Huawei builds a dedicated camera module with its own sensor for its latest flagship

In recent years, several Chinese Android phone makers have followed Vivo's lead by offering attachable teleconverter lenses for their flagship devices, improving long-distance photography beyond what the phones could manage alone. Huawei has now taken this a step further, creating an add-on lens for its Mate 90 Pro Max flagship that is not only unusually large, but also contains its own sensor.

The Ruiying Z10 module houses a 1-inch-type, 50-megapixel RYYB sensor that is larger than anything found inside the phone itself. This means attaching the lens doesn't just provide better optics — it represents a complete overhaul of the phone's camera capabilities. Unlike previous teleconverters from other brands, which have had fixed focal lengths, this is a genuine zoom lens covering 24-240mm with a variable aperture of f/2.0-f/4.5. It functions almost like a standalone camera, relying on the phone only for power, processing, and software.

Large but portable

Huawei has designed the lens to attach directly to compatible phones, without needing an intermediary case for mounting. The main drawback is its sheer size — even by teleconverter standards, it is notably bulky and won't fit in a pocket. Still, at 346 grams, it remains lighter and more portable than most mirrorless cameras, and could potentially be carried into venues where regular cameras are banned, such as concerts and sporting events.

The Z10 is compatible only with the collector's edition of the Mate 90 Pro Max and its Mate 90 RS variant — the only two models in the Mate 90 lineup featuring the screw-mount around the camera island. These models already come with impressive cameras of their own: a 50-megapixel main camera with variable aperture of f/1.4-f/4.0, a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto with 4x zoom, and a 40-megapixel ultrawide camera. The 6.9-inch OLED display reaches a peak brightness of 12,000 nits, powered by a 6,800mAh battery and Huawei's own Kirin 9050 Pro chip. The standard Mate 90 and Mate 90 Pro are slightly smaller with more streamlined specifications.