The popular phone manufacturer Xiaomi debuted an all-new modular phone concept at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 this week, and it looks quite impressive. This new phone has a magnetic array on the back, similar to MagSafe, but the focus is on photography enthusiasts.

The Xiaomi Modular Optical System (MOS) shown at MWC 2025 reminds me of the old Samsung Galaxy Camera, only built for modern times. The project is only a concept for now, but knowing Xiaomi, it could end up becoming a real product. This flagship Android phone has a ring of magnets on the back, but instead of attaching to cases or wireless chargers, it’s for a modular optical camera lens system. Wild, right?

For those unaware, Xiaomi is no stranger to building flagship smartphones with cutting-edge cameras. Its all-new Xiaomi 15 Ultra is more camera than phone, and it’s not the first from the company.

So, what is this MOS all about? The modular camera system uses a custom camera module that houses the sensor, lens, and everything else, making it super simple to use. Snap the modular optical lens of choice on the back of the phone, fire up the camera app, select the rear magnetically mounted lens, and start snapping photos or videos like a pro. There’s no need for pairing, charging, or transferring data. The MOS does everything for you.

Xiaomi’s lens array at MWC features a unique 100-megapixel Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) sensor paired with a 35mm f/1.4 all-aspherical glass lens. Xiaomi says it managed to reduce the height and weight of traditional lenses, making it ideal for a compact smartphone. As expected, you’ll be able to take advantage of a physical focus ring like any photography enthusiast would expect, and there’s a built-in precision autofocus motor. This is the only lens being shown off thus far, but if this concept ever becomes a reality, we’d expect other options to follow suit.

According to Xiaomi, this phone “pushes the boundaries of optical engineering, and Xiaomi is relentlessly exploring innovative ways to perfect mobile photography.”

More importantly, the photos are instantly available on the phone’s internal storage, letting photography pros ditch SD cards and dongles. I know what you’re thinking—the magnet supplies power and such, but how do the images go from the camera lens to the phone’s internal storage? That’s where the magic happens with this concept phone.

Xiaomi is using what it calls proprietary LaserLink communication technology. Yes, lasers connect the camera module to the phone using a blazing-fast 10Gbps optical connection. As a result, data transfer of photos and videos happens in near real-time, letting you snap photos and then edit or share them right from the phone. Everything is seamless, simple, and fast.

Then, like every smartphone these days, image processing is handled by on-device software and large-scale models, which helps improve the results. The company did say the lens system and its on-device ISP help it deliver computational prowess unachievable with regular phone cameras. For example, it could theoretically shoot in UltraRAW with 16 stops of dynamic range. Image results from the announcement video on YouTube were quite promising.

Unfortunately, Xiaomi didn’t sound very enthusiastic about bringing the product to market. However, it is open to the idea and hopes to gain insight and actionable customer feedback from the concept.

Source: Xiaomi