The whole mobile world is heading to Barcelona this week for Mobile World Congress 2025, and of the raft of Xiaomi gadgets on display is a magnetic attachment aimed at giving its smartphones a photographic boost.
Though there are exceptions, smartphones don't generally come packing large imaging sensors. Xiaomi wants to give mobile snappers the chance to grab great pictures with its Modular Optical System.
Just a concept at the moment, with the company testing future consumer waters at MWC 2025, the prototyped System marries a 100-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with a 35-mm F1.4 variable aperture lens and manual focus ring. These elements are all wrapped up in an enclosed external unit that magnetically attaches to the body of the a phone – in this instance a modified Xiaomi 15 model with a Qi2 magnet inside.
The idea is to grab a sensor/lens combo from your carry bag, fire up the camera app and click on the new icon that appears to switch to the System optics instead of the smartphone's native camera and then snap your scene in glorious MFT detail. If you want a different perspective, you mount a different combo, just like you would if you hauled a DSLR or mirrorless camera around – though Xiaomi only seems to have the one working prototype so far.
The System is built around LaserLink technology that's reported to cater to 10-Gbps data transmission between the host smartphone and the sensor/lens combo. The company has also cooked in AI processing and 16 stops of dynamic range. It does appear that the sensor/lens unit draws power from the handset's battery though, and there's no mention of whether it will be compatible with phones wearing protective cases.
We've seen similar things before of course, in prototype form and production models on sale. Sony tried get whip up a modular photo frenzy back in 2013 with its QX series, and that same year Samsung took a more permanent approach with a smartphone rocking a built-in zoom lens. The DxO One hung a camera module from the Lightning port, and Motorola's Mods attachments included a TrueZoom lens from Hasselblad.
None of these have stood the test of time, but perhaps Xiaomi believes that the time is now right for another try. The promo video below has more.
Source: Xiaomi
