From
Send to

Flagship smartphones to compete over high-end cameras

Sept. 4, 2017 - 09:33 By Yonhap
Global tech giants are set to release flagship smartphones equipped with high-end cameras in the second half, industry watchers said Monday, with the technological focus switching to dual lenses instead of megapixels.

Industry watchers said key giants are set to release smartphones with dual-lens cameras, helping users take quality photos.

Samsung Electronics Co. showcased the Galaxy Note 8 last month, which marked its first flagship to introduce a dual-lens camera on the back. The Galaxy Note 8 has a wide-angle and telephoto lens, both with a resolution of 12 megapixels.

The South Korean tech giant, a latecomer to adopt dual-lens cameras on flagships, distinguished itself with the new Live Focus feature, which allows users to control the depth of field when taking photos. This feature can make it easy to blur out the background before and after a shot is taken that is useful in isolating the main subject of the photo.
 
(Yonhap)

US tech giant Apple Inc., which first showcased the dual-lens camera with the iPhone 7, also plans to apply the feature on its new iPhone.

The new iPhone, slated to be introduced later this month, is also widely expected to adopt 3-D facial-recognition, which allows users to easily unlock smartphones. The resolution for the new iPhone is estimated at 12 megapixels.

LG Electronics Inc. introduced the LG V30 with a dual-lens camera, with an aperture of F1.6. This represents the fastest lens set up among the flagship smartphones currently being sold in the market.

A lower f-stop number means the camera is capable of gathering more light, leading to improved low light capabilities, as well as the ability to blur out the background.

The LG V30 also adopted the Crystal Clear Lens, which permits users to capture more details compared with other plastic-based lenses. The resolution for the back-facing wide-angle and general camera stands at 13 megapixels and 16 megapixels, respectively.

"While smartphones initially focused on improving megapixels, the focus is moving towards editing software, such as the Optical Image Stabilization, and the dual-lens features," an industry insider said. "The companies are expected to compete over lens materials in the future." (Yonhap)