Igeekphone March 3 news, at the MWC 2025 conference, Xiaomi demonstrated a concept product – magnetic detachable lens, which was named “Xiaomi Modular Optical System”.
The Mi Modular optics system consists of a modified Mi 15 and a detachable 35mm lens. The lens is powered by a small spring contact and uses Xiaomi’s proprietary LaserLink technology for data transmission, giving users the same experience as a regular built-in camera when shooting in the camera app.
Foreign media “Wired” reported that Xiaomi demonstrated a 35mm f/1.4 lens, equipped with 100 million pixel Light Fusion X Type 4/3 sensor, the lens has a variable aperture, low light environment performance.
It fits in a similar way to the MagSafe magnetic accessory, which attaches to the back of the phone with a single touch, then switches to detachable lens mode by tapping the icon in the camera app. Photos are saved directly into albums and can be shot in RAW format. The lens has a built-in autofocus motor that allows you to click through the screen to focus, as well as a physical focus ring for manual fine-tuning.
When shooting in Pro mode, the lens responds as quickly as the built-in camera. As the medium tried to focus on subjects at different distances, the photos were able to take on a natural blurry effect – something that normally required portrait mode before. But portrait mode relies on algorithms to recognize the edges of objects and is prone to errors when processing details like hair and glasses.
The key to this system is Xiaomi’s LaserLink technology: a proprietary optical communication module with a small blip on the back of the phone and the lens, and data is transmitted by a near-infrared laser at speeds of up to 10Gbps. This high-speed connection not only ensures a smooth experience when shooting, but also optimizes the image quality in collaboration with Xiaomi’s AI computational photography system, which is difficult to achieve with traditional external lenses.
Igeekphone has learned that the lens is powered from the phone through two contacts on the back, and Xiaomi says its power consumption is comparable to that of the built-in camera. The compact size of the lens is easy to carry, and the plug and play design also improves the convenience of use. This system may provide photographers with a variety of professional lens options, but the need to carry extra lenses, but also to a certain extent, the mobile phone camera “ready to shoot” advantage.
LaserLink technology is not only used for photography, but may also be extended to more magnetic accessories, such as chargers, mobile power supplies and game controllers. In the future, it is expected to help users seamlessly connect smart devices in the Xiaomi ecosystem, such as speakers, smart home products, and even cars.