Motorola’s next flagship – the Moto X30 Pro – is shaping up to be an unorthodox entry into the flagship phone space, with official new camera details pointing to a system unlike anything we’ve seen on rival devices, including Apple, Samsung or Google.
Rumors surrounding the X30 Pro have been around since January (under the name ‘Motorola Frontier’), however more recently Motorola has been coming up with its own official teases of the device; giving us glimpses into the hardware the phone is set up to offer.
It was previously reported that – based on a spy shot provided by user Fenibook in weibo (opens in new tab) – the phone will have a massive 200MP sensor, installed in what resembles a camera module inspired by the Xiaomi 12/Vivo X60 Pro.
On a new post (opens in new tab) shared on the Chinese social network from Motorola’s official account on July 30th, we now know what focal lengths the phone’s three rear sensors should have and are… unexpected.
While the promise of three rear cameras is nothing out of the ordinary, the Moto X30 Pro forgoes the standard combination of main (wide), ultra wide and telephoto that most rear triple-lens phones offer, opting instead for a 35mm sensor. primary, paired with two 50mm and 85mm telephoto snappers.
While the zoom range isn’t particularly surprising, it’s Motorola’s move from an ultrawide camera to a dedicated portrait camera for that secondary lens that sets the system apart from the X30 Pro.
Motorola’s next flagship is set to launch in China in the coming weeks, with the possibility of heading west towards the UK, Europe and the US soon after.
Analysis: Advantage on Moto’s own terms
The trend of phones with multiple rear camera sensors started to pick up around 2017, with the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X alongside the Galaxy Note 8 being some of the first high-end handsets to adopt the feature.
As far as high-end handsets go, these days three sensor configurations almost always manifest as main, ultrawide, and telephoto. By straying from the status quo, Motorola has made the X30 Pro more complicated to directly compare to rivals with similar specs.
It also opens up an opportunity for the company to innovate and dominate in an area that is rarely the focus of most phone manufacturers’ camera efforts. Does the Moto X30 Pro have the stones to become the king of mobile portrait photography?
We’ll have to wait and see, but just by putting emphasis on that, the phone sends a message to the makers of the best camera phones out there that they can’t rest on their laurels any more.