LG is no longer a smartphone manufacturer, but the South Koreans want to push the smartphone market forward in 2023. At the CES, they presented a telephoto zoom module for smartphones that, unlike conventional smartphone telephotos, is not a fixed focal length, but continuously optically zooms over a specific focal length range. When asked at the trade fair, the company did not name customers who will use the module, but did provide information.
LG Innotek speaks of a 4x to 9x zoom, but does not provide any information on the focal length range that the zoom lens covers. A typical smartphone main camera with a focal length of 24 millimeters in KB equivalent would result in a zoom range of 96 to 216 millimeters. This roughly corresponds to the picture angle range of 25° to 12°, which a technician at the LG Innotek booth gave us. The advantage of a zoom instead of several fixed focal lengths: fewer cameras are needed, and the lossy digital zoom is also eliminated. However, a zoom lens is more complex, which is why almost all manufacturers have so far resorted to more robust fixed focal lengths. Oppo had already announced a smartphone with a zoom lens in 2021, but the announcement stayed the same. With the Xperia 1 IV, only Sony has a smartphone in its range that is equipped with an optical zoom. However, the zoom range of 85 to 125 millimeters is smaller than that of the LG module. What both have in common is the rather high initial focal length. The manufacturers will also have to install additional wide-angle main cameras and ultra-wide angles if they use the LG solution.
Cooperation with Qualcomm
The zoom module consists of seven lenses in three groups. It lies across the smartphone because there would be no space for it standing up in the flat smartphone housing. A prism directs the light around the corner before it hits the 1/2.93″ sensor. This is a decent size for a smartphone telephoto sensor, the Sony zoom is equipped with a 1/3.5″ sensor equipped. Like the Sony camera, the LG’s has a resolution of 12 megapixels. The aperture narrows from f/2.9 at the widest angle to f/4.9 at 9x zoom. According to LG, the optically stabilized zoom lens moves the lenses in small steps of 1 µm.
LG did not name any smartphone manufacturers that will use the zoom lens. However, the reference to the cooperation with chip manufacturer Qualcomm leads to the conclusion that it could be used in some high-end androids. Because according to LG, the zoom lens works particularly well with smartphones that are equipped with Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Qualcomm made software adjustments to improve autofocus, white balance and exposure.
(rbr)
