Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR Chinese phone brands are exploring more ways to enhance their camera capabilities.
One way could be to include detachable external cameras or lenses.
Xiaomi and Vivo already have similar options in China, and we might see improvements and additions from other brands.
The Chinese phone market is ultra-competitive, with brands promptly innovating to stay ahead in a tussle over unusual feats. Phone cameras have been of significant importance to these brands, who have tried varied solutions from partnering with actual camera brands to cramming movable components into small phone bodies. In the fight to achieve more, certain brands have even fiddled with external upgrades like detachable lenses that overcome limitations of phone cameras. And that particular solution could be getting more popular.
As Chinese phone brands brace for more competition, we could see a wave of new camera enhancements, with a particular focus on external cameras. Reputable leakers Digital Chat Station and Smart Pikachu have independently reported that multiple phone brands are exploring plug-in solutions for their upcoming flagship phones.
So far, Xiaomi and Vivo have been at the forefront of this development. Xiaomi has been developing external camera lenses for several years, with its latest iteration being a magnetically attaching lens concept that it showcased at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Vivo even has a more production-ready photography kit for the X200 Ultra that includes a hand-grip and a cylindrical lens system with 2.35x optical zoom. As with the phone, the kit is also limited to China.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
Both leakers have their own theories for these upcoming contraptions, but Digital Chat Station, in another Weibo post, states that brands may be looking to deploy magnetic accessories, as seen with Xiaomi’s prototype, where an entire camera unit — lens and sensor combined — attaches to the body. The leaker adds that this choice will allow brands to reduce the actual number of cameras on the phone — even down to just two — while the external cameras could take care of all periscopic shots entirely.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
... continue reading