Pixelworks Display Technology Powers iQOO 9 Series to Deliver Unmatched Visual Quality Advantage for Gaming

SHANGHAI, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW), a leading provider of innovative video and display processing solutions, today announced that the recently launched iQOO 9 series smartphones incorporate the Pixelworks X5 Pro visual processor to strengthen the competence of users in the game battlefield. With upgraded technology and an optimized configuration bolstered by Pixelworks technology, the iQOO 9 series is expected to set a new benchmark for high-performance smartphones and mobile gaming.

The iQOO 9 series line-up includes the iQOO 9 and iQOO 9 Pro flagships. The new iQOO 9 model features a  6.78 inch flat flexible AMOLED screen with up to 120 Hz refresh rate and maximum resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The iQOO 9 Pro flagship features a 6.78 inch curved flexible AMOLED screen with an LTPO controller 2.0 capable of 1-120Hz variable frame rate adjustment and maximum resolution of 1400 x 3200 pixels. The two models are both built on the latest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 8 Gen 1 mobile platform and powered by Pixelworks advanced visual processing technology, which serves as the foundation for mobile devices to run mobile games with higher frame rate, lower power consumption, and longer battery life. The iQOO 9 series has already been recognized by King Premier League (KPL, which is a competition dedicated to the Chinese game Kings of Glory) for its powerful performance before the launch and is now the official smartphone partner of KPL competitions.

Immersion is the key to driving users' retention in mobile gaming. Picture clarity, color accuracy, motion smoothness are fundamental to delivering an immersive visual experience, which Pixelworks enables through the following visual display quality features in iQOO 9 series smartphones:

• MotionEngine® Technology – Boosts the display performance of popular mobile games on the iQOO 9 series, such as Honkai Impact 3, Perfect World, Moonlight Blade, and Genshin Impact. Pixelworks' patented motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) technology optimizes the content of low frame rate animation to high frame rate up to 120 fps, effectively eliminating unintended judder and ensuring ultra smooth motion quality. Meanwhile, Pixelworks distributed processing offloads GPU workload to reduce overall system power consumption, which in turn prevents overheating and extends game play on mobile devices.
  
  
• Always-HDR Mode – Pixelworks real-time SDR-to-HDR conversion exposes more details and shades of color for all gaming/video content, the vast majority of which is SDR (standard dynamic range) format, for an always-immersive experience. For mobile games, it provides ambient adaptive color gamut to display a more true-to-life gaming environment. For videos, the color and contrast enhancement is adapted to present the original artistic intent to the screen in a more precise way; this function can also be applied to video streaming Apps, such as Bilibili, TencentVideo, iQIYI, Youku and Tencent Sports.
  
  
• Absolute Color Accuracy – Every iQOO 9/9 Pro smartphone is factory calibrated with Pixelworks patented high-efficiency calibration technology, producing an average Delta E value less than 1, which means that the human eyes cannot detect any deviation from perfect color reproduction.
  
  
• Smooth Brightness Control – In dimly lit environments, the finely tuned, automatic luminance control in the iQOO 9 series enables ultra-smooth display brightness transitions with an unprecedented 16,384 gradients of brightness.
  
  
• DC Dimming – Pixelworks' innovative DC Dimming solution dynamically adjusts the display current to reduce the screen flickering frequently associated with conventional Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming, thus reducing eye strain and ensuring enhanced eye comfort.

"It's exciting to witness the launch of iQOO 9 series at the beginning of 2022," said Leo Shen, Sr. VP, GM of Mobile BU, Pixelworks. "iQOO's pursuit of premium performance and design of smartphones keeps the brand continuously innovating and winning  great popularity among young generations. The prominent leading position of iQOO in the smartphone market has been proven by the recognition of KPL. We are looking forward to further integrating Pixelworks' visual processing technology with iQOO's manufacturing experience to deliver a mobile gaming experience that is nothing short of perfection."

"iQOO 9 series flagship is our gift for iQOOers in the year of Tiger which carries our best wishes." said Yaojing Yang, Director of Product Innovation, iQOO. "We are constantly exploring the optimization of the screen, performance, heat dissipation, battery life, as well as the improvement of the visual and audio experience as a whole. We are glad to have Pixelworks as our strong partner in the field of visual display, and we'll continue our visual innovation journey together to offer more fascinating and imaginative gaming and video experiences to our users."

About vivo

vivo is a technology company that creates great products based on a design-driven value, with smart devices and intelligent services as its core. The company aims to build a bridge between humans and the digital world. Through unique creativity, vivo provides users with an increasingly convenient mobile and digital life. Following the company's core values, which include Benfen*, design-driven value, user-orientation, continuous learning and team spirit, vivo has implemented a sustainable development strategy with the vision of developing into a healthier, more sustainable world-class corporation.

While bringing together and developing the best local talents to deliver excellence, vivo is supported by a network of 10 R&D centers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Taipei, Tokyo and San Diego, focusing on the development of state-of-the-art consumer technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial design, photography and other up-and-coming technologies. vivo has also set-up seven production bases (including brand-authorized manufacturing centers), across China, South- and Southeast Asia, and more regions, with an annual production capacity of nearly 200 million smartphones. As of now, vivo has branched out its sales network across more than 50 countries and regions, and is loved by more than 400 million users worldwide.

*"Benfen" is a term describing the attitude on doing the right things and doing things right - which is the ideal description of vivo's mission to create value for society.

Stay informed of latest vivo news at https://www.vivo.com/en/about-vivo/news

About Pixelworks

Pixelworks provides industry-leading content creation, video delivery and display processing solutions and technology that enable highly authentic viewing experiences with superior visual quality, across all screens – from cinema to smartphone and beyond. The Company has more than 20 years of history delivering image processing innovation to leading providers of consumer electronics, professional displays and video streaming services. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.pixelworks.com.

Note: Pixelworks, MotionEngine and the Pixelworks logo are registered trademarks of Pixelworks, Inc. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may be identified by use of terms such as "begin," "continue," "will," "expect", "believe," "anticipate" "projected" and similar terms or the negative of such terms, and include, without limitation, statements about the launch dates of smartphones containing Company's products.  Such statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve numerous risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results could vary materially from those contained in forward looking statements due to many factors, including, without limitation: our ability to execute on our strategy; competitive factors; the success of our products in expanded markets; current global health and economic challenges, including the impact of COVID-19; and changes in our target markets, including as to demand. More information regarding potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements is included from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as subsequent SEC filings.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Pixelworks, Inc.