The annual mobile trade show in Barcelona kicks off today, but just ahead of the event Xiaomi has shown off a prototype camera lens. I am, apparently, one of only two media members to get hands on the kit.
Named the Xiaomi Modular Optical System, this prototype kit consists of a phone with a magnetic pogo pin that allows a camera lens to be snapped on.
The magnetic pogo pin system has been dubbed “LaserLink,” and uses Xiaomi’s proprietary tech that allows data transmission up to 10Gbps. This is crucial, because the camera lens that snaps on has quite impressive hardware: a 100-megapixel optical lens with an aperture between f/1.4 to f/11, and a sensor size of 4/3-inch. This is twice as large as the 1-inch type sensors used in the top smartphones.
The larger sensor allows more light intake, and natural bokeh. The lens also has a focal length of 35mm, which is a more optimum focal length for photography.
I demoed the kit for 25 minutes in a room, so I wasn’t able to push the camera testing too much, but I was able to snap some very good looking photos that look a bit more “pro” than a normal phone shot. The camera lens also has a twistable dial to allow for manual focus adjustments or changing f-stop. Having a physical dial makes the photoshooting experience.
The LaserLink’s transfer speeds are indeed nearly instantaneous. I’d snap a photo and the photo would be ready for preview immediately.
The hardware seemed mature and ready to use today — the process to snap on and take off is straightforward, and once connected the camera UI switches to the optical lens. There’s no extra steps to pair, and the lens draws power from the phone itself. But Xiaomi engineers said this is being kept as a prototype for now due to two reasons.
The first is that the cost is too high right now to mass produce and sell at a reasonable price, and the second is the LaserLink pogo pins compromise the phone’s water resistance. But this second concern seems very easy to fix. In fact, an engineer did tease that this prototype could become a reality “soon.”
The part I’m most excited about this system is it allows other lens to be snapped on. I am a fan of telephoto photography, and I’d imagine this system could support a 100mm or longer telephoto lens.
I came away from the demo impressed, and I’m happy to see Xiaomi continue to push boundaries of optical imaging, because its Ultra phones have already consistently ranked as one of the very best camera phones around for the past three years.
