That is my favourite 2026 Android cellphone development; I hope it succeeds

One of many first issues I might pack for highway journeys was my trusty Nikon DSLR. I’ve captured some actually memorable moments with the package lens and 70-300mm zoom lens, however I all the time lamented simply how a lot house the latter required.

You may think about my pleasure when pioneering Chinese language companies began rolling out telephoto extenders that work with their digital camera telephones. The idea definitely appeared ridiculous, however now that I’ve used one for a number of months, it’s by far essentially the most thrilling Android cellphone development of the longer term.

For the uninitiated, a telephoto extender (additionally known as zoom lenses, telephoto converters, or teleconverters) is successfully an attachable lens that extends a digital camera cellphone’s efficient zoom vary. This enables a cellphone to achieve additional than it theoretically may with its customary built-in digital camera package. The machine I’ve been utilizing for a number of months now — the vivo X200 Extremely — mounts its extenal lens to its 200MP periscope digital camera to offer an efficient 200mm of zoom. That’s native zoom — no digital trickery is concerned, at the least not initially.

The idea isn’t precisely new — one among my favourite Samsung merchandise was the 2014 Galaxy Okay Zoom. Not like fashionable gadgets that help exterior telephoto extenders, it had a retractable lens, which gave it appreciable bulk and an totally foolish profile. Whereas I beloved the brashness of the idea, it’s honest to say that digital camera {hardware} wasn’t fairly as much as snuff again then.

Greater than a decade later, with telephones now often packing succesful sensors, vivo launched the X200 Extremely. The 2025 cellphone was one of many first business gadgets with a purpose-built teleconverter, and it kicked off a lens rush. The OPPO Discover X9 Professional adopted late final yr with its personal farther-reaching attachable lens, whereas vivo adopted up with the X300 Professional. There’s even a rumor that Apple is contemplating such an adjunct for the iPhone 18 sequence. There’s little doubt that telephoto extenders are scorching proper now, however they’re extra than simply hype — they’re sensible, possible, and massively rewarding for images.

Cellphone images is thrilling once more!

For the New 12 months break, I took a visit to an apple farm. It was a wonderful keep in a cottage surrounded by orchards, the scent of fallen pine needles, and the decision of a very noisy frequent buzzard. I’d usually have my digital camera dangling from my shoulder on these journeys, however I left it at dwelling — I used to be intent on utilizing the X200 Extremely for my weekend images.

So I grabbed it, mounted the lens, and pointed on the raptor. The outcomes communicate for themselves:

I may seize an in depth picture of this superb chicken sitting 20 meters away. This merely wouldn’t be potential, at the least not with this readability, on every other cellphone I’ve used earlier than. You may get pleasure from a number of different avian pals captured utilizing this method beneath.

With the elevated zoom vary (good as much as 400mm efficient vary, in my view), I’ve additionally been challenged to concentrate on framing as soon as once more once I’m not snapping singular topics. I’ve the attain to seize distance scenes, however that additionally means fixing extra fascinating issues with my eye. I beloved enjoying with gentle and faraway topics — topics I wouldn’t or couldn’t usually take into account. It’s been a splendidly refreshing feeling.

Past the outcomes, there are sensible advantages of this method over my DSLR. Whereas my Nikon is definitely succesful, the vivo X200 Extremely and its lens simply slot in my pocket. I don’t should fuss about lint in my pocket — the lens is nicely protected, and the sensor lies inside the cellphone. I’m continually involved with the odd grain of sand or speck of damaging mud infiltrating my DSLR’s housing.

And, because it’s a cellphone, I’ve entry to 2 different cameras virtually instantly. Twisting off the teleconverter and switching to the ultrawide lens, I can go from capturing a chicken perched on a faraway department to a broad shot of the valley unfolding forward of me. This versatility would in any other case require a big digital camera bag and house in my hatchback’s comparatively small boot. All of the cellphone system wants is a free pants pocket.

As smitten as I’m by the telephoto extender development, I’ll admit that it has an extended, lengthy record of snags and shortcomings corporations should cope with. Worst of all is the usability, which immediately impacts the standard of snaps.

vivo’s lens is cumbersome and heavy, so when it’s connected to a relatively balanced smartphone, it makes the system lopsided. It is a detriment when making an attempt to maintain the digital camera pegged on a topic at excessive zoom — the slightest motion or twitch can lurch the topic out of the body or smear the foreground. A cellphone with such a system lacks the soundness of a DSLR perched in opposition to your eye. Positive, the lens package does include a grip package and I’ve been utilizing the tripod help as handhold, however this presents its personal issues; I now have two further items of package I’d want to hold.

Then there’s the mounting system. I perceive that the X300 Professional largely solves this flaw with a sturdier case, however this can be a core downside with telephoto extenders. You might construct the mount onto the cellphone itself, however this makes it cumbersome for individuals who don’t use it. vivo’s answer is a case that homes the mount. Nonetheless, mounting the lens to it’s time-consuming and requires fiddly work when time is of the essence. The lens additionally wiggles round when it’s connected, which, whereas not affecting picture high quality, isn’t a reassuring feeling within the hand.

I’ve little doubt that these and different issues shall be ironed out in time. vivo’s software program processing actually must be taken down a number of notches, whereas the lens gives only a few taking pictures modes and no guide controls. The glass can be far too gradual, too delicate to the smallest of actions, and maybe doesn’t attain so far as it may to be actually helpful. Maybe 400mm can be a much better place to begin? That is definitely the course that OPPO appears to be heading.

Look, regardless of the quite a few issues, telephoto extenders are inherently fascinating to me. After we’ve seemingly maximized the out there house for zoom potential inside the cellphone’s physique, it’s a pure development within the zoom race to have a extra highly effective exterior lens that doesn’t face the identical house constraints. It seems like a foolish gimmick, and will probably be for many individuals, however the informal photographer in me can’t assist however get excited by this know-how. After utilizing the vivo X200 Extremely — which is now not the perfect instance of this answer — I noticed and felt the tangible advantages a reaching lens has on smartphone images.

Sure, there are kinks to iron out, and sure, this answer is expensive, however I hope the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google take into account introducing their very own options within the coming years. With machine costs set to spike within the close to future, it’s the right time for these corporations to innovate. The underlying know-how in these gadgets is so comparable that standout developments, like telephoto extenders, will be the actual difference-makers.