Moment 58mm telephoto smartphone lens gets you closer, crisper

Moment is launching a revamped version of its telephoto lens for smartphones, cutting the price and bumping up the picture quality for iPhone and Android phone users. The new add-on offers up to 4x magnification, device-depending, and will work with recent smartphone flagships like Apple's iPhone X and iPhone XS Max, and Google's Pixel 3.

Unlike the original Moment telephoto lens, this new model has a 58mm focal length rather than 60mm. According to Moment, though, it's the sharpest option in the catalog, and the new focal length "is ideal for capturing faces in compelling and flattering compositions."

Exactly how much magnification you get will depend on your phone. The lens itself is a 2x zoom, or the equivalent of a traditional 100mm lens, when mounted to the normal camera on phones. If you use the 2x telephoto camera on a device like the iPhone XS, however, that works out to 4x telephoto, or a 200mm zoom lens equivalent.

The lens itself has six glass elements – again, another first for Moment – and a <1px lateral chromatic aberration at the edge. There's a multi-layer, low flare anti-reflection coating, too. It weighs just slightly north of 73 grams, or about 2.6 ounces.

It'll work with the company's new Photo Cases and Battery Photo Cases. However, it isn't compatible with the original mounting system that Moment first used. That means, if you have an Original Photo Case, you'll need to replace it in order to use this new telephoto.

Still, there are plenty of options regardless of who makes your phone. Moment has Photo Cases for Pixel, Galaxy, and iPhone, priced from $23.99 apiece. Its iPhone Battery Photo Case, meanwhile, is $99.99 and includes a dedicated shutter button and an integrated battery to add runtime to your Apple device.

The other notable change isn't an especially welcome one. Moment has nudged the price of the new telephoto lens up, increasing it by $10. It's now $99.99 and ships from today, though the company is actually offering a launch deal which brings it down to $79.99 for a limited period.