LG has ceased producing smartphones, but the company and its various sub-brands continue to produce components for other smartphone manufacturers. LG Innotek has announced a new optical zoom module for smartphones that can switch between two points in advance of CES 2023.
The LG Innotek Optical Telephoto Zoom Camera Module, which will go on sale at CES, is a long name for a really exciting piece of equipment for a future smartphone. With this new module, a camera sensor can be used to take optical photos or videos with varying levels of zoom.
Smartphones with optical zoom are not new. For example, the Pixel 7 Pro has an optical zoom 5x telephoto lens, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 3x and 10x telephoto lens from Samsung. However, the issue with these configurations is that, outside of those specific locations, zoom becomes a hybrid of digital zoom and the optical performance of the lens.
The new optical zoom module from LG can move between a 4x and a 9x optical zoom, which is something we haven’t seen much of in smartphones but is common in traditional cameras. There have been endeavors, including Samsung’s more established cell phones that essentially had a simple to use tied to the back, as well as certain endeavors from Oppo and others. However, LG’s solution appears particularly intriguing.
By avoiding digital zoom, LG claims in a press release that this method will save “more space inside the phone” while “maintaining the high image quality” of the sensor.
Lastly, LG has likewise cooperated with Qualcomm to carry support for this new module to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and prods more at CES 2023 one week from now.
