The TECNO way of winning AI camera technology race for future

Cameras and mobile technology have always been symbiotic, and have heavily influenced the development of modern smartphones. This effectively means that any manufacturer who is able to provide leading, cutting edge mobile imaging solutions for smartphones will be able to determine what the future of smartphones will look like. This is why TECNO started TAIVOS Labs, focusing on innovative and cutting-edge technological breakthroughs for mobile imaging technology. TECNO’s labs have been involved in numerous in-depth research and analysis that contributed to many of the new camera innovations that we see today.

Jiangtao Li, Senior Director of TECNO Imaging Product and Head of TECNO TAIVOS™ Labs shares more about the lab, and also to learn about how he reimagines the future of mobile camera technology. 

TAIVOS™ Lab, short for TECNO AI Vision Optimization Solution Lab, was set up to enhance photography and videography through the latest technology. When asked about how the lab came about, Li said, “Based on these grand objectives, our TAIVOS laboratory studies our devices extensively to make some deeper innovations that our users will enjoy and benefit from. We want to redefine how the mobile camera is perceived and what it can do for our users.”

With this goal in mind, one of TECNO’s grand challenges it had to overcome was to cater to the many varying views of beauty over different regions and cultures, combining the best of the past and the present. With this awareness that beauty can be subjective and individualized, TECNO added more than 200 professionals to its research team, successfully producing more than 6,120 Evaluation Scenarios spanning 115 countries. According to Li, TECNO is putting in so much effort because it is not enough to advance technology. Still, it is essential to build it with diversity in mind so that everyone can enjoy and utilize mobile imaging technology together. 

TAIVOS™ Lab’s final products have continually exceeded the expectations of consumers, producing many successful commercialized features. Specifically, TECNO TAIVOS™ certified cameras could reach a remarkable 4,500 fine-tuning settings thanks to the 3A Algorithm and ISP (Image Signal Processor) module. Pictures that are inclusive of all demographics and all three primary skin types, particularly those with darker skin tones, are sharpened. A comprehensive Material Library covers nine skin types and 76 categories so that everyone, regardless of demographic, gets to enjoy these improved features. On TECNO’s CAMON 18 Premier, these optimizations enable excellent visuals even in low-light situations.

Another breakthrough of TECNO TAIVOS™ Lab is in the advancement of the Screen Inspection Process. TECNO screens and cameras are fine-tuned for up to a half-year apiece throughout this procedure to provide users with the most bright and compelling colors. This has brought about many learnings for TECNO, as lighting is one major issue for mobile camera users that inhibits them from creating professional-level photos and videos. Li wants to democratize the pleasures of taking a good picture, and technology can be a significant aid to people looking to gain confidence in their photography skills.

TAIVOS™ Lab’s innovative deep technologies are also evident in its Image Algorithm Technology. Using AI algorithms for Image Super-Resolution, low-resolution images caused by digital zoom can be recovered. As a result, even for those with close to no photography skills, images on TECNO’s upcoming flagship will turn out to be more explicit, richer in detail, and more true-to-life than ever before. 

TAIVOS™ Lab has also patented various technologies to support the innovative ideas churned out by the lab. For example, featured inside the upcoming CAMON 18 Premier is a self-developed Galileo Algorithm Engine. Thanks to this new engine, TECNO says that users can enjoy ultra-long-distance shooting effects comparable to astronomical telescopes and pixel-level image segmentation accuracy, all from the comfort of the smartphone in their pocket.

Li shares: “TAIVOS started five years ago when we established a project department at that time, and then we began to accumulate our data from that time. We have a huge database, and compared to the entire industry, the quality of this database is high because, firstly, it is very focused. Secondly, we are spending a lot of energy to label the data. After we accumulate and label the data, we can do so much more to improve on what we have so that our users will always have the best.”

That data becomes helpful in applications such as a cutting-edge gender recognition feature that comes packed in the CAMON 18 Premier. For example, with a complete understanding that males and females have unique facial traits and different desires when taking selfies, the gender recognition AI protects the details of your natural features – men with beards can enhance them. At the same time, women can enable the technology to deliver beautiful lashes.

Li concludes: “TAIVOS™ Lab has allowed us to enable our users to analyze and recombine photos on a pixel level, bringing out the best photos for our users. Now with the CAMON 18 Premier, we are extending this technology to video. Hardware is only half the battle. We work incessantly to improve our software to bring the best user experience to our customers. TAIVOS™ Lab is at the forefront of mobile imaging technology today, and we will keep you excited for years and decades to come.”

The highly-anticipated TECNO CAMON 18 Series launched in the Philippines in November, bringing an array of exciting innovations developed by the TAIVOS lab to consumers around the country.