LG continues to work on solutions for smartphones, even though the company is no longer making them. One such solution is a new optical zoom lens module that will enable lossless optical zoom from 4x to 9x, which LG plans to unveil at CES 2023.
The Optical Telephoto Zoom Camera Module is designed to integrate telephoto camera functionality, typically found in professional cameras like DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, into micro components developed for smartphones.
Telephoto zoom in smartphone cameras is not a new concept, but its ability to switch seamlessly between 4x and 9x telephoto zoom sets this LG module apart. Other smartphone cameras, such as the iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, have fixed telephoto magnification and switch to digital telephoto when the setting changes, resulting in a significant drop in image quality.
Optical zoom lenses are common in digital cameras, but it is challenging to fit them into the small size of a smartphone. However, LG has managed to achieve this by keeping the module’s thickness to a minimum through a new lens design and a change in the module’s structure.
The company has also partnered with Qualcomm to incorporate the module into the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor application, allowing smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors to use LG Innotek lenses for clear telephoto shooting.
LG Innotek aims for the camera module to solidify the world’s No. 1 position in the smartphone camera module market. The company’s largest customer is Apple, and rumours suggest that the upcoming iPhone 15 may feature a periscope optical telephoto lens. It is unclear whether LG’s camera module will be used in the iPhone 15, but the company seems to be positioning itself for further success in the field of camera solutions for smartphones in 2023.
