First previewed at MWC 2025, Xiaomi’s magnetic camera add-on could finally be entering production.<\/b>
\nat MWC, Xiaomi previewed its Modular Optical System.
The system would allow phone users to attach external camera hardware for high-quality shots.
Now a tipster is sharing a vague hint that might point to a possible commercial release.
Cameras need space. Manufacturers have done an utterly remarkable job creating some incredibly compact lens-and-sensor assemblies \u2014 so much so that for the vast majority of us, our phones are now our primary cameras \u2014 but when you really want to go above and beyond with features and image quality, that means growing past the confines of our phones. One way a number of brands have been doing that is through add-on lenses, but last last year, one phone company teased an even more impressive add-on \u2014 and it could soon be ready to make its commercial debut.
Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
Last year at MWC, Xiaomi showed off something it called the Modular Optical System. Old-school Android fans probably flashed back instantly to Sony\u2019s failed \u201clens-style cameras\u201d which attempted the same sort of trick: offer a complete, full-sized camera-and-lens package that attaches to the back of your handset.
Xiaomi\u2019s version included some advanced new features, like a high-speed laser-based data connection and the ability to power itself right from your phone. But at the time, this was all presented as a concept, with no firm plans for commercial release.
Officially, Xiaomi still isn\u2019t offering any updates on its Modular Optical System ambitions, but a recent post from leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo hints at possible progress (translated):
Theoretically, that could mean a lot of things \u2014 like add-on lenses that just attach magnetically to built-in phone cameras. But that would also be an odd thing for the leaker to pronounce like this, and when we think about the sort of magnetic lens products that might be worth hyping up in this manner, it\u2019s really only Xiaomi\u2019s Modular Optical System that comes to mind.
Equipped with the same sort of Four Thirds sensor found in consumer digital cameras, that hardware looked quite capable when we first met it a year ago \u2014 but that was also a prototype, and we wouldn\u2019t be surprised if a lot of specifics might have changed along the evolution to something ready for mass production. And again, we aren\u2019t even totally sure this is even Xiaomi\u2019s system we\u2019re talking about in the first place, so all this speculation could still be a tad premature.
That said, we\u2019re hugely excited to learn what Xiaomi might be planning for this hardware. This year\u2019s MWC is only a few weeks away, so who knows? Maybe we\u2019ll get another update on progress then.<\/p>\n