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Posts Tagged ‘Xiaomi’

Xiaomi announces retractable lens technology for future smartphones

06 Nov
Xiaomi has introduced its self-developed Retractable Wide-aperture Lens Technology at its annual developer conference. Image credit: Xiaomi

Chinese technology company Xiaomi has officially kicked off its annual Mi Developer Conference (MIDC 2020) in Beijing. During the conference, Xiaomi has showcased numerous new technologies and breakthroughs, including retractable wide-aperture lens technology for smartphone devices.

If you have been following along with new smartphone announcements over the last few years, you’ll have noticed a strong emphasis on improvements in image quality, camera performance and lens quality. Drawing inspiration from traditional camera and lens design, Xiaomi has developed new Retractable Wide-aperture Lens Technology. This advancement in design lodges a compact optical structure in the smartphone, which can be extended when necessary.

Xiaomi promises that this new design will result in a breakthrough in performance. The company states, ‘This design allows the retractable telescopic camera to have a larger aperture to increase the amount of light input by 300%, as well as showcase better performance in portrait photography and night photography compared to currently-used camera structures.’ Further, the design incorporates a new image stabilization technology which ‘offers a larger anti-shake angle’ and increases sharpness by 20%.

The telescoping design has the primary benefit of allowing a camera not in use to be compact and easy to slip into a pocket, while still offering optical zoom when in use and capturing photos. In the case of a smartphone and its camera design, it’s even more critical to consumers that the device remain thin, compact, and lightweight.

Retractable lens designs have most frequently been seen in fixed-lens compact cameras, such as the Sony ZV-1 seen above. By utilizing a retractable lens design, engineers can strike a balance between performance when the camera is in use and a compact form factor when you aren’t capturing images.

Photography advancements from Xiaomi have been fast and furious this year despite the impact of the pandemic. This August, Xiaomi introduced its 3rd-generation under-display camera, which promised a high-quality, hidden camera under the smartphone’s display. This technology relies upon a revised pixel arrangement solution, allowing light to pass through gaps between the sub-pixels in the display.

Xiaomi’s advancements in camera technology don’t exist solely in the future. To celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer, Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 Ultra smartphone. This device incorporates a quad-camera array, including a long telephoto lens which offers a 120mm equivalent focal length and includes a 48MP image sensor. On the wide end of its camera array, there is a 12mm equivalent focal length and 20MP image sensor.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra smartphone, introduced this August, highlights the company’s fast-paced camera technology advancements with its 12mm and 120mm cameras. Click to enlarge.

It remains to be seen what the real-world performance of a telescoping lens in a smartphone will be, but Xiaomi intends to utilize its new camera technology in upcoming smartphones. The company’s goal is to deliver ‘professional photography to hundreds of millions of smartphone users around the world’ with its expanding portfolio of image technology improvements.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi introduces 3rd-gen under-display camera, promising unparalleled performance

29 Aug

As consumers demand increasingly sleeker smaller smartphones, manufacturers have been grappling with how to convincingly hide front-facing cameras. Solutions have included Apple’s now-ubiquitous notch design, a punch hole design and even cameras hidden underneath the phone’s display. Xiaomi hopes its newly announced third-generation under-display camera will be the best version of the lattermost approach yet.

Xiaomi’s first two generations of under-display camera tech never made their way into mass-produced devices. The latest generation, on the other hand, will be widely available in 2021.

Underpinning the new tech is a revised pixel arrangement solution. The screen allows light to pass through the gap between the sub pixels in the display. This allows each individual pixel to retain a complete red, green and blue (RGB) pixel layout. By utilizing the gap between sub pixels, the display doesn’t need to compromise with respect to pixel density.

The design of Xiaomi’s third generation under-display camera (left) shown against a typical display area (top right) and ‘normal’ under-display camera (bottom right). Image credit: Xiaomi

Xiaomi states that ‘Compared with other common solutions on the market, Xiaomi has doubled the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, achieving the same pixel density above the camera as on the rest of the display area.’ Xiaomi continues, promising that the area above the camera will match the rest of the display in terms of brightness, color accuracy and color gamut.

There’s no question that the more seamless a front display, the better. However, it’s a considerable engineering challenge to produce a display with a hidden camera without sacrificing the quality of either the display or the camera it conceals. Thus far, hidden camera technology has not completely convinced discerning viewers, as discussed by Engadget with respect to similar tech from Oppo.

To showcase its latest generation, Xiaomi released an overview video, which you can view below.

As first pointed out by The Verge, if you look closely at the 0’29” mark of the above video, there appears to be a slight square shadow. In earlier portions of the video, you can see a very faint circle where the camera is located. Xiaomi assures that the camera will be invisible, so it’ll be interesting to see the final product when it ships next year.

While we must wait until 2021 to see Xiaomi’s third-gen camera out in the wild, we won’t have to wait long for a new smartphone with an under-display camera. ZTE will launch its ZTE Axon 20 smartphone next month. It’s unclear if this device will be available outside of China. Nonetheless, as is often the case, a race between firms to develop better technology will benefit end-users.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra comes with 120mm optical tele, 120Hz display and more

12 Aug

Electronics manufacturer Xiaomi is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an event in China today and to mark the occasion the company has launched a new top-end-phone, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra.

The Ultra shares quite a few specifications with its sister model Mi 10 Pro which was released in February, but, at least in terms of specifications ups the camera game considerably. Both devices come with a quad-camera setup, including short and long tele cameras as well as an ultra-wide. However, the Mi 10 Ultra comes with improvements in several key areas.

The long tele now offers a 120mm equivalent focal length (approximately 5x) versus 94mm on the Pro and comes with a larger 48MP sensor (1/2-inch versus 1/4.4-inch). The lens is stabilized and features a F4.1 aperture.

Wide-angle performance has been boosted, too. The Mi 10 Ultra ulta-wide camera features one of the widest fields-of-view in the market at 12mm (16mm on the Pro), making it an interesting option for mobile photographers with a focus on landscape and architecture. The ultra-wide uses a 20MP 1/2.8-inch sensor and comes with a F2.2 aperture and PDAF.

The short tele provides a 2x zoom factor (50mm) and is also used in portrait mode. Light is channeled through a F2 aperture and onto a 12MP 1/2.56-inch sensor. This module features a Dual-Pixel AF.

The primary camera offers a 25mm equivalent field-of-view and uses a 48MP Quad-Bayer sensor instead of the 108MP variant in the Mi 10 Pro. The large sensor (1/1.32-inch) combined with a fast F1.85 aperture and OIS should make for very decent low light image quality, though. In addition the camera array features a multispectral color temperature sensor to support the auto white balance system.

In video mode the Mi 10 Ultra is the latest device capable of recording 8K video at 30 frames per second. When shooting at 4K the frame rate can be increased to 60fps which should make for smooth panning and motion. At the front a 20MP selfie shooter hides under a ‘punch-hole’ cutout.

Non-camera specs and features are flagship-worthy, too. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s top-end chipset Snapdragon 865, including 5G modem, and features the latest generation LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage for swift data transfers and overall performance.

Images and videos can be viewed on a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display with a high 120Hz refresh rate for smooth and responsive operation. In the battery department the Xiaomi offers 120W fast-charging, with the compatible charger provided in the box. The company claims the system can charge the 4,500mAh battery to 100 percent in only 23 minutes, or to 41 percent in five minutes. 50W wireless charging and 10W wireless reverse charging are available, too.

The Mi 10 Ultra also comes with in-display fingerprint sensor, IR blaster, NFC and stereo speakers. The display is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. The back is covered with Gorilla Glass 6.

Pricing has so far only been released for Xiaomi’s home market. In China the Mi 10 Ultra starts at 5,299 yuan (approximately $ 763) for the 8GB/128GB version but you’ll also be able to pick up 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB options in either Obsidian Black, Mercury Silver or as a Transparent Edition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi VP says under-display front camera tech is not ready yet

30 Jan

Over the last year or so we have seen some smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi and Oppo, experimenting with under-display front cameras. The technology could allow for the design of displays without a ‘notch’ or front camera ‘punch hole’ but also means that incoming light has to first travel through the display before it hits the camera lens.

The latter is a major challenges to overcome and a reason why, according to Xiaomi VP Lu Weibing, we should not expect the technology to arrive any time soon in a production device.

Currently the pixel-dense displays of modern smartphones block too much of the incoming light. Combined with the small image sensors deployed in most front cameras this means the imaging module’s light gathering capabilities are much more limited than on a more conventional camera, resulting in sub-par image quality.

Researchers and engineers are looking to develop technologies that allow for a combination of high pixel density and good light transmittance but are not quite there yet. Until the problem is solved there probably aren’t too many consumers willing to sacrifice front camera image quality for a more streamlined device design which is we’ll likely have to wait a little longer for the technology to make it into mass production.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi asks users which camera manufacturer it should collaborate with

28 Jan

Collaborations between smartphone camera manufacturers aren’t anything new. We’ve seen Leica labels on Huawei phones, the Zeiss logo on Sony and Nokia handsets and Motorola used to offer a Hasselblad-branded camera module for its Moto Z series. It’s often difficult to tell if the teamwork is mostly marketing-driven or actually happening on an engineering level but one thing is clear: smartphone manufacturers like the logo of a big-name camera brand on their devices.

Chinese company Xiaomi has so far (as far as we know) worked without the help of a big name in the camera business, but it appears this could be about to change. The company launched a survey on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, asking users which camera company it should collaborate with.

Image: Weibo

Options included Hasselblad, Canon and Nikon. The ‘vote’ was won by Hasselblad. There is, of course, no way of knowing if we’ll see a Xiaomi phone with Hasselblad-branded camera anytime soon but out of three camera manufacturers, it would be the most logical choice. It’s the only one with previous experience in the mobile business (through the Hasselblad True Zoom module) and has previously collaborated with other manufacturers in the camera category. In any case, we’d hope a company like Xiaomi does not base strategic business decisions solely on social media surveys.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi patent shows pop-up camera with up to seven lenses

18 Jan

Pop-up front cameras are an established design to avoid large bezels, ‘punch holes’ or notches on smartphone fronts. If Xiaomi’s latest patent filing is anything to go by the concept could soon be taken to another level, though.

The documentation which was recently authorized by CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) shows a pop-up camera that comes with a lot more camera/lens modules than anything we’ve seen up to now.

The patent includes three versions, with the most simple one featuring dual-cameras at front and back. The most advanced variant comes with a dual-cam at the front and five modules on the front.

To accommodate all this the pop-up mechanism is wider than on most other smartphones with pop-up cameras but still, image sensors would likely have to be smaller than on more conventional camera setups. As usual, there is no way of knowing if this patent will ever be turned into a final product but it’s good to see manufacturers looking at new ways of designing smartphone cameras.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi patent hints at future smartphone with pop-up selfie camera and 8K recording

08 Nov

A new patent belonging to Chinese company Xiaomi has surfaced revealing a new camera design that includes a pop-up selfie camera and a rear square zoom lens. The patent was first spotted by Dutch website Let’s Go Digital, which notes that the patent was recently registered by the Hague International Design System.

The Xiaomi patent covers a mobile phone that features a vertical array of cameras on the back of the handset; the top square lens is believed to possibly be a zoom lens, whereas the lower three circles potentially include another camera, an LED flash, and a third sensor of some type.

The pop-up illustration below shows how the company will handle offering a front-facing camera that doesn’t blemish the model’s bezel-less display.

The patent was granted on August 9, about a month before XDA Developers revealed the existence of a new Xiaomi smartphone featuring a camera with 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom. The discovery was made in the beta version of a Xiaomi software update, which itself came shortly before the official unveiling of its new Mi Note 10.

The Mi Note 10 features five cameras, including one with 50x digital zoom and one with 5x optical zoom. It’s unclear whether XDA’s discovery was ultimately pointing toward the Mi Note 10 or a future Xiaomi model, which may have been teased in the newly-published mobile phone patent.

The details uncovered in the software update indicated that the related Xiaomi phone would include 8K/30fps video recording capabilities. In that case, the combination of a newly granted patent and the beta software details make the case for there being another major Xiaomi smartphone in the pipeline, one that may be introduced in 2020.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with dual-tele and 108MP primary camera is official

06 Nov

Last week Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi teased the penta-camera setup in its Mi Note 10 flagship device. Now the smartphone has been officially released and more detailed specifications have become available.

As previously teased, the new device comes with five cameras on its back. The centerpiece is a large 1/1.33″ Quad-Bayer Samsung ISOCELL BRIGHT HMX sensor with 108MP nominal resolution that produces 27MP output files. It’s accompanied by not one but two tele-cameras for optimal performance along the zoom range. There are 2x 12MP tele and a 5x variant with 5MP sensor.

At the other end of the zoom spectrum a 20MP ultra-wide camera with a 16mm equivalent field of view is deployed and there is also a 2MP dedicated macro camera that can get as close to the subject as 15mm. A 32MP front camera with F2 aperture is hidden in a waterdrop cutout in the display.

On the software side of things the Mi Note 10 features a new version of Xiaomi’s Night mode that now stacks frames at Raw level rather then JPG for better results. Xiaomi also says this feature will be made available on the ultra-wide camera via a software update soon.

Other specifications include a 6.47-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a Snapdragon 730G chipset, 6 GB RAM and a non-expandable 128GB internal storage. The large 5,260 mAh battery features 30W fast-charging support.

In Europe the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 will set you back 549 Euros (approximately $ 608). There will also be a Pro version with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and an 8-element lens on the primary camera (vs 7 elements on the non-Pro) which will cost €649 (approximately $ 718).

The Mi Note 10 and Note 10 Pro are the international version of the China-only Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro and CC9 Pro Premium Edition which were announced yesterday. The China-market versions don’t come with Google services but everything else should be the same.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi teases Mi Note 10 penta-camera smartphone with Samsung’s new 108MP sensor

02 Nov

Xiaomi has officially teased its new Mi Note 10, an upcoming handset, first teased in early August, that packs Samsung’s 108MP camera sensor inside.

The Mi Note 10 is the first smartphone to offer a ‘penta camera,’ according to Xiaomi, which has also included a 12MP portrait camera and 5MP 50x zoom camera in the same module. The model also features two other cameras on the phone’s rear that are isolated from the other three sensors: a 20MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a tiny 2MP macro camera.

Xiaomi published an image (above) of the Mi Note 10 and its five cameras on Twitter this week, teasing the handset that will be detailed at an event later this month. The company has shared a couple of sample images captured with the 108MP camera on its Twitter account, as well:

Xiaomi also tweeted a brief video clip, indicating that it demonstrates the 5MP 50x zoom camera’s capabilities:

A pair of dual-LED flash modules are expected to accompany the five cameras. GMS Arena notes that the Mi Note 10 is a global version of the China-only Mi CC9 Pro model set to launch on November 5, which packs optical image stabilization for two of the cameras, as well as a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

Other official details about the handset are lacking at this time, but based on a previous leak, the Mi Note 10 may feature a 6.47in Full HD+ OLED display. Xiaomi will fully detail the CC9 Pro variant on November 5 and the Mi Note 10 will be fully introduced on November 14.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi might be developing a phone that can shoot 8K30p video

26 Sep
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha

The team at XDA Developers has dug deep into the source code of the camera app that comes with the latest Xiaomi MIUI 11 update and found an interesting detail: a string in the code indicates the app will support devices that are capable of recording 8K (7680×4320) video at 30 frames per second.

No current Xiaomi model can record video at such a high resolution which suggest the Chinese manufacturer could be working on a new 8K-enabled device. The recently announced Mi Mix Alpha concept phone, which comes with Samsung’s 108MP Bright HMX sensor, is limited to 6K at 30 fps. and the only currently available device that can record 8K footage, the Nubia Red Magic 3, is limited to 15 fps.

Battery drain and overheating could be potential problems for any phone recording such high-resolution footage. We’re looking forward to seeing how Xiaomi will be managing these issues in the finalized device if it ends up coming to market.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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