Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR Last year at MWC, Xiaomi previewed its Modular Optical System.
The system would allow phone users to attach external camera hardware for high-quality shots.
Now a tipster is sharing a vague hint that might point to a possible commercial release.
Cameras need space. Manufacturers have done an utterly remarkable job creating some incredibly compact lens-and-sensor assemblies — so much so that for the vast majority of us, our phones are now our primary cameras — but when you really want to go above and beyond with features and image quality, that means growing past the confines of our phones. One way a number of brands have been doing that is through add-on lenses, but last last year, one phone company teased an even more impressive add-on — and it could soon be ready to make its commercial debut.
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Last year at MWC, Xiaomi showed off something it called the Modular Optical System. Old-school Android fans probably flashed back instantly to Sony’s failed “lens-style cameras” which attempted the same sort of trick: offer a complete, full-sized camera-and-lens package that attaches to the back of your handset.
Xiaomi’s version included some advanced new features, like a high-speed laser-based data connection and the ability to power itself right from your phone. But at the time, this was all presented as a concept, with no firm plans for commercial release.
Officially, Xiaomi still isn’t offering any updates on its Modular Optical System ambitions, but a recent post from leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo hints at possible progress (translated): Mass production of magnetic lenses has begun, and they could be available as early as this year (TBD) Theoretically, that could mean a lot of things — like add-on lenses that just attach magnetically to built-in phone cameras. But that would also be an odd thing for the leaker to pronounce like this, and when we think about the sort of magnetic lens products that might be worth hyping up in this manner, it’s really only Xiaomi’s Modular Optical System that comes to mind.
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