Xiaomi has built its name by mimicking Apple’s ideas, but recently, it’s come up with a few tricks I’d love to see Apple borrow. First, it wowed us with the sleek look of its 15 Ultra phone. Now, it’s teasing a cool concept that could inspire an awesome Apple Camera Lens add-on for iPhones.
My iPhone is my go-to camera. Why? It’s always in my pocket. A few years back, it even became my main camera for trips. Sure, I still grab a standalone camera for special photo outings or unique destinations worth the extra gear. But Xiaomi’s latest idea might just bridge the gap perfectly.
Smartphone cameras have tiny sensors and small plastic lenses, which limit their quality. Xiaomi’s fix? A real camera lens with a big sensor that snaps onto your phone magnetically. You’d still use the built-in lenses for quick shots, but for top-notch photos, this add-on turns your phone into something like a lightweight mirrorless camera—smaller and easier to carry than a separate one.
Simon Hill from Wired tested a working version and loved it. He tried a Xiaomi 35-mm f/1.4 lens paired with a 100-megapixel sensor—way bigger than anything in phones today. It has a flexible aperture, perfect for dim lighting. Hill said it attached like a MagSafe wallet and felt like using a real camera, with sharp results to match.
It comes with an autofocus motor—just tap the screen to pick your focus. Plus, there’s a physical ring for hands-on adjustments. In Pro mode, it worked as smoothly as the phone’s regular camera, letting Hill focus on objects near and far for a soft, natural background blur. We don’t know if Xiaomi will sell this lens, but I’m sold on the idea. Imagine Apple teaming up with Nikon, Canon, or Sony to make one for iPhones. It’d be a game-changer for phone photography!