I tried the Xiaomi attachable lens that turns your phone into a proper mirrorless camera

In the last moments of its key note presentation ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Xiaomi revealed an intriguing concept. A separate lens unit that attaches to the back of your phone, giving you a proper digital camera experience.

Sony tried something similar with its QX100 and QX10 back in 2013/14 but there are a few features on this idea that could make it even more successful. I got exclusive access to try the Xiaomi Modular Optical System concept and was really impressed with how it works.

Firstly, the lens attaches to the phone magnetically. It was attached to a special version of the new Xiaomi 15 handset, which had a guiding ring mark for the magnets as well as two small connector pins for power. Once attached, you can access the lens from the Pro section of the camera mode.

The first thing you notice is the manual focus ring on the lens, which offers smooth adjustment. It's electronically connected, so you don't get that true manual adjustment but it's similar to most budget DSLR or mirrorless camera lenses.

Then there's that large front element. The concept model I was shown was a 35mm f/1.4 lens but there could be multiple lens types available. What is really impressive is that you can see the physical aperture here as you adjust it, and it stops right now to f/11 for greater depth of field.

You notice the quality of the images from this lens, even from the preview on the phone, and it's bound to be a noticeable step up even from the higher-end cameras on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

What I'd really love to see is for Xiaomi to continue its relationship with Leica into this modular system and offer a way to connect Leica M-mount optics, with a form of adapter. That's where this system could get really interesting.