What if your phone camera is much larger?

The cameras on our phones will not stop increasing their size. New xiaomi 15 ultra It is dominated by a huge episode of the cameras on its back, and nothing has ever thought of planning the camera from scratch to fit Periscope in 3A Pro phoneConsisked rumors indicate that even Apple will tie a large camera tape on his back IPhone 17 Pro models Later this year. But why do you stop there? What if you can get all the weight and weight of the real camera and the burden of your phone with it? What if we can make your phone camera much larger?

This is what Xiaomi and Realme tried to do at the World Conference on mobile phones for this year, with two completely different phones, each trying to bridge the gap between the smartphone and DSLR.

Trying is the most knowledgeable. In fact, the “concept of switching lens”, which runs a full DSLR lens on the current camera island of its conceptual phone, is significantly similar to the concept Xiaomi has already shown in 2022. The phone here is the same dedicated, it does not depend on any of the smartphones in Realme, and it includes two model cameras in the back, in addition to a third dedicated sensor of one type of Sony with no lens at the top-at least not until you add your own via the monarchy mountain. In essence, this approach that we saw for years of companies such as MomentThat sells small custom lenses attached to your phone’s camera. But the biggest means better, right?

Realme designed its concept to work with two lenses: 73 mm and Elephoto 234 mm, and got the latter’s experience. You will not be surprised by hearing that connecting a huge phone lens to one end of the phone does not get rid of the balance to some extent, and I will not call this operation exactly. The work environment is difficult: because the phone is thinner and lighter than the camera body, I had no choice but to seize the entire lens with the barrel. Every weight is located there, leaving my left hand in an attempt to seize the lens simultaneously enough to raise everything but loose enough to rotate zooming and focus, with my right hand is mainly unable to help. It is embarrassing.

Mount Lens is a fairly large part, as it stands out in one inch or so from the back of the phone, which means that there is no way at all to make this experience pressed – even a pie lens that will feel enormous here. Realme used a standard M stand, so in theory, you can attach any compatible lens, which will really be the call if this becomes a product. In practice, it may not be very simple, as Realme made some adjustments to his camera application to accommodate these specific lenses. The escalating communication is purely material as well, so there is no way for this to deal with automatic image adjustment lenses or anything else outside the guide.

Xiaomi approach solves many of these problems, with its presentation. His standard optical system was built on a dedicated version of Xiaomi 15 With a Magsafe-SQUE ring on the back. The separate lens is attached to this magnetic contact point in the center of the phone, but it decisively includes its own sensor, so it is not limited to the device inside the phone. It is a modern magnetic version Sony short -term line of QX cameras It can be connected to the back of any phone.

The Xiaomi one lens is currently 35 mm with the F/1.4 slot, using a 100-megapixel 4/3-type sensor than you will find in any smartphone, including the Reelme concept. This means more light capture, and in theory better pictures. Daniel Digerlis, director of international communications at Xiaomi, told me that the opportunity to include a greater sensor is the main reason behind the company’s exploring this worker.

There are contacts within the magnetic episode, which help in alignment but with dealing with both energy transfer and wireless data transmission through a 10GB optical transmission system per second called Xiaomi Laserlink. Unlike Realme’s physical connection, this means that this lens supports automatic focus, although Xiaomi still includes a handy concentration ring. Pictures pass through the phone processing program, so you will get a style similar to other photos of the phone.

Besides enabling a larger sensor, the other benefit to build everything in the standard lens is that it can be attached to the middle of the phone, instead of having to be built over the pre -existing camera unit. This means that this looks much better balanced, and more comfortable to keep and use. Linking and separating the lens is a single fast work, and without the presence of an intermediate installation, this is more compact than the Realme design can be. I can actually imagine the shooting with this day, especially if there is also an option to connect something like the fist of Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra Photography Kit.

There are negatives, of course. The magnetic facility feels strong – Xiaomi encouraged me to carry the phone upside down by the lens and shake, and it has survived the experiment – but the installation of the appropriate camera will always be stronger. Desjarlais admitted to me that magnetic connection may exclude a full -sized telephone lens, although this may be for the better.

The lens options are the other passive side. There is a lot of technology here, and no other person builds normative magnetic lenses with compact sensors. This means that any copy of this came to the market will not be operational with any existing lenses, which may kill half of the call to the photographer’s audience that you hope to reach.

I haven’t talked about the quality of the image from any of these concepts so far. I could not get a sample of my photos from any of the device, and don’t give a few minutes in a commercial exhibition a large room for a comprehensive test. I fully think that both will offer better pictures of a regular smartphone, but this is just a matter of physics – the best lenses and the biggest sensors lead to more beautiful pictures. The real question is whether it will be improved enough To justify the troubles and cost the preparation like this, it will always include, especially since phones like Xiaomi 15 Ultra have come close to more and more than DSLR quality. The reason for using my phone more than any other camera is that it fits my pocket and is always there. The best lens because it will always be one to suit my pocket as well.

Photography by Dominic Breston / The Forge