This year’s trend in MWC (Mobile World Congress) clearly showed that a few smartphone manufacturers are very eager to significantly upgrade the usability of their smartphones by equipping them with a real lens to get sharper images next to organic bokeh. RealMe, the Chinese consumer electronic manufacturer, based in Shenzhen, was one of those companies that shared their concept of how an interchangeable lens on a smartphone could function. Let’s take a closer look.
It seems the time has finally come – mobile phone manufacturers are discovering a “new niche”. What has seemed obvious to us for a while is finally becoming a reality: enhanced capabilities for taking photos and, hopefully, videos as well. A few years back, mobile phone photography effectively killed the compact camera segment. Now, with the possibility of external lens attachments for smartphones, we might be on the verge of Revolution 2.0 where smartphones “on steroids” will badly cannibalize some of the mirrorless camera market. After all, “where there is a will, there is money” and I can’t think of a single dedicated camera manufacturer capable of matching the huge R&D budgets of major smartphone companies.
A few days ago we posted about Xiaomi’s solution for attaching a lens to their Ultra 15 phone, and now RealMe is showing a different, interesting concept where the phone kit will include a dedicated adapter (for connecting to the phone itself), and then a lens that can be attached to it. In the video below, it’s unclear what lens mount the adapter will have, but imagine if this solution could be offered with different mount options for maximum flexibility. In any case, unlike the Xiaomi solution, which has an M4/3 sensor attached to the back of the dedicated external lens and wirelessly transfers the images (and hopefully video) to the phone itself, the RealMe solution is more straightforward. Without going into the subject of “which solution is better”, the direction is clear. Mobile phone manufacturers are now seeking a new stream of revenue by introducing innovative solutions and adding “proper lenses” to their mobile phones, which could be bad news for traditional camera manufacturers.
Moving forward, if this concept becomes a reality (and it will!), the next logical step for mobile phone manufacturers might be exploring the possibility of adding a larger than 1-inch sensor as the main camera to their phones. As a side note, Canon recently launched their new PowerShot V1 camera with a 1.4 inch sensor, close in size to Micro Four Thirds. So, if incorporating sensors of this size doesn’t lead to excessive heat generation in the phones, it could become a possible upgrade.
I’m also wondering where Apple is with their iPhone in this mini revolution. Traditionally, the company endorses computational image processing, which allows for the creation of a shallow depth of field (for example). Still, I wonder if the emergence of smartphones capable of attaching real lenses – or more importantly, customers’ acceptance of this approach – will encourage Apple to create their own dedicated “camera with phone”.
Whatever the outcome will be, I’m sure you guys will agree with me that interesting times are ahead of us.
What do you think about these interchangeable lens solutions for mobile phones? Is it something you have been waiting for? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
