I’ve always been a fan of modular phones and just yesterday, I was daydreaming about how cool it would be if Samsung or Apple followed the footsteps of Nothing’s latest CMF Phone 2 Pro – you know, the one with modular add-ons like extra lenses. Well, it turns out Samsung might actually be cooking up something along those lines.
If you’ve ever wished your phone could swap lenses like a DSLR, you are not alone and Samsung might be getting ready to make that happen. A newly published patent suggests the company is exploring a modular camera system with attachable lenses.
The patent, spotted in the WIPO database, lays out a design with four key components: the phone’s housing, a swappable lens assembly, an image sensor and a motorized actuator to move the lens or sensor. It sounds technical, but the gist is simple – snap-on lenses that could drastically change your phone’s photography game.
Drawings from Samsung’s patent. | Image credit – Samsung
This is actually something similar to what Vivo is doing with its latest X200 Ultra. That phone supports an optional 2.35x telephoto converter lens that magnetically snaps onto a special grip, turning its periscope camera into a true 8.7x zoom (or 200mm equivalent).
Vivo offers a detachable ~9x zoom lens for its X200 Ultra. | Image credit – Vivo
Samsung’s future take on modular lenses might include a rotating ring built into the lens itself – possibly for manual zoom control, though that is just speculation for now. Once attached, the phone could recognize the lens using a built-in magnet or even something like an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag to identify which lens is connected. There are a few ways the company could approach it.
Also, based on the patent, the lens assembly appears to be built-in, setting it apart from third-party solutions like the Moment Lens shown in the cover image. I mean, it would be great if these attachable lenses could work without needing a special case but that is probably a stretch, especially if Samsung wants the lenses to be compatible with multiple devices.
However, if it is made for just one model or a new lineup, Samsung could tweak the phone design to make everything fit perfectly. But going the accessory route – like Vivo did – seems more realistic.
Of course, this is all based on a patent for now. So yeah, it might never happen. But the exciting part? It just might.
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