Multiple smartphones with quadruple-camera setups are set to be released by the end of the year, established industry insider from China known only by their social media handle “Ice Universe” said Tuesday, without elaborating on the matter. The claim is in line with recent industry expectations regarding the direction in which the mobile photography as a whole is going. As manufacturers have been pushing the limits of individual camera sensors and lenses for numerous years now, multiple-camera setups are the only reliable method of delivering new advancements in the imaging field that doesn’t warrant an increase in thickness of contemporary smartphones.
Established French image benchmarking company DxOMark first predicted the trend in an interview with AndroidHeadlines this spring, citing echoes from the global imaging industry. Sensor and lens manufacturers are also pushing for mobile setups with three or more cameras to be commercialized in a highly aggressive manner so as to offset the loss of business they’re incurring due to the general decline in worldwide smartphone shipments. While the source of the latest rumor is best-known for Samsung-related leaks, the South Korean tech giant is extremely unlikely to even commercialize a triple-lens system until early 2019, with such a solution reportedly being under consideration for the top Galaxy S10 model meant to succeed this year’s Galaxy S9 Plus.
American startup Light recently promised its technology allowing for between five to nine lenses to be integrated into a smartphone will be commercialized before the end of the year, which may be what the China-based insider was referring to earlier today. Out of the major global OEMs, Huawei is the most likely name to attempt commercializing such a unique solution, having already set a precedent for mobile imaging innovation with the P20 Pro and its triple-camera system earlier this year. LG’s V40 is also rumored to feature three cameras on the back but the Seoul-based company is unlikely to deliver a device with a quadruple-lens mechanism until 2019.