ll be interesting to hear more over the next year as Oppo starts unveiling new phones that could use Inner Beauty.
Let us know in the comments if the inclusion of software proximity sensors and smaller bezels could make you switch to an Oppo phone.
Source: Elliptic Labs (BusinessWire)