Samsung hints at modular phone with attachable accessories

Could future smartphones be more DIY?

While we can only speculate what future smartphones will look like or what new features they will include, more companies seem to be working around the concept of introducing interchangeable components to their devices.

A recent patent reveals that Samsung might be working on a modular smartphone design with an assemblable lens and other accessories.

Samsung’s future phone could consist of the device body, lens assembly unit, image sensor, and motor or actuator, needed to be able to zoom in and out as well as align the picture.

A detachable lens would work by attaching the lens assembly (which is a separate component) to the phone.

A user would be able to move the lens for stabilization or autofocus with the help of an actuator.

It’s been reported that the lens assembly isn’t the only accessory attachable to the device. Accessories such as an additional display, battery, flash, compass, or watch can also be attached, reports 91mobiles.

As with a number of patents, the document doesn’t confirm whether these changes will be implemented in future devices.

Nevertheless, the concept of a detachable camera lens is already being developed and introduced by a few companies.

For example, Xiaomi has been working on the detachable lens concept, which it presented as a magnetic lens system during this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Tusk, an audiovisual production company, also introduced the Cinema Series, a commercial-grade mobile lens and filter kit for iPhone users.