Phones with dual back cameras, historically, never did terribly well. The HTC One M8 is the most recent flagship to have sported the feature and, despite various camera features like refocusing and bokeh effects, it was not considered a huge success. The more recent LG V10 features dual front cameras for depth sensing, focus and other features, but the dual cameras are not a headline feature of the device. If leaks and reports thus far are to be believed, however, dual cameras are on the verge of making a comeback, whether anybody wants them or not.
Leaked photos of the upcoming LG G5, as well as photos of a case for it, seem to show a dual camera module on the back. Bringing this arguably failed feature back in a flagship device seems like a bold move on LG’s part, but with the megapixel war nearing its end, dual cameras and the features they can bring may be the next big wave in mobile camera tech. The applications in virtual reality and augmented reality are fairly far-reaching, such as enhanced depth in AR applications and obstacle sensing in VR operations. It would seem that LG is not the only company to realize this, however, as tons of manufacturers are beginning to make dual camera modules again. MCNEX, Namuga and Samsung, among others, are all going to be mass-producing dual camera modules for use in smartphones this year.
New features should come of dual cameras and increased resolution, which might just prevent a repeat of the last time this tech came to the forefront of the mobile world. Iris scanning, 3D shots, wider shooting angles, quicker focus, clearer shots and post-production focusing and editing are just a few possible new features that dual cameras should bring. Thus far, however, major players have yet to announce anything particularly special with dual camera technology. If dual camera tech takes off, features such as the full perspective shooting available in Google’s Project Tango may come to mainstream smartphones before long. No word has come up just yet as to whether dual camera setups will affect the prices of upcoming handsets.