Xiaomi has launched its new mobile phone Mi Mix Fold. A foldable phone that in many ways is interesting for those who are interested in mobile, but for photographers it has a function that is a little especially exciting. It has a lens element that is liquid. So made of liquid.
It is the first phone with this type of lens element. The technology itself is not new but has existed in various industrial applications before.
To adjust the optical properties, current is conducted through the liquid and then the shape and thus its optical properties change. According to Xiaomi, this should enable them to reduce the number of cameras on their phones in the future, as the floating lens can expand the optical possibilities of a camera. In the new Mi Mix Folk, it provides three times the optical zoom and a close range of three centimeters. But if Xiaomi has succeeded with the technology and it is developed in the future, we can probably see several manufacturers take this step as it reduces the space that the optics require, something that is desirable in mobile phones where space is limited.
k
Different optical technologies are constantly evolving, a year ago we wrote about how a research team at the University of Utah in the USA managed to develop a prototype of a flat lens that is ten times thinner than a hair. The lens does not need to focus and still provides an extremely long depth of field. Something that could be useful for sensors in self-driving cars and the like.
–
