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Sony said to be working on phone with 6 rear cameras (Update: More info)
Update, June 18, 2019 (4:08PM EST): We now know the alleged camera specifications of the unannounced Sony smartphone, courtesy of Twitter tipster Max J.
The front features a 0.3MP time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, and a second 10MP sensor. The six cameras around back are reportedly comprised of 20MP, 8MP, 48MP, 12MP, 16MP, and 0.5MP sensors. The 0.5MP camera is reportedly a ToF sensor. The other five sensors reportedly feature the same f/2.4 aperture, though the 48MP and 12MP cameras also feature f/1.2 aperture.
As I mentioned last week there’s going to be a new Sony phone. Today I heard some things regarding it’s camera specs:The specs might be different in the final product do to this device still being in development. The images are based on imagination.Enjoy the specs!😜 pic.twitter.com/pKWR7L9dTT— Max J. (@Samsung_News_) June 18, 2019
According to Max J., the camera specs might change before Sony officially announces the phone. Take the specs with a grain of salt, though Max J. has had a solid track record when it comes to leaks.
Original article, June 11, 2019 (5:31AM EST): The Nokia 9 PureView stands out from other flagships thanks to the five rear cameras packed into its body. But Sony is apparently looking to go one better with an upcoming device.
According to Twitter tipster Max J, Sony is working on a phone with six rear cameras and a dual selfie camera pairing. That means we’ve got a total of eight cameras on this supposedly upcoming device.
I heard #Sony is working on a new #Xperia Smartphone featuring a total of six lenses on it’s rear as well as two cameras on the front.The device is still in development which means that specs and further things are still unknown.!CONCEPT BASED ON IMAGINATION! pic.twitter.com/mJ83LSNzAc— Max J. (@Samsung_News_) June 10, 2019
Max J has a pretty solid track record when it comes to leaks, but we’re still taking this with a pinch of salt. After all, Sony’s phones aren’t always on the cutting-edge when it comes to photography, being somewhat late to the triple camera party with the Xperia 1 and still not offering an advanced night mode. So a leap to six rear cameras seems like a pretty massive step to take.
You have to wonder what Sony will do with all these sensors if it is indeed working on a phone with six rear cameras though. Our first guess is that the company is taking the Nokia 9 Pureview approach, using a mix of RGB and monochrome cameras for better depth effects and low-light results.
Lending weight to this guess is confirmation earlier this year that Light — the company behind the Nokia 9’s camera tech — is indeed working with Sony. Light will be able to create multi-camera reference designs using Sony image sensors as part of the deal, but these designs can be used by other manufacturers too. So a Sony phone with six rear cameras might serve as a tech demo of sorts to entice other OEMs to come on board.
Another possibility is that Sony is offering a very flexible rear camera setup, incorporating telephoto cameras, ultra-wide shooters, and more in order to deliver a camera for every situation. It also seems likely that a 3D ToF sensor will be added to this setup in order to ensure better depth and AR effects, as seen on Samsung and HUAWEI’s latest flagships.
You don’t have to wait too long for a Sony smartphone with a versatile camera setup though, as the Xperia 1 indeed offers normal/ultra-wide/telephoto rear shooters. You can check out its store listing via the button below.