Here's What We Know About the Mysterious Triple Camera in Huawei's Upcoming Flagship
It seems like each day new rumors and leaks come out for Huawei's upcoming P series devices. Everything from its name change to its specs has been leaked, sometimes with contradicting rumors. One of the biggest leaks is the inclusion of triple rear cameras, a first for smartphones.
While this rumor has been challenged, the latest leaks indicate that this will in fact be the case. Recent videos and images lend strong evidence that the P20 Plus will have the first triple camera array on a smartphone. While three cameras sounds cool in principle, how it will assist in photography isn't known. Luckily, we do know a few things about this new camera beyond just the extra lens.
Different Lens Arrangements
Contrary to normal procedure, rumors indicate that the lenses will be arranged differently depending on the P20 model. According to unconfirmed schematics from Phonearena (who obtained the design from Weibo), the P20 will arrange the rear cameras horizontally, while the P20 Plus will arrange it vertically. As to why Huawei is using a different arrangement? We still don't know, but the differing layouts would explain the contradicting images that have emerged of the P20 and P20 Plus.
Starting on March 5, various Twitter accounts from Huawei Mobile tweeted a series of neon-colored videos with the hashtag #SeeMooore and #Huawei P20. While some videos (like the screenshot below) backed up the claims of a triple camera setup, they also showed a horizontal arrangement for the phone. While this supports the schematics previously mentioned, it conflicts with the strongest leak yet.
On March 7, 2018, Evan Blass tweeted promotional photos for the P20 series, which showed vertically arranged cameras for the P20 Plus and its triple cameras. While the Huawei Mobile tweets could imply a different variant, in the same tweet, all three variants were shown using a vertical arrangement.
Slashleak leaked a promotional photo for the P20 series that backs up Evan Blass's tweets. In the leak (see below), the back cover of the P20 Plus is shown with vertically-arranged rear cameras and a similar gap between the two lenses and the bottom single lens.
40 MP Photos
Rumors have it that the triple lenses will create 40 MP photos using all three cameras. While this isn't the first smartphone's camera to take such high resolution photos (the Nokia Lumia 1080 was able to take 41 MP photos), by using more lenses, the P20 and/or P20 Plus should be able to capture more detail than a single lens would allow.
Monochrome Lens & RGB Lens
Huawei Mobile created a P20 teaser website called NewRenaissance.com, which has several videos including a series of abstract clips which hint at some of the new features available to the P20's camera. One of the videos includes the image below which highlights two things.
First, the red "A" and "I" alludes to machine learning image enhancements. Second, the title To Paint With Light (while showcasing a black and white photo) indicates the common monochrome and RGB lens setup of past Huawei's flagship will continue with the P20. By including a monochrome lens, Huawei devices are able to take breathtaking black and white photos, unlike most phones which achieve this using software.
5x Hybrid Zoom
In the NewRenassiance.com promotional video From Distance to Detail, Huawei highlights the P20's zooming capabilities. Evan Blass leaked this rumor a while back, saying the new P series devices would have a 5x "hybrid zoom."
While no leaks since have clarified on what "hybrid zoom" entails, we can make some assumptions based on the little facts we know. Currently, no smartphone camera exceeds 2x optical zoom, so expect the same or at most 3x.
By naming the zoom mechanism "hybrid," we know that it is a combination of digital zoom and optical zoom. No company would advertise 5x zoom that strictly relied on digital zoom, as the photos taken would be terribly blurry and pixelated.
Therefore, because of Huawei's heavy emphasis on AI, expect machine learning to fill in the details. Algorithms will likely combine data from the dual RGB/monochrome sensors with data from the third lens, which would presumably be a telephoto shooter with 2x or 3x optical zoom. When combined, this could result in the rumored 5x "hybrid zoom" being similar quality to an equivalent optical zoom.
Optical Image Stabilization
According to the video To Steady Every Image, it looks like optical image stabilization (OIS) will be included on the rear camera. What we are not sure about is whether OIS will be included on all three cameras or just the main shooter. The video leads us to believe the former, as "to steady every image" suggests that monochrome, RGB, and telephoto pictures are all stabilized.
Machine Learning Enhancement
Out of all the rumors surrounding the capability of the P20's camera, machine learning enhancement is the one that we are definitely sure about.
First, the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro included machine learning (AI) enhancements to photography. Specifically, the Mate 10 would use object recognition to automatically adjust camera parameters for the best settings when capturing a particular object. And thanks to Kirin 970's Neural Processing Unit, the Mate 10 was able to apply machine learning quickly and efficiently.
In all the promotional videos released on the NewRenaissance.com, the letters "A" and "I" are highlighted in each title, emphasizing the inclusion of AI. Additionally, in one of the testimony videos (see below), Jessie states she wishes for smartphones to be "a bit quicker, more efficient, kind of more automatic," which indicates a larger role for machine learning in photography.
Great Low Light Performance & Fast Shutter Speed
Based on the video From Darkness to Light, Huawei teases the P20's great low light performance. As with most of the videos, we don't see much, but we can infer that the camera will be able to handle low-light situations with ease.
Additionally, the video From Action To An Instant alludes to the P20 having a fast shutter speed, a necessary feature for great low light performance. Expect to be able to take out your P20 and quickly capture an image without fear of missing the moment.
The P20's rear camera will be a monumental moment in smartphone history. Like OIS and dual cameras before it, we hope that the increased capability and performance of an additional lens will lead to mass adoption by other OEMs.
But the P20 is much more than its rear camera. Check out the link below for all the latest rumors and news about Huawei's full P20 lineup, including a true Face ID competitor.
