Chinese smartphone company Vivo said on Monday that it has inked a new partnership with Zeiss Group, a German optical systems and optoelectronics manufacturer, to expand their partnership so as to push the boundaries of mobile imaging technology.

The expanded collaboration will not only focus on traditional imaging and classic optics, but will also delve into computational optics and health imaging.

The move came after Vivo said it has maintained its top position as the number one smartphone brand in the Chinese smartphone market for the past three years.

The company also unveiled a new strategy roughly translated as blue image, which represents a synthesis of Vivo's proprietary sensor technology, algorithms and imaging chips, and aims to lead in mobile imaging by leveraging both self-developed and co-developed technologies.

Vivo said its long-term investment in imaging technology has been substantial, with over 2,000 personnel and billions in research and development funds dedicated to this field. The company has filed over 7,000 patents and developed numerous popular imaging features.

The company also unveiled its latest smartphone X100 series on Monday which is designed to target smartphone photography enthusiasts. The move came as the Chinese smartphone market continues its recovery trend.

According to the market research company Counterpoint, smartphone sales in China grew 1.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive year-on-year growth.