Xiaomi’s concept phone has a camera with modular, detachable lenses

You can use smartphone cameras to shoot some stellar photos or videos – there are entire feature-length films that have been shot on smartphones. But there’s one thing you can’t typically do with a smartphone camera: change lenses.

That’s why most modern flagship phones (and some mid-range and budget models) have multiple cameras, each with its own lens to enable ultra-wide, telephoto, or […]

#cameraLens #detachableCamera #mwc2025 #removableCamera #smartphone #smartphoneCamera #xiaomi #xiaomiModularOpticalSystem

Read more: https://liliputing.com/xiaomis-concept-phone-has-a-camera-with-modular-detachable-lenses/

»The new #Solos #AirGoVision have #ChatGPT4o and a #detachablecamera frame for visual processing, and they're priced about the same as the #Meta #glasses.« https://www.zdnet.com/article/these-new-smart-glasses-remind-me-of-meta-ray-bans-but-have-a-clever-privacy-feature/?ARglass.es #ARglasses #SmartGlasses #AugmentedReality #AR

Vivo Designs Detachable, Double-Sided Pop-Up Smartphone Camera

Vivo has designed a detachable pop-up camera system that consists of three total cameras and two flashes and runs on its own built-in battery.

Detachable smartphone cameras are not a new concept, at least in the design phase. For example, Vivo itself explored the idea of a small detachable phone camera with its own touch-display earlier this month, which was built upon a 2020 prototype that showed a smartphone design with a detachable front camera.

This time, Vivo designed a double-sided pop-up camera that may be the most advanced and practical design yet. The patent -- as found and illustrated by LetsGoDigital -- shows a Vivo smartphone with a full-screen design and a pop-up camera situated in the top right corner.

The system can be used for selfies and video calls and has a dual-camera integrated onto the back of the pop-up system. This acts as the main camera, giving users a total of three cameras and two flashes.

The pop-up camera can be fully removed and fixed at different angles thanks to a hinge. Users can make the most of the camera by placing it on a flat surface to take photos from a distance -- similar to using a camera with a remote shutter -- or by holding it in hand as a selfie stick.

This detachable camera system has a built-in battery which means it can be used independently from the smartphone. If the battery runs low, users can attach it back onto the smartphone to charge it from the main body's battery. This is done using a sliding rail, with additional magnets to prevent the camera from accidentally detaching.

As it's a double-sided camera, the system detects which side the user is on. This design also gives Vivo the option to add a Dual-View video function in the future.

LetsGoDigital explains that the patent doesn't mention what type of cameras are to be used with this design but instead it is stated that the camera will have different apertures "for all-round photography possibilities."

With numerous detachable camera system patents under its belt, it is seemingly increasingly likely that Vivo will at some point manufacture a finished smartphone that tries it, though it's unclear how successful such a design would be. There are no doubt practical applications that a removable module would certainly make easier, but the increased possibility of losing those critical parts may outweigh the benefits.

Vivo isn't the only one who is testing the design waters with a removable camera system. Oppo has also patented a detachable camera module design, although it is considerably bulkier in comparison to Vivo's. Samsung has considered integrating a smartphone camera into its S Pen.

The full patent application can be viewed on LetsGoDigital.

#equipment #mobile #news #cameratech #detachablecamera #letsgodigital #mobilephones #patent #phonephotography #smartphonecamera #smartphonephotography #smartphones #vivo

Vivo Designs Detachable Smartphone Camera with Tiny Touch Display

Vivo has designed a smartphone camera that detaches from the main body of the phone and takes a piece of the display with it, a curious design decision that allows the main cameras to be used for selfies… and more.

This new design appears to be an advancement on one that the company showed off in October of last year. That design concept went on to win a Red Dot Award, but it never became a consumer purchasable product. It appears Vivo didn't just rest on its laurels, however, and iterated on the design further.

Having the camera pop out of the phone and also be entirely removable would make it possible to allow the device to interchange with other camera modules. By separating the camera from the phone, the idea is that the design would enhance user-friendly shooting features that are normally constrained within the design of a mobile device.

This latest iteration ditches the pop-up feature and instead integrates the camera module with a piece of the display. According to the patent -- which was found and illustrated by LetsGoDigital -- this design would allow the camera to be used in three different ways.

The first mode would allow the module to be positioned so the secondary display -- which is about the size of an iPhone front-facing notch -- faces the front. The pixel density of this secondary display is identical to that of the smartphone's main display, so it blends into the main screen as if it was one seamless display.

The second mode involves flipping the module around 180-degrees so that the cameras face the user. The main benefit of this orientation is that it allows the use of the main cameras as selfie cameras.

Finally, the third mode involves removing the camera and display piece from the body of the smartphone entirely for remote operation. In this mode, the module can be used separately from the smartphone and the tiny display can be used to take pictures remotely. That small screen piece can be used to operate the camera and also see previews of photos or videos that are captured with it. Theoretically, it should also be possible to control the unit remotely with the main body of the smartphone to take wide-angle selfies with groups that would otherwise not be possible from a hand-held orientation -- for example, a user could set the module down on a bench or other surface and take a remote photo of themselves.

While detachable or interchangeable camera modules regularly come up in designs and patents, it hasn't been seen in a consumer product yet. While neat on paper, these ideas do have a complication in real-world use: small, interchangeable parts are very easily lost and are likely expensive to replace. While it is unlikely that Vivo will release such a concept in a finished product, it's still worth noting that the company is investigating new ways to integrate cameras into smartphones.

#mobile #news #design #detachable #detachablecamera #newtech #patent #smartphone #smartphonecamera #smartphonephotography #tinycamera #vivo

Vivo Developing Smartphone with Detachable Drone Selfie Camera

Vivo is reportedly developing a smartphone that includes a tiny quadcopter drone that slides out from the main body of the device, detaches, and can fly away to allow for better selfie photos.

According to patent information published publicly today and found by LetsGoDigital, the design describes what at first glance looks like a typical smartphone, but hides a small quadcopter drone with an integrated camera and battery that can be removed and flown separately to allow for aerial camera angles.

The patent describes a dual-camera system (one front-facing and one facing downwards) and three infrared proximity sensors that would theoretically allow the tiny drone some ability to keep itself from crashing into objects.

According to the report, the flying camera system can be slid out of the housing, removed entirely, and allow the smartphone owner to take photos from a greater distance. LetsGoDigital says that the patent describes the ability for the drone to change position or maintain position while shooting, and presumably the operation of the mini-drone takes place via the smartphone. While it is possible that the tiny flying camera would support gesture control, that is not mentioned as part of the documentation.

Tiny, portable flying cameras aren't new. The drone pictured below is called the Air Pix and is about the size of the palm of a hand. However, it is a separate device that is almost the size of a full smartphone. The idea of integrating a mini flying camera directly into a smartphone is wholly original to Vivo, though the disadvantages of such a design may outweigh the benefits.

For starters, the drone would have to be much smaller than even the Air Pix -- which already sports abysmal reviews on Amazon -- which means the motors that power the propellers are unlikely to be strong enough to withstand much wind. Even a light breeze may shake the camera enough to make any photos it takes blurry. Some kind of stabilization of the lens will likely be necessary to mitigate this.

Additionally, a large flying part like this is prone to damage or loss, which would be expensive to replace. It's unclear what would be exposed to the elements on the phone itself if the drone were to be lost as well since the port to hold the drone would be sizeable.

Vivo is, at least, thinking outside the box with this patent. While the publication of the patent at best shows the company is only in the very early stages of development, it remains to be seen if such a design is actually commercially viable.

_Image credits: Mockup of Vivo smartphone and drone published courtesy of LetsGoDigital per usage guidelines. _

#mobile #news #detachable #detachablecamera #development #drone #flyingcamera #letsgodigital #patent #smartphone #smartphonedrone #vivo

Facebook’s Impending Smartwatch Will Have Removable Camera: Report

A new report alleges that not only is Facebook working on its first smartwatch, but it will also come equipped with two cameras, with at least one capable of being detached from the wrist to more easily function as a photo and video capture device.

The Verge reports that it has learned that Facebook's smartwatch's front-facing camera will function primarily for video calls while the 1080p camera on the back (which will also feature autofocus) can be detached from the body of the watch and be more easily used for taking photos and videos.

The design is supposedly aimed at encouraging the camera to actually be used as a capture device, an issue that has plagued any wrist-mounted camera that has been produced to date as it generally considered awkward to take pictures with a camera that is affixed to the body in the way. The report says that the smartwatch and its camera system are part of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to build more consumer devices and more directly compete with Apple and Google. The two technology juggernauts currently control how Facebook can reach its audience, which is a fact that has hamstrung Facebook from gaining access to its most monetizable asset: users.

The Verge also reports that Facebook is currently working with United States wireless carriers to provide LTE connectivity to the watch, which indicates that it won't need to pair with a smartphone in order to offer full functionality. It is also anticipated that the smartwatch will be the first in a series, and later versions will act as a primary connection point for Facebook's planned augmented reality glasses. One of Facebook's acquisitions, CTRL-labs, has already demonstrated armbands that are capable of acting as a computer controller through wrist movements.

The Facebook smartwatch is not the company's first foray into hardware or even a smartphone -- its 2013 phone partnership with HTC bombed -- but it will be the first time it will attempt to market a wearable. Facebook is no stranger to camera technology either, as proven by its Portal webcam devices. The only question will be if a wrist-mounted camera will catch on, as that has not been the case as of yet.

The smartwatch will reportedly use a custom version of Google's Android operating system and leverage its own set of first-party applications and several partnerships to make the hardware compelling enough to pry eyes away from Apple.

Image credits: Header graphic created with assets licensed via Depositphotos.

#equipment #news #rumors #detachable #detachablecamera #facebook #facebookcamera #markzuckerberg #portal #rumor #smartwatch #theverge #wristcamera