Is Canon getting into the smartphone game? This new patent application has raised the possibility
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Credit: James Artaius
Patent applications are always worth keeping an eye on for a hint of what might be coming down the pipeline from major manufacturers – and Canon has just filed an interesting one.
Patent JP 2026-132879 (P2026-132879A), just published by the Japanese Patent Office and reported by Japanese news outlet Asobinet , was filed by Canon and includes multiple lenses with a diffractive optical system that are designed for use with very small sensors – the kinds of sensors that are used in camera phones .
The three lenses themselves are listed as having focal lengths of 5.53mm, 6.79mm and 8.70mm, which on a smartphone sensor would work out to equivalent focal lengths of 45mm, 55mm and 70mm. The listed f-numbers for the three lenses are f/2.5, f/2.7 and f/2.9 respectively.
Diagrams of the 55mm and 45mm lenses | Credit: Canon / Japanese Patent Office
Naturally, patenting the lenses could mean any number of things. Personally I doubt that Canon is about to start producing its own smartphones, but it could be that the manufacturer is planning on releasing standalone lens attachments for smartphones.
Alternatively – and personally I think this is most likely – it could be that Canon is partnering up with a smartphone manufacturer to lend its tech to a handset's camera module, the way that Leica does with Xiaomi phones like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Hasselblad does with the Oppo Find X9 Ultra .
Our own Gareth Bevan described the Oppo in particular as one of the best camera systems he had ever used on a phone.
Canon's 70mm f/2.8 equivalent smartphone lens | Credit: Canon / Japanese Patent Office
I'd definitely be excited to see a smartphone come equipped with Canon camera tech – particularly if Canon's excellent color science also arrived as part of the package!
Like many tech companies, Canon files patent applications all the time – indeed, it has actually been the Japanese company that files the most patents for more than two decades – and many of them never become released products.
Nevertheless, I'll be keeping an eye on this one and will be interested to see whether anything more comes of it – after all, Canon has time and again shown itself to be a manufacturer that isn't afraid to take risks and try new things.
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Check out our roundups of the best Canon cameras and the best camera phones – and who knows, maybe one day soon we will see some crossover between the two?
