In recent years, Chinese Android makers have followed Vivo’s lead in launching add-on “teleconverter” lenses for their flagship phones to enable long-distance photography that phones alone can never match. Today, Huawei wowed everyone with the add-on lens for its Mate 90 Pro Max flagship, which is not only a weird giant zoom lens, but also includes its own image sensor.
The 1-inch type, 50-megapixel RYYB sensor in the Ruiying Z10 is larger than any in the phone itself, so attaching this lens doesn’t just give you better glass, it’s actually a complete renovation of the camera capabilities. And while other teleconverters have had fixed focal lengths until now, this is a true zoom lens that covers 24–240mm, with a variable aperture of f/2.0-f/4.5. This is almost a camera in itself, only using the phone for power, processing and software.
Impressively, Huawei also seems to have designed the lens to attach directly to compatible phones, rather than needing an intermediate case for a mounting point. The obvious downside to the Z10 is that it’s absolutely huge, even by teleconverter standards – you won’t fit this thing in your pocket. But at 346g, it’s still smaller and more portable than even most mirrorless cameras, and you’ll probably be able to take it to places where cameras aren’t allowed, like concerts and sports matches. Then there’s the price: at ¥5,999 (about $895), this is more expensive than some flagship phones.
Huawei says the Z10 is compatible with the collector’s edition of the Mate 90 Pro Max and its Mate 90 RS variant, the only two models in the new Mate 90 series with the screw mounting around the camera island. They have impressive cameras in their own right, with a f / 1.4-f / 4.0, 50-megapixel, variable aperture main camera with a 1.1.28-inch-type sensor; a 200-megapixel 4x periscope telephoto with the same size sensor; and a 40-megapixel ultrawide. The 6.9-inch OLED display can reach 12,000 nits of peak brightness, and it is powered by a 6,800mAh battery and Huawei’s own Kirin 9050 Pro chip. The Mate 90 and Mate 90 Pro are both slightly smaller, with streamlined specs across the board.
Update, October 1: Added to the Z10 price.