OPINION : This week , Xiaomi unveiled a camera concept telephone set that open up Modern possibilities for smartphone photography . Is this the path of the future ?

Every year , we see smartphone manufacturing business taste to get one over the respite of the competition with a new photography feature , which often turns out to be a thingmajig that gain slight interestingness beyond the first workweek or two after launch . However , every now and then , we get a glance of a genuine game - changer – and Xiaomi might just have give us one this week .

Xiaomi ’s large idea is to impound an extraneous Leica lens system to a concept version of theXiaomi 12S Ultra , read reward of the immense 1 - inch image sensor so as to plough the smartphone into an even more capable tv camera , in a real endeavor to bridge over the interruption between smartphone snappers and a echt DSLR .

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

This feature is claimed to deliver the “ resolve ability , permeability , and the unquestionable depth of field ” that other smartphones struggle to recreate . While we ’ve ascertain smartphones swash ever larger sensors , or more specialized lenses , this is a far more ambitious aspect .

apparently this feature of speech , which is still only a conception and is not useable to buy , would only ever be intended for picture taking fiend and not regular smartphone users ; for one thing the adhesion would certainly be prohibitively expensive , and for another , regular user may well find the lens to be a bit clumsy to carry around .

But for the right prey audience , this kind of development could open up new possibilities of what you may do with acamera earphone , take away the constraints of the traditional form broker and bestow an totally new horizontal surface of proficiency to the gadget with just a twist and a detent .

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

I feel it encouraging to see these kinds of niche developments hire position , simply because the vast consumer market for smartphones is not homogeneous at all . More or less each one of us uses a smartphone now , and of course we each have different way and different desire for its role . While this equipment would never hope to be a bestseller , if well - executed it could be ideal for a smaller segment of users in just the same way that many have felt well served by the first generations of foldable phone .

More than this , I ’m also delirious to see the partnership between Xiaomi and Leica really put up such fruit . For years I ’ve been somewhat sceptical that such mint actually interchange much about the hardware on smartphones ; for instance , we failed to see a qualitative addition in camera quality on theOnePlus 10 Prodespite the mark striking an eye - catching flock with Hasselblad . But this example clear shows that the two manufacturer have indeed work in tandem to make something young .

While we wo n’t be see this conception twist on the shop put over any clock time soon , more ’s the pity , I certainly hope that the first marketable versions of such a machine are n’t so very far aside . Such developments show that design certainly is n’t beat in this industry , and there are still exciting days in the lead for the smartphone .

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table

Top half view of a light blue One Plus 9 smartphone laying upside down on a wooden table