Why almost no cell phone has five camera sensors

The camera is one of the many components that make up a mobile phone and also one of the most important for a large number of users when looking for a new smartphone. It is one of the sections that has experienced the most variations in recent years, since current lenses are far removed from what we knew before.

Several years ago we witnessed huge camera modules packed with all kinds of sensors . A main lens, wide angle, macro, telephoto, depth, microscopic… The possibilities were very wide and manufacturers disproportionately bet on phones with up to five sensors. However, over time this dynamic has disappeared and it is usual to find at most four of them in some exceptions, but the norm is three lenses for each of the devices.

Why almost no cell phone has five camera sensors

Versatile camera

The telephony technology industry is made up of a huge number of manufacturers trying to occupy part of the sector and attract as many users as possible. For this, they not only seek to design a smartphone with guarantees, but also an attractive way to make it known.

At first, when these phones with up to five cameras like the one featured in the publication, known as Nokia 9 PureView , began to appear, consumers felt the urgent need to opt for this class of models. Mainly because they thought that having more lenses at their fingertips would give them more variability when taking photos.

Nokia 9 PureView

This is completely true, nothing could be further from the truth. However, shortly after, both companies and users realized that they were not really taking advantage of all those sensors that the devices boasted. In fact, brands like OPPO discarded lenses as innovative as the microscopic one of the OPPO Find X3 Pro due to the little use that owners gave it. The results were impressive, but its usefulness was rather nil.

Not to mention, furthermore, that more sensor classes entail a higher production cost . Weight factors that have a vital influence when manufacturing new terminals and that have ended up frustrating this work.

So the main reason for the disappearance of this trend has to do with the few purposes for everyday life. Most likely, most of the photos you take will be taken with the front or main rear selfie camera, as well as the wide-angle lens in some cases to obtain original captures.

The megapixel race

The intention of companies to attract consumers now goes through another aspect also related to mobile phone sensors: megapixels. It is common today to see how entities bet on increasingly surprising figures , as is the case with the 108 MP lens of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.

moviles baratos 108 megapixeles

In addition, other firms such as Samsung intend to implement a camera of even 200 MP in its next flagship . The thing is that a higher number of megapixels does not promise better photographic results as such, since other characteristics also influence when it comes to achieving an ideal image.

The difference regarding the number of sensors is that, originally, they do offer better functionality , since, despite not being decisive for optimal photography, they do achieve more precise details when zooming in on the image. Therefore, corporations have decided to focus their attention on both this property and others such as fast charging.