The open-roll periscope telephoto of mobile phone images may usher in more applications
With the successive exposure of information about Xiaomi 14 Ultra, a source revealed a few days ago that this machine wash and dry may be equipped with two telephoto lenses, one of which is a 3.2X vertical telephoto, and the other is a 5X periscope telephoto. The OPPO Find X7 Ultra, which was just released not long ago, is equipped with two periscope telephotos, namely the 3X with an equivalent 65mm focal length and the 6× telephoto with an equivalent 135mm focal length.
If the relevant rumors are true, it means that in this year's top imaging flagship, major manufacturers may still compete fiercely in telephoto, especially periscope telephoto. Previously, some manufacturers even shouted the slogan "no periscope, no flagship".
At present, the imaging capability of smartphones has become the most concerned function point for consumers, and mobile phone manufacturers are also improving the relevant capabilities of their products by continuously strengthening configurations and innovating technologies. More importantly, compared with the improvement of other functions, the differentiated experience that imaging capabilities can bring is one of the most obvious parts of user perception, so this also determines that subsequent mobile phone manufacturers will be more active in this direction to "roll up".
In fact, periscope telephoto applications are not new to mobile phones, and have even been implemented as early as 2004, and models equipped with this configuration a few years ago caused a trend of "shooting the moon". The original intention of the appearance of periscope telephoto on mobile phones is to solve the user's "telephoto" needs, previously due to the need to control the thickness of the fuselage, the lens is limited by optical principles, often unable to achieve a longer distance shooting, and the periscope telephoto lens through the reflection of light inside the lens, so as to achieve a longer focal length in a relatively small volume, breaking through the previous restrictions on the thickness of the fuselage.
However, it should be noted that today's smartphones are equipped with periscope telephoto not only to be able to "look far", but also to meet the diverse needs of users for mobile phone photography. For example, in everyday portrait shooting, most smartphones will use the main camera crop or vertical telephoto to shoot with a focal length equivalent to 35mm, but the periscope telephoto can bring more creative freedom, achieve better depth of field effect, and more natural background blur to highlight the subject. It is worth mentioning that at present, mobile phone manufacturers no longer focus on periscope telephoto on "telephoto", but emphasize more on using this lens to shoot portraits, and even use it as a macro lens.
In order to meet the needs of different users, mobile phone manufacturers have also carried out many differentiated designs when applying periscope telephoto. For example, some brands emphasize the balance between high-magnification zoom and sharp imaging, while others pay more attention to the shooting effect of portraits, close-ups and other scenes. Such a diversification strategy not only enriches the product line, but also provides consumers with more choices. One of the more prominent examples is the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, which not only comes with two periscope telephotos with different focal lengths, but also gives them an extremely outstanding close-range focusing capability.
Ideas like this may become mainstream in 2024. Through the differentiation of imaging functions, relevant manufacturers may actively promote the iteration of imaging technologies such as large aperture (variable aperture), video stabilization, and continuous zoom, so as to further attract users and enhance the market competitiveness of their products.
It is worth mentioning that although they are all called periscope telephoto, there are certain differences between the periscope telephoto used by the Android camp and the current Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Pro Max's periscope telephoto lens is more compact, with only a prism inside that reflects the light four times and then hits the CMOS image sensor vertically. The advantage of this design is that it can achieve a longer focal length in a limited space, but this configuration is currently unique among smartphone products.
At the same time, compared to the way the sensor of the telephoto lens of the Android model is placed vertically, the sensor of Apple's telephoto lens is laid flat, so there is less restriction on the size of the sensor, and the movement space of the anti-shake focus module will be larger, and the anti-shake effect is also better. Its specially designed "3D Sensor-Shift Optical Image Stabilization and Autofocus Module" can perform displacement in all three directions to achieve image stabilization, with up to 10,000 fine adjustments per second.
Although Apple is not ahead in the application of periscope telephoto, even after the release of the iPhone 15 series, there is a view that it may not be able to play new "tricks" in terms of imaging. But in fact, Apple has brought a lot of highlights to the telephoto of the iPhone 15 Pro Max this time. According to Apple, its 5× zoom capability (120mm focal length equivalent) makes it easier for users to shoot close-ups.
Previously, the Android camp's zoom capabilities for periscope telephoto were mostly focused on the equivalent 65mm focal length, 90mm equivalent focal length, and 135mm equivalent focal length. Therefore, there is a view that Apple's periscope telephoto solution may also have a certain impact on Android models.
More importantly, the strategy of mobile phone manufacturers collectively "uncoiling" periscope lenses has also promoted the development of optical-related manufacturers in the supply chain system. Some analysts pointed out that manufacturers including Da Li Guang, Crystal Optoelectronics and Lante Optics have benefited from Apple's orders, and Apple's move will also make the Android camp actively follow up. Soochow Securities predicts that the global periscope lens market may reach US$4.4 billion, or about RMB 31.66 billion, in 2025. In fact, this also means that in the future, users will not only be able to experience the fruits of technological advancements at a relatively lower price, but also usher in a richer choice.
After entering 2024, there is no doubt that major mobile phone manufacturers will further strengthen the differentiated experience brought by imaging functions, and then improve users' awareness of related products. As an important component of the current mobile phone image module, the optimization and application of periscope telephoto are bound to be promoted to a new height, and the penetration rate of this configuration is also expected to be further improved, and more models are expected to use this configuration.
[The picture in this article comes from the Internet]