Is 8K shooting the upper limit of mobile phones?

With the development of technology, the quality of mobile phone images is getting higher and higher. It can be seen from the simplest digital improvement that the resolution of 2K, 4K, 8K...videos is getting higher and higher. What does ultra-high-definition picture quality bring us? Some people will also have such doubts, do we need such high image quality? Images help us record the world and discover the world. The microscopic world of a grain of sand, the splendid galaxy in the universe, the fleeting moment, the years of star-shifting. More and more high-quality image records have allowed us to see more wonderful worlds that were previously invisible to the naked eye. The ultra-high-definition video of the wild giant panda life captured by the Snapdragon mobile phone, this picture is the ultra-high-definition video of the vertical striped owl captured by the Snapdragon mobile phone, this picture is the single frame of the extracted picture taken by the Snapdragon mobile phone The ultra-high-definition video of plants in the Three Parallel Rivers Nature Reserve, this picture is an extracted single-frame 8K video standard with a resolution of 7680×4320. 8K brings higher resolution, more details, and more The stunning image quality also means that the imaging system requires higher data processing capabilities and deeper technical accumulation. In 2018, Red Digital Cinema developed an 8K movie machine that sold for astronomical figures; at CES 2019, 8K TVs made their debut. For film and television practitioners and professional content creators, the popularity and maturity of 8K technology is undoubtedly good news. The visual feast brought by constantly challenging the limit of picture quality has amazed the audience time and time again. As mentioned above, although 8K brings unparalleled visual enjoyment, the subsequent upgrade of shooting equipment, the surge in material capacity, and the increase in post-production pressure are all problems for ordinary users. Difficulties that are too easy to overcome. It is not easy for ordinary enthusiasts to create 8K images. In February 2020, flagship mobile phones capable of recording 8K images began to appear in the mobile phone market, such as Samsung Galaxy S20, Xiaomi Mi 10, etc., consumers of mobile images ushered in the era of 8K creation. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 equipped with the Snapdragon flagship processor supports 8K video shooting. If you study carefully, it is not difficult to find that these phones are equipped with the Snapdragon 865 processor. In November 2019, Qualcomm released an 8K video of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, shot with a Snapdragon 865 mobile terminal, which shocked the entire mobile imaging industry, which also explains why major manufacturers began Flagship phones that support 8K video shooting have been released one after another. 2022 is the third year that the Snapdragon platform has 8K video shooting capabilities. Looking back on the past few years, every seemingly simple capability upgrade is behind a breakthrough in processing technology. The picture above is the Milky Way starry sky in the Sanjiangyuan area taken by the Snapdragon mobile phone. On the one hand, it benefits from less local light pollution, and on the other hand, it also reflects the amazing image quality processing capability of the Snapdragon platform Spectra ISP, which fully preserves the Milky Way. Under the premise of details, the details of the starry sky are preserved to the fullest, and mobile phones can also have a place in the field of astrophotography. On December 2, 2020, with the blessing of three Spectra 580 ISPs and more abundant hardware resources, the Snapdragon 888 made it easy to shoot 8K video, and the 8K video shooting capability has gradually become the standard of flagship mobile phones. On December 1, 2021, with the emergence of the first-generation Snapdragon 8, 8K HDR video shooting became possible, which undoubtedly raised the upper limit of the 8K video shooting capability of mobile phones to a new height. High Dynamic Range Images Captured by Snapdragon Phones

Technical Interpretation of 8K Capture

With the demand for mobile imaging “rising,” smartphone makers are more than ever Nowadays, more attention is paid to improving the photo and video shooting functions of mobile phones. In addition to the excellent convenience and social attributes of mobile phones, mobile phones have become the main shooting device for most people. In 2019, the 8K video shooting capability of the Snapdragon 865 is due to the Spectra 480 ISP. This image signal processor, which has been polished for many years, has revolutionized the overall bandwidth and processing power, breaking through many bottlenecks restricting the development of mobile imaging. . From the perspective of an imaging practitioner, having the ability to shoot at 8K resolution is just a starting point. Color science, adjustment style, etc. are also worthy of attention of manufacturers. How to restore natural and real images is a big question. This not only requires strong hardware support, but also the result of the perfect cooperation of the entire mobile phone imaging system, and it is inseparable from the continuous attempts and efforts of mobile phone manufacturers in image quality adjustment. In addition, it is extremely important for the development of 8K images that mobile phone users can actively participate in the production and dissemination of 8K images as content creators. Although there are still certain thresholds for producing 8K video content, 8K content will become popular only if a considerable number of users join in and produce more high-quality content. This will also encourage manufacturers to invest more R&D efforts in this area, so that technology can serve the needs of the public. In addition, upstream and downstream industries such as TV sets, video websites, and mobile storage will also keep up, which makes us more believe in the popularity of 8K video. Times will come sooner. Although the consumption threshold of 8K video is still high in 2022, another killer feature of 8K is "oversampling", that is, reading out with full pixels, but using scaling to obtain high-bit-rate oversampled 4K Video, especially at the moment when major manufacturers are racing to chase 10bit color depth, the better 4K quality brought by oversampling is amazing. 8K HDR has also become a reality on the first-generation Snapdragon 8, and the rapid development of technology seems to herald the arrival of the next 8K competition. The picture above shows the feathers of the green-tailed red pheasant shot by the Snapdragon mobile phone. With the blessing of the Snapdragon imaging technology, the bright colors and moving details of the feathers come into view, fully demonstrating the unique charm of the green-tailed red pheasant.

Leading Industry Pioneers

The Snapdragon series mobile platforms enable today’s flagship mobile phones to function in many aspects, achieving technological breakthroughs and leadership, especially for high-end mobile phones. The presentation of high-quality images, smartphones based on the Snapdragon platform continue to define new standards for flagship mobile phone images. The development of technology is a self-breakthrough again and again. From the Snapdragon 865 to the Snapdragon 888 to the first-generation Snapdragon 8, the powerful throughput of its Spectra series ISP makes a variety of advanced imaging technologies such as super multi-frame synthesis a reality. From the details of the crested ibis feathers, you can see the sharpness and resolution of the picture, which is comparable to the picture taken by a professional camera. This shows that in terms of image quality, resolution, and color science, mobile phone images are no longer inferior to traditional cameras. Snapdragon is the first pioneer to introduce 8K video shooting to smartphones. As the innovation engine of Android system, it can be said that Snapdragon has been deeply involved in the Android ecological layout for many years, bringing many "future" mobile experiences to Android users. is one of the representatives. Today, Snapdragon enables mobile phone 8K and even mobile phone 8K HDR shooting to become a standard for mass consumer goods, making mobile phone images comparable to professional cameras, liberating content creators to record their life's infinite inspiration, and constantly promoting mobile phone 8K into the next brand new stage. (Promotion) Text / Guo Yuqing

(Responsible editor：Retro)