Chinese smartphone vendor Vivo will step up efforts to enhance mobile imaging capabilities via in-house research and development as well as joint innovation.

The move is part of the company's broader efforts to beef up its R&D prowess to stand out amid intensified competition.

Yu Meng, vice-president of imaging at Vivo, said the company is striving to make mobile imaging of its smartphones comparable to that of professional image equipment, a professional photography team and professional post-production capabilities.

Vivo has unveiled its second self-designed chip V1+ to boost professional imaging and display performance of smartphones earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the company has established a camera partnership with renowned German lens company Zeiss to refine the photo-taking capabilities of its smartphones.

In the first eight months of this year, the overall shipment of mobile phones in China totaled 175 million units, down 22.9 percent year-on-year, according to the latest data unveiled by China Academy of Information Technology and Communications earlier this week.