An image depicting what’s said to be the camera setup of the upcoming Huawei P20 Plus leaked online on Wednesday, providing a close-up look at what’s widely expected to be the first triple-sensor imaging system implemented into a mainstream smartphone. The camera module of the device appears to protrude from its case to a degree and consists of three vertically arranged cameras, as well as one additional sensor whose purpose remains unclear. One of the three lenses seen in the image above seems to be of the wide-angle variety, whereas the entire system was likely designed and optimized by Leica. Huawei has been collaborating with the German optics company for numerous years now and has already hinted at the possibility that their partnership will continue for the foreseeable future, at least as far as high-end devices such as the P20 series are concerned.
A dual-LED (dual-tone) flash unit also appears to be part of the newly leaked package, sitting above all of the device’s sensors near the top left corner of its rear panel. If Huawei’s previous handsets are any indication, one of the two main cameras of the P20 Plus may be equipped with a monochrome sensor, whereas the other one could be exclusively tasked with capturing colors. A number of the company’s older Android flagships used such a setup blending the two images produced by the sensors together in order to improve their low-light performance while still retaining a high level of color accuracy. It’s presently unclear how the third camera will ennoble that formula and if it will even be capable of performing simultaneously with the other two. Alternatively, Huawei may have simply opted for including a telephoto lens that can be operated independently of the other two.
The P20 and P20 Plus were originally expected to be announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress but Huawei is said to have pushed their announcements to March 27 so as to avoid a scenario in which it has to fight for the spotlight with Samsung that’s set to debut its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus this Sunday. The successors to the P10 lineup are expected to be released on a global level by early May.