Huawei has added a real camera with 10x optical zoom to its phone

Huawei has introduced an accessory with the new Mate 90 series that blurs the line between a smartphone and a classic camera. The Ruiying Z10 is not just a lens that you attach to the phone's existing camera, but a standalone camera module with its own sensor and optics. The housing houses a one-inch 50 MP image sensor with an RYYB (red-yellow-yellow-blue) filter arrangement, and in front of it is a lens with a focal range of 24 to 240 mm. This means a real 10x optical zoom, not just a digital crop. The aperture also changes, between f/2.0 and f/4.5. The module weighs about 346 grams, so the phone with it is no longer exactly a pocket device, but the whole set is still smaller than most mirrorless cameras with a larger zoom lens.

The Z10 attaches directly to the phone via a dedicated screw system, so no additional housing is required. It is compatible primarily with the more expensive Mate 90 Pro Max Collector's Edition and Mate 90 RS Ultimate Design models. Even without the additional module, the Mate 90 Pro Max has a very powerful photographic set. The main camera has a resolution of 50 MP and a variable aperture (f/1.4–f/4.0), the telephoto camera uses a 200-MP sensor, and an ultra-wide camera (40-MP) has been added. The Ruiying Z10 costs around 720 euros in China, but if it were sold in Europe, it would certainly be much more expensive. This is as much as the basic Mate 90 phone in China. Currently, Huawei has no plans to sell the Mate 90 series outside of China, so the photographic accessory will remain difficult to reach for European buyers, at least for now.