Is the ultrawide camera just an unnecessary addition to our smartphones? This article explores the history of dual-camera smartphones, analyzes the use case for ultrawide cameras, and even proposes a poll to see if most people actually need this feature.
Apple started selling outdated phones branded as Special Edition devices back in 2016. Instead of making an affordable phone from scratch, Apple repurposed old hardware to keep the price down. Looking at the iPhone SE (2022) with its small LCD screen and tiny battery, in a time when even the $359 Galaxy A51 came with an AMOLED screen, a big battery, and a couple of cameras on its back, it's clear that Apple is taking the cost-cutting route.
Rumors suggest the next iPhone SE might continue this trend by sticking to a single camera system, while most other smartphones today come with at least two cameras on the back. Initially, this angered me, but I decided to think about it. I pulled up my phone and started browsing through my photos. Almost all of them were taken with the main camera. My current phone has a couple of cameras on the back, including a periscope zoom system and a high-quality ultrawide.To get a better understanding, I asked my colleague to launch a poll among our YouTube subscribers, asking if they needed an ultrawide camera or if a good main camera would suffice. The results were quite interesting: 62% of voters said they'd be fine with a good main camera, while 38% voted to keep the ultrawide camera alive. This means almost two-thirds of respondents don't care about a second camera on their phone. The history of dual-camera smartphones is a bit murky. It began in 2011 when both HTC and LG, just months apart, released phones with two cameras on the back, a novelty at the time. However, these were 3D systems, meant to mimic human eyesight and create a 3D effect. 3D was popular then, but the LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D were unsuccessful because 3D quickly faded, confined to cinemas. Three years later, in 2014, HTC introduced the HTC One M8, another dual-camera smartphone, this time using a depth sensor for shallow focus (bokeh). Still, it wasn't a true dual-camera phone. LG's G-series were incredibly popular, boasting the first phone with a 1440p display (the G3) and introducing the ultrawide camera with the G5, dipping its toes into modular design. Soon, everyone started adding an ultrawide secondary camera to their phones. But was this due to the G5's success or simply a fear of missing out? The ultrawide camera is now almost a decade old; do we truly need it? The short answer is no, at least in my opinion. First, the main camera on most smartphones today is already wide, with a focal length usually between 20mm and 25mm. Second, smartphone ultrawide cameras are often compromises, not equaling the quality of the main camera. Even with the same megapixels, the aperture is slower, the pixel size smaller, and the sensor itself is generally smaller. Consequently, photos taken with the ultrawide camera usually don't match the quality of those taken with the main camera. Finally, stepping back is often a sufficient solution if you want to capture more of the scene. While there are times when stepping back isn't possible, and group shots might require an ultrawide lens, this situation doesn't occur as frequently as people imagine. This skepticism about ultrawide cameras is not unique to me. I've encountered several tech media articles asking the same question: Do we really need the ultrawide camera? Perhaps it's time we re-evaluate. Maybe the simple answer is to just buy a phone with a good main camera. Initially, the idea of removing the ultrawide camera felt strange, but it's slowly turning into a kind of awe. Gathering statistics on average camera usage is difficult, so I'm adding another poll to see if my hunch is correct. However, I've read numerous articles from various tech publications asking the same question. It seems we might be at a turning point
Smartphones Ultrawide Camera Dual Camera Technology Trends Smartphone Photography
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