Innovative Huawei seeks patent on a periscope lens replacement that keeps phones looking thin
Just last week Huawei unveiled its new foldable, the Huawei Pura X. While it looks like a clamshell that opens from the bottom up, the Pura X opens from the side. With a square-like form factor, the phone fits better in your hand. The screen also has an unusual 16:10 aspect ratio as opposed to the typical taller and thinner 22:7 ratio used on most clamshell phones. Huawei continues to innovate despite the sanctions placed against the company by the United States and other countries.
Last week Huawei also filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled "Electronic Device With Movable Lifting Component." The aim here is to create a rear camera that delivers improved zoom performance by increasing the range of the telephoto lens. While this can be done using prisms and mirrors to create a "periscope lens," the use of such technology often results in a thicker phone which goes against the new conventional thinking of phone manufacturers looking to keep phones as thin as possible.
Another option, and the one discussed in Huawei's patent application, is to use a driving motor to move the camera assembly closer or farther away from the image sensor. This allows the phone to offer longer-range zoom images without hurting the quality of the images. When not needed, the lifting mechanism and camera assembly are hidden inside the body of the phone allowing the device to keep a thin profile.
The patent application also mentions the possibility of offering a variation of the feature that would allow the user to manually control the lifting mechanism and distance the lens is moved away from the image sensor by using a rotating ring. While using a mechanical system like this instead of a periscope lens can keep a phone looking svelte, it also could be less expensive for the manufacturer to employ as opposed to the costs required to build a periscope lens.
The illustrations in the patent application reveal a squarer design from Huawei which includes more rounded-off corners with straighter edges similar to what Samsung did with the Galaxy S25 Ultra this year. We should point out that the patent was first spotted by Seasonality Chart in collaboration with XLeaks7.
Popular stories
Latest News
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: