14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung, LG and other major mobile phone vendors are looking for ways to improve camera technology while keeping their smartphones thin enough.
LG V10 is one of the most recent smartphones to feature a dual-camera setup, but Samsung plans to introduce multiple high-end devices with the same camera configuration later this year.
We reported last week that Apple might adopt the same dual-lens technology as well, and iPhone 7 might be the first to come with such a setup.
Today, another report from Digitimes claims Taiwanese company Largan Technology has already sent Apple dual-lens camera samples for testing.
Largan Technology is one of the largest camera suppliers for iPhone devices and may extend its partnership with Apple over new products for future iPhone models.
However, the Taiwanese company will probably receive orders from other handset makers that wish to include dual-lens cameras in their phones, so Apple is likely to approach other suppliers as well if it decides to adopt this technology.
Apple is still in the process of testing these dual-camera lens setups, so we can't say for sure whether or not the next iPhone will include this configuration.
On the other hand, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that iPhone 7 Plus will definitely provide a dual-lens option, the second camera offering telephoto features.
Improved image quality, better design choices
Aside from the image quality advantages, a dual-lens camera setup will also offer some design benefits. Since the race has begun for the best smartphone camera on the market, handset makers forgot the design element.
Our smartphones have become slightly thicker because the 16- or 20-megapixel cameras were too big to hide under the back cover. A dual-camera lens will remove the infamous “camera bump” issue almost completely.
It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will decide to go for the dual-camera setup for its upcoming iPhones.
In the same piece of news, Apple is expected to launch a 4-inch iPhone and the iPad Air 3 on March 15. However, it's unlikely that this version of iPhone will include a dual-lens camera.