The upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix phone model will include a liquid lens camera. The company announced this yesterday in posts on the Weibo platform . As the name suggests, a lens includes a layer of fluid, and the focus and focal length of the lens are altered by applying an electrical voltage. Xiaomi claims that the lens enables the camera to take almost any picture, from telephoto to macro photography, and also provides fast autofocus. The phone will be unveiled on March 29th.
Liquid lenses have been on the market for several years, however they are commonly used in industrial applications where traditional lenses with moving mechanical parts can wear out too quickly. Their compact size and versatility make them especially attractive for smartphones. In theory, a single liquid lens camera could combine multiple cameras found on the back of most flagship smartphones.
In addition to Xiaomi, there were rumors last year that Huawei was also investigating the possibility of using this technology in its smartphones.
The liquid lenses are suitable for Xiaomi's Mi Mix line, where there have been several rather experimental designs over the years. In 2018, the Mi Mix 3 was one of the first phones to feature a mechanical pop-up camera for selfies, and the following year, the Mi Mix Alpha came out with a screen that covered almost the entire device.