Dual or even triple cameras are sometimes advertised as a selling point for budget smartphones, despite the fact that two of the cameras are essentially worthless. In spite of this, WorldlyNation predicts that “growth momentum in mobile phone camera module sales in 2022 will come mostly from increasing numbers of low-pixel cameras triggered by the three-camera design.”
There has been a surge in the number of cameras included in smartphones over the previous five years, with one manufacturer providing five cameras in their handset. By 2022, most mid-range Android phones will have three cameras, just one of which will be of any use.
It’s common knowledge at this point that the 2MP macro and depth sensors found on most current smartphones are completely worthless. Unfortunately, though, they will not be going away any time soon.
It’s no secret that mobile phone manufacturers can get far higher quality camera results with a high-resolution primary camera than they can with a secondary or tertiary camera with lower specs. It’s also less expensive than including a slew of high-resolution cameras on a flagship device. Smartphone manufacturers will continue to opt for a high-megapixel primary camera alongside two 2MP sensors to keep hardware prices down while yet delivering a large number of cameras.
In 2018, it is expected that more than 40 percent of all shipments will be of the three-camera module configuration. According to Trendforce, “entry-level models are the most likely to see a decline in the number of goods with dual-cameras or less.
However, some premium smartphone models may adopt a four-camera design to differentiate their characteristics.
From here on out, more and more smartphones will include triple and quad camera setups with largely pointless auxiliary cameras. Now, the only major smartphones to use a dual-camera system (primary and ultrawide) are the future non-Pro iPhone 14 models, the Pixel 6a, and the Pixel 7. Manufacturers of mid-range and budget Android handsets will often stick with 2MP cameras for the foreseeable future.
Note that these processors will improve the 2MP cameras found in budget phones, but don’t count on them either.
Mobile photography isn’t all hype, though. Brands of smartphones are still competing with one another in terms of physical specs, but they are now investing in software optimization for things like dynamic photography, night photography, and more.
The outcome is an increase in the number of smartphone makers investing in semiconductor fabrication to boost the quality of picture processing. For instance, the cameras in Vivo’s premium phones are enhanced by a V1+ processor. Note that these processors will improve the 2MP cameras found in budget phones, but can you really count on them?
