Are Smartphones With Multiple Cameras Over The Top?

While the global smartphone market is said to be slowing down, smartphone makers are doing their best to come up with new hardware features in hopes of attracting more consumers. One of which is the inclusion of multiple camera lenses, which appear to be too gimmicky or over the top.

Smartphone camera technology has been rapidly evolving since last year. This 2019, it’s bound to reach greater heights with new handsets debuting with more lenses. In particular, HMD Global is preparing a phone with seven cameras all in all: two up front and five at the back.

Renowned Twitter leaker Evan Blass and MySmartPrice recently shared images and videos showcasing the upcoming Android One phone that’s currently dubbed the Nokia 9 PureView. From the looks of things, the rear lenses of the device have this spider-like configuration, according to Engadget.

There’s currently no official information on how the rear cameras work or what software tricks and features they sport, but it’s clear that HMD is taking cues from the original PureView devices like the Lumia 1020. Thus, the five lenses could work together in capturing more details for every photo.

With more lenses onboard, the Nokia 9 PureView could easily attract photography enthusiasts. Android Police believes that at this point the inclusion of five rear cameras is more of a marketing gimmick than just coming up with an advanced camera module for higher-quality photos.

So far, HMD seems to be the only one working on a seven-camera handset. But Samsung Electronics is trailing right behind it with a rumored six-lens smartphone, believed to be the Galaxy S10 Plus variant of the upcoming Galaxy S10 series. Renders shared by @OnLeaks (via 91mobiles) seemingly showed the handset sporting four rear lenses and two front snappers.

The South Korean giant is also the first one to debut a phone with four camera lenses. The Galaxy A9 is a mid-range handset with an array of four distinct back lenses and a lone selfie shooter. The rear camera module comprises a 24-megapixel primary lens with Phase Detection Auto Focus, an 8-megapixel ultrawide secondary lens, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and a 5-megapixel lens with depth sensor.

It’s not surprising why smartphone makers are trying hard to advance their camera technologies. Considering that more consumers are using their smartphones to document and capture special moments on a regular basis, manufacturers are inclined to come up with smartphone photography technology that could challenge professional DSLR cameras in some aspects.

As of late, smartphone camera technology is far from becoming up to par with DSLR cameras. But given the leaps and bounds of the former in recent years, it’s highly likely for smartphone cameras to be just as good as high-end cameras in 10 years time, according to TechRadar.

For now, multi-lens smartphones may seem over the top. But it’s actually a stepping stone toward a future where smartphones could easily rival DLSR or mirrorless cameras.