LG’s new optical zoom camera for smartphones can adjust between 4x and 9x

Ben Schoon | Dec 27 2022 - 2:41 pm PT

LG is done with making smartphones, but the company and its various sub-brands are still working on components for other smartphone makers. Ahead of CES 2023, LG Innotek has announced a new optical zoom module for smartphones that can shift between two points.

Launching at CES, the “Optical Telephoto Zoom Camera Module” from LG Innotek is a long name for what is honestly a pretty exciting piece of gear for future smartphone. This new module allows for a camera sensor to be used for optical photo or video capture with zoom that adjusts between different levels.

Having optical zoom on a smartphone is nothing new. The Pixel 7 Pro, for instance, has a 5x telephoto lens with optical zoom, and Samsung employs both 3x and 10x telephoto lens on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. But the problem with these setups tends to be that outside of those exact spots, zoom becomes a hybrid of the optical performance of that lens in conjunction with digital zoom.

LG’s new optical zoom module is designed to move between 4x and 9x optical zoom, something common in traditional cameras that we’ve not really seen in smartphones. There have been attempts, including Samsung’s older smartphones that basically had a point-and-shoot strapped to the back, as well as some attempts from Oppo and others. But LG’s solution looks especially interesting.

In a press release, LG claims that this approach will make for “more space inside the phone” while “maintaining the high image quality” of the sensor by avoiding digital zoom. LG has also partnered with Qualcomm to bring support for this new module to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and teases more at CES 2023 next week.