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Originally published by Telecompaper.com
Qualcomm has teamed up with Israeli startup Visionary.ai to bring ultra-low light imagery to its next-generation premium smartphone processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The latest iteration of the flagship phone processor was unveiled by Qualcomm at its Snapdragon publicity event in Hawaii. Visionary.ai said the chipset will natively support its night vision software, which relies on artificial intelligence to capture full-colour video in conditions "as dark as 0.2 lux".
Low-light camera functions are a major differentiator for the world's leading smartphone brands, as flagship product lines begin to exhaust the marketing potential of raw megapixel quality. AI-driven enhancements to smartphone photos and videos arguably are now just as important. Visionary.ai said that its software was targeting very dark conditions that have typically created image blurring, noise and 'ghosting', and will also enable augmented reality where smartphones can "effectively transform into night vision devices".
Qualcomm VP of product management Judd Heape predicted the new feature would bring "remarkable" low-light experiences to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered smartphones. Visionary.ai's software is included in a reference smartphone architecture containing Qualcomm's new chip, enabling OEMs to test compatibility, Heape added.
Aside from night vision, Visionary.ai said its platform also enabled shorter exposure times in better light conditions. This should help HDR functionality and remove motion blur in smartphone cameras, as well as enabling slow motion video in less-than-optimal lighting.