Telephoto cameras with an optical zoom are popular options for smartphones with multi-camera layouts, and now Samsung is readying mass production of a new telephoto sensor.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is ready to begin mass production on a 5x optical zoom camera this month. A report from ETNews (via SamMobile) notes that the module is 5mm thick, making it slimmer than typical 2x optical zoom cameras that are around 6mm thick. This means that it may not protrude from the back of a device.

This 5x optical zoom camera uses sensors and lenses that are arranged horizontally rather than vertically like in other optical zoom camera modules. This enabled Samsung to reduce the thickness of the module.

There's no word on when we might see this 5x optical zoom camera in a Samsung smartphone, but the Galaxy Note 10 that's expected to launch this fall is probably a good bet. The Galaxy Note 9 includes a 2x optical zoom, so packing this 5x optical zoom camera into the Note 10 would make for a nice upgrade.