TECNO, a leading technology brand, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Asian Communication Research Centre (ACRC) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), to delve into the aesthetic preferences of consumers in Southeast Asia regarding mobile imaging technology.

The collaboration aims to focus on understanding skin tone and smartphone portrait imaging preferences in Southeast Asia through scientific research. TECNO is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and ensuring that its technology reflects the diverse beauty of people in the region.

The research will involve targeted surveys in Indonesia and the Philippines to establish cultural benchmarks and define precise representations of skin tones in Southeast Asian imagery. The ultimate goal is to enhance TECNO’s Universal Tone technology by incorporating insights from these studies.

Leading the research team is Professor Jack Qiu, Shaw Foundation Professor of Media Technology at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), along with other esteemed members from NTU. The team aims to grasp the diverse aesthetic and imaging needs of Southeast Asian consumers.

TECNO’s commitment to tailoring smartphone portrait imaging technology to suit Southeast Asian aesthetics stems from a desire to address the unique needs of consumers in emerging markets. By leveraging scientific research, TECNO aims to provide a more accurate representation of diverse human features in mobile photography.

This collaboration with ACRC marks TECNO’s second major academic partnership, following a successful collaboration with the University of Leeds (UK). The results of this research are expected to further enhance TECNO’s technological offerings, aligning them more closely with the preferences of consumers in Southeast Asia.