If you were to ask me what the hot smartphone trend of the moment is, I’d probably go with dual cameras. The OnePlus 5 just dropped and it has dual cameras, a setup that OnePlus has spent a heck of a lot of time talking about. We know the iPhone 7 Plus has dual cameras. Huawei phones have them now. So do LG’s. Future Motorola phones appear to be leaning that way. And of course, the Galaxy Note 8 should have 2 cameras on its backside.
I’m just wondering if any of you really care? We see this so often, where manufacturers try to latch onto what they believe to be the next big thing in order to be able to push new phones (3D, no headphone jack, ultra-thin bodies, etc.). Are dual cameras that next thing? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m still not drawn to the idea that my next phone has to have a dual camera setup. I have yet to see proof that this is something I need in my life. Smartphone cameras are already incredibly good as they are with just a single shooter. And don’t bring that weak ass portrait mode garbage.
What about you? Are dual cameras an important feature that could make or break a purchase decision?
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DSLRs with more room to fill and a higher budget only use one camera for a reason…
Its definitely not top of the list yet, but when i use a ‘real’ camera i tend to use way longer lenses, the wide-normal on phones is never that satisfying, it’d be nice to have a phone with a 50 or 85emm lens.
“We know the iPhone 7 Plus has dual cameras. Huawei phones have them now.”
More like “had them first”. I don’t know if it’s a gimmick, but I now that if these companies don’t try new stuff we’re gonna be using same phones in 10 years, just new processors and RAM. Who wants that?
In my opinion manufacturers should spend R & D on how to build actual optical zoom that would fit in a phone instead of gimmicks manipulating dual lenses. At best that gives you what 2x zoom?
“I have yet to see proof that this is something I need in my life.”
Pretty much how I still feel about Assistant.
Probably important for Ron. Otherwise he has nothing else to look forward to in new iphones.
Smartphones today are trying to compete with DSLRs. Thought DSLRs will always be a better option but with dual camera setup smartphone cameras can reach the next higher level.
Anything that gives me even slightly better picture quality is important to me. The convenience of using my phone for all pictures is coming with less and less compromise. Three cameras, four, bring it on.
I have the LG V20 and use the dual camera all the time. Being able to get wide shots is a huge benefit. Most often I use this for work, but it is also nice to have the ability for fun stuff too.
It’s all about the quality. If a single lens and sensor setup takes better photos than a dual setup then I’d prefer that.
If you questions this then you haven’t owned an iphone 7+. The cameras are what have kept me on this phone….though the os annoys the hell out of me.
I absolutely hate my 7 plus’s camera. I primarily used the HTC 10 and Mate 9 before making the 7 plus my daily driver. Those phones had much better cameras.
Wait for iOS 11…it makes 7+ camera into a class leader.
iOS 11 will SIGNIFICANTLY improve 7+ camera…esp Portrait.
I really think this depends on the implementation. The Mate 9, for instance, takes fantastic photos, regardless of depth of field gimmictry, in part because of the dedicated monochrome sensor to capture detail/light photo data, and using the smaller sensor for color info. I don’t think the LG or the OP5 follow this setup. Not saying that the Mate 9 is the best camera ever, but it may not be fair to group all dual cam setups together.
I had a dual camera on my M8. I barely ever used it, and ultimately found I preferred the better pixel-density on later models.
I had the M8. The M8 camera was horrible. And that phone is 3 years old now….can’t compare a 3 year old phones horrible camera to modern dual cameras.
Just take a good picture, phone. That is all.
I like the wide angle on the g6. And I thought I’d miss it going to the u11.. But I haven’t yet. Because the u11 is just that good. But if the u12 had similar I wouldn’t complain.
What pissed me off about HTC is that with the M8 they threaded with the idea of dual lenses and instead of building upon it they just scrapped the idea entirely. Sure, it wasn’t that good, but you start somewhere.
Depends how they are used. If it’s to have an “optical” zoom and help with portraits and stuff like that, then yes. Having a secondary camera to just help night shots with a monochromatic sensor, then “meh”.
Yes. Who wouldn’t want to do more with their expensive device?
The presence or lack of dual cameras is entirely irrelevant to me compared to the actual results when I take a picture and the range of capabilities that the phone camera or cameras allow. If having dual cameras allows for better pictures in a wider range of conditions with more options then having dual cameras is absolutely important to me. If a manufacturer can do the same thing with one camera then it’s not.
So to paraphrase whether I care, I only really care about the end result irrespective of the hardware or software that the manufacturers use to get there.
Future is that the dual camera will provide more information by fusing info from both sensors and getting bette pic Out of it. Information from two sensors is always better than one. It is just a matter of software getting it right. Apple is just touching the surface here as they have improved the “fusion” part of it with every update. IOS 11 will separate 7+ camera from everyone else.
I just don’t get the reason for needing 2 camera lenses TBH. My PXL takes great pictures already, I don’t take that many photos to begin with so 1 camera is fine with me. Just seems like it takes up a lot of space on the back of the phone for photos that can be taken just as well with a single lense.
this is the wrong question to ask…c’mon guys. no one cares about dual cameras. people care about taking/creating great pictures. it’s the same as people that say “3500mah battery or i’m not buying” (stupid).
Rather have one good camera than two mediocre ones. Plus, 2x zoom is rather useless as I can zoom with my feet.
Look… I generally shoot with prime lenses but “zoom with my feet” is a ridiculous argument. Moving yourself changes the perspective of the image. Changing the focal length changes the compression and the depth of field (which, admittedly, is a bit of a pointless argument with itsy bitsy sensors). See here: https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/exploring-how-focal-length-affects-images–photo-6508
Any kind of zooming changes the perspective and framing.
Zooming doesn’t change perspective.
It’s surprising to see the results of this poll with “yes” being the least chosen option with only 18% of the vote (as of the time I’m writing this, but with over 1,000 votes cast). Especially when other polls on this site consistently list the camera as one of the most important specs for a new camera purchase.
I have two DSLR cameras and 8 lenses – 5 of which are prime lenses, so it’s pretty safe to say that I find photographic performance important. (I pick up side-jobs as my day-job is as a pharmaceutical rep) I don’t take important pictures with my phone as the image quality is s**t compared to my cameras and lenses. Pure s**t. HOWEVER, the capability of my camera phone IS important. In fact, I’m leaning towards the iPhone 8 as my next phone, in part, because of the dual cameras. But, it’s not just dual cameras which are important to me, it’s the angle of view provided by those cameras. The typical angle of view of the camera on a smartphone would be classified as “wide angle” (it’s roughly 28-30 degrees). SOME manufacturers are providing this, plus an even WIDER angle of view. HOWEVER, MOST pictures taken in this world include people, and those angles of view do NOT flatter most people. You need a more narrow angle of view for that and that’s where the iPhone 7+ stands out. It has a roughly 50mm equivalent angle of view to it’s second camera which is considered a “normal” angle of view. In the “real camera” world, most portraits are taken with a 50, 85, 100-ish, 135, or 200mm lens. SOME are taken with 35mm lenses and a minuscule amount are taken with something wider than that. So personally, I believe that future smartphones would do well to have 3, 4, or even MORE cameras on them, offering varying angles of view and also a monochrome camera (or 2, or 3).
I feel like the focus (no pun intended) of promotional material is on the wrong specification most of the time. Manufacturers are talking about pixels (quantity and size) and aperture. What they SHOULD be talking about, and educating consumers about, is focal length (aka: angle of view). Selling someone a smartphone with 2 cameras in it, one wide and the other an ultra wide (generally a landscape angle of view) isn’t necessarily smart IF that person wants to take pictures of the people in their life. And THAT is where I think a lot of companies are failing, and Apple (and Asus, with the Zenfone 3 Zoom) is getting it right. The companies offering a 135 degree angle of view are, IMO, going past the point of utility and they’re, IMO, trying to steal customers away from the action cameras like GoPro and the like. The lenses in the DSLR world that offer that angle of view are specialty lenses that VERY FEW people actually buy. In fact, in the Canon ecosystem, one of their most recent landscape lenses is the EF 11-24mm f/4L and it costs $2700. Quite a few people have purchased it and then commented that they simply can’t produce compelling pictures with it at 11mm because it’s SOOOOO wide. And these are advanced amateur photographers and professionals who have shot landscapes for years, or even DECADES. Guess what? A 135mm angle of view is roughly equivalent to a 9mm lens – so EVEN WIDER (substantially, btw) than the 126 degree angle of view offered at 11mm on the 11-24 lens from Canon. So, it’s no surprise that many people who buy the G5 or the V20 aren’t enamored with it. It’s REALLY hard to create compelling images at such an angle of view. REALLY hard.
So again, I think smartphone manufacturers should put their energy towards phones with multiple cameras that offer the angles of view that would benefit more people. Here are my recommendations, in Full Frame DSLR equivalent focal lengths: 24, 28, 30, 35, 40, 50, 85, and 135. I think they should pick 2 or 3 of those, and go with it. I’d love to have a phone which had 28, 50, and 85. Because although I don’t take important pictures with my phone, I do recognize the utility of having varying focal lengths in a device that’s always on me and shares instantly. And because the image quality is already s**t, having to crop an already s**tty image to achieve the angle of view I want just makes the image even s**ttier. Solution? More angles of view without cropping!
Attached is an image I shot at a wedding this past weekend at 16mm which is about 106 degrees in terms of angle of view. An additional 30 degrees of wide angle coverage would be INSANE for a shot like this –
and it’s a pretty wide shot, as-is. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/21c1ffe8547dd3cb11c03e9ed8f3131245452fdcdbf4f83e1d5f109a3c2b9ac2.jpg
Holy wall of text.
Yeah, I get wordy. My bad.
Gimmicks will gimmick. Down with gimmickers! Where are me tall galoshes? Its raining cats and dogs, where are my dual cameras?
Yes, essential feature for me. I got hooked on the “aperture mode” on my P9, I often get DSLR-like shots with it, I really like it. Yes sometimes you need to retake the shot or tweak settings to get a better one, and sometimes edge detection fails, but overall it works quite well.
I didn’t care before but once you use one you will always want it.
Yes, and LG is the only company to get it right… I want multiple angles, not some silly fake blur. That is easy to do in post or I don’t know on a real camera if I want “pro look”.
It’s not a dealbreaker. But I must say I really appreciate the 2.3x optical zoom provided by the dual cameras of my Zenfone 3 Zoom.
I’d much rather have 1 really awesome camera than 2, but if I don’t have to choose, then yeah, sure, gimme a 2nd camera!
Yes.. but there is a few different type of uses for dual cameras… I only care for one. For example the early use of dual cameras was for 3d pictures… I could care less. On the lg phones… One lens is used for wide angle and one reg angle. I love this. Being able to get double the image without having to use that old school panarama mode (which semi sucked). Then you have iPhones dual camera on the 7 plus… Honestly I don’t even know what it does.. I think it’s just supposed to make the picture look better somehow. Again I don’t care for it. BUT my point being… The wide screen lens is really neat on my lg. I can hold my finger at least 2 inches off the side of my phone and my camera still sees it.
That boke effect tho
Sure, if the software makes (well executed) use of the dual lens
Shooting people close up with a wide angle smart phone lens makes their faces look ridiculous and distorted. If nothing else, the second camera can fix that problem by providing the correct focal length.
I thought the dual camera thing was dumb before I tried it. Now I like having that little extra zoom it gives me.
Just my two cents.
No not really. I value speed (shutter speed and focus speed), being able to take a decent shot with auto settings in any kind of lighting, and good dynamic range/colors.
Basically if I can whip out my camera and quickly capture a shot that looks good (at least as good as what I can see with my own eyes) I am happy.
Optical zoom from a secondary camera is the only good thing that dual cameras have going for them. There are many times when I can see something clearly but when I try to take a picture it feels like I am so much further away.
But that is it. All these other uses for secondary cameras do not interest me at all. Any company that focuses on these gimmicks when they haven’t nailed the basics of a good camera has failed at delivering a good camera. Not that the camera is the only important part of a smartphone – I’m still interested in the OP5 but just accept that the camera will be a selling point.
If you’ve used an iPhone 7+ in portait mode you’d say yes. If it’s not done the way Apple did it then I don’t care for it. I can’t wait for Samsung to do dual camera
Samsung dual camera (rumored) to be like Huawei setup. One black & white sensor and one normal. F/2.0.
I’m fine with the single camera on my pixel xl. The eis is good but I would’ve welcomed ois.
For me the holy grail is dual. The first being 1.7 16MP wide angle OIS. The second being 1.7 16mp 4x optical zoom OIS. Google Pixel, S8, or 7plus imaging software. It really makes your smartphone a great point at shoot for a lot of different occasions. If you need anything more, you need a high end point and shoot (RXMark 100 4 and up) or a mid range DSLR and up.
I’m waiting for the Triple Lenses.. Wide Angle, Standard and Zoom in the one phone 😛 😛
Voted Not Sure Yet because I don’t know anyone with a dual camera device to make comparisons with. I will say based on one of your G6 vids it look convenient to have, but I’ll just wait until I get the Note 8 to reply to your “Poll: Do You Use the Dual Camera Feature on Your Note 8?” poll.
Dual cameras only really interest me if they improve the quality of the pictures without making the picture taking process slower. If both cameras snap at once and the processor uses that to combine the images to create a much better picture then I am all for it. If it is just to allow taking black and white pics then I don’t see the need.
The telephoto lens on the iPhone is a great addition but I wouldn’t call it necessary
As yet, there hasn’t been a killer dual-camera setup that really justifies the inclusion. Faux bokeh “portrait” modes, such as those on the Mate 9, iPhone 7 Plus, and OnePlus 5, are sort of neat, but it doesn’t make me want to sacrifice single-sensor quality for it. The telephoto “zoom lens” thing isn’t compelling to me either. I like the enhanced clarity and sharpness that can come with an RGB + monochrome setup, but they are still not at the level of the Galaxy S8 and Pixel. I think LG’s setup is the best so far, as there’s a level of creative flexibility afforded by the wide-angle lens that other phones can’t match. Still though, while the G6’s camera is good, it’s not quite as well-rounded as the Galaxy S8, for example.
Maybe the Galaxy Note 8 will change this. Who knows?
Just get rid of this dual camera garbage and lower the prices.
I live the extra wide angle camera on my LG.
Personally camera quality on a Phone has always been decent to me. Because unless you want to prove something to someone then the camera quality is great when your just ‘snap-n-go’. Though what I do want to see is a fix to when people record vertically which still baffles me to this day. Is it that hard to turn the camera? So if dual cameras fixes that issue where no matter what you will always get a landscape shot then perfect. If not then I’ll save the extra $50 it’ll cost for dual cameras and move on.
I hardly use a single camera. Maybe a handful of pictures in a month. Why would I need two?
I’ve never owned or used a phone that has dual cameras but if it requires that I have to fiddle with the settings then I’d likely never use it. I think the trick is to make the features easy to use.
Not sure yet as on the G6 I LOVED the wide angle lens option, but I didn’t like how long the camera app takes to load up not to mention time it takes to switch between lenses as needed.
On a scale of 1 – 10?… That’s a Major, Major, Major…. NO!
Don’t care not one bit about dual cameras. Will probably never be a part of my buying decision ever.
My Nexus 6 can hardly run its SINGLE camera. Why would I want two?
I don’t see your logic my friend…
I haven’t owned a camera with rear facing dual cameras. I was using the LG V10 which had front facing cameras. It was nice to have that wider camera sometimes. I have yet to use it on the back of a phone for regular shots though. So we’ll see when I get a camera with two cameras on the back. I can’t really say that it’s a deal breaker.
LG’s implementation has been the best I think. That wide angle lens can be quite fun.
Galaxy S8+ does a portrait photo as good as an iPhone 7 plus with just one camera. So, no, dual cameras is not a big deal for me
Are you using selective focus? If so it’s crap compared to portrait mode on the 7, I had one and it’s the only thing I miss
I’ve had no problem with selective focus so far. I took a “portrait photo ” with the front facing camera and sent it to my friend who has an iPhone 7 plus. He thought I had bought an iPhone.
Not even one camera is that important to me. I like having a camera, but I dont actually care how good it is.
Optical zoom for landscape scenes would be ideal. Just not sure if a dual camera setup is the way to go on that.
I want to say yes, but honestly I am pretty content with the Pixel camera. And I have never said that with an android phone. But if they were making it dual cameras then they better not be sacrificing the current camera and still making upgrades. I’d be okay with that
Think that’s how I feel. If you are going dual camera, you better not be taking a couple of steps backwards while you fine tune it. It better be nothing but a major improvement.
I picked “Not sure yet.” It’s still very early with a real adoption of dual cameras and some great use cases. If I get a phone that doesn’t have one today, I would probably miss it after a few weeks when I go to use it and forget I don’t have that 2x zoom or something.
I’ll make my mind up after I see how the Note 8 with dual OIS does. So far I can’t imagine a better camera experience and performance than what my Pixel XL is capable of…
Maybe that’s what we need, is someone to do something crazy like dual OIS. Otherwise, it just seems like a gimmick right now.
Because it is a gimmick. Trust your instincts. Unless with those cameras combined I can see the surface of the moon… I don’t care.
I like the range on the iPhone 7. It isn’t as telephoto as Apple claims but having something you don’t need to use digital “zoom” (aka, cropping) for is nice. There are times where I don’t bring my mirrorless camera so having the option for a standard and then zoom is nice.
The second camera is always lower quality. If it was 2 cameras of equal quality and some additional feature like zoom or wide angle I might be interested .
I still think curved edges are a gimmick.
Still using 2015 quotes?
It’s still relevant cause they still exist.
Have you seen the difference between the ‘gimmicky’ curved edges from the S6-S8 in person?
Touched, used, and reviewed each one of them personally. Granted the Note 7 and S8 edge is better but still a gimmick. Have no value other than being pretty.
That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t use the Edge panels on my Note 7 & I don’t on my S7E. Like you said, the edge looked better on the Note 7 & looks better on the S8, so disable the edge features & you still have a very great display with no bezel, which to me is not a gimmick.
Very good, I’m glad you enjoy it. I’ve come across many S8 buyers who regret it. They just bought Samsung bc it’s what they know as “the Android option”. Samsung has great power.
Yea those are just folks who let the sales rep talk them into the device.
These were mostly folks who are sam-sheep. Always buy Samsung no matter what.
I see. I like Samsung phones, but I do check out the other manufactures to see if I could switch. I thought I was going to be able to switch to LG, but their camera is not as good IMO. Their IR blaster was top notch though.
On a scale of bad, decent, good, great…LG G6 cam is good at best. S8 is a great. Totally agree. Pixel is a great too. I will admit this, bc it dropped the physical home button, the S8 is the 2nd Samsung phone I’ve personally ever considered despite the edge. Galaxy Nexus was the first.
Very well said. I used the Galaxy Nexus as my work phone from Sprint for 2 weeks. It wasn’t bad at all. I was just so pro Motorola at the time. I really thought LG was catching up to Sammy but they seemed to drop the ball somewhere. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Pixel, but I personally don’t like its design & I’m not a fan of devices that only allow cloud based storage as a 2nd option. I’m holding out for the Note 8 to see what it’s gonna be like in person, but I’m also curious about the Pixel 2. It’s just a matter of being patient.
Not much different than the Nexus/Pixel no matter what crowd.
I think that the edge features/shortcuts are or atleast they’re unnecessary. As for the more narrow these phones are with the curved screen? Those who prefer that understandably won’t see it that way.
The edge is pretty, period. I use to get, and still can today, edge features on my Galaxy Nexus via XDA. Tried them. Never used them.
Agreed. All they’ve done is increase frustration and risk of damage to the screen.
I have given it a fair shake. I have had a Note7, S7E, and S8. Now I just disable all edge features. The most I used it for was a shortcut to call my spouse. I didn’t find it any faster than previous methods. I got way too many false positives as well where it thought I wanted to slide the edge panel.
What about typing? The keys that go over the edge get touched too often as well.
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dual cameras is a 100% MARKETING gimmick based on “2 cameras are better than 1 camera” assumption.
Not with the LG, one is a usual lens while the other is a wide angle lens! Need more options kellen 🙂
This. The next big wave of camera improvements won’t be optical, they will be technical. Computational photography is where its at. The Pixel is champion of all time!
Uh, the U11 dethroned that champion.
You’ll forgive me if I don’t take a DxOMark score as the be all end all.
You did when you got the Pixel last year.
No, it was after I bought it and used it regularly and saw the results. And the results of others using Pixel devices as well.
Look – the Pixels camera is great; this is common knowledge on most tech sites, including here, the Verge, Android Police and others. I don’t see the same people’s anecdotal raving about the U11’s camera.
Cool story.