The majority of modern-day smartphones ship with multiple cameras, but according to a new report from Omdia, those with four have been the most popular among consumers in 2020. These days, including several cameras, has become a standard.
In Q3, 2020 alone, the majority of smartphones (about 60%) had four cameras.
Since 2018, when smartphones started shipping with three or more cameras, quad-camera phones picked momentum faster. Single-camera smartphones are becoming less popular as time moves by in favor of those with triple and quad cameras.
Smartphone shipments by camera count/ Omdia
Of course, with the popularity of quad-camera phones, smartphone companies have extensively exploited this opportunity by including macro and depth sensor cameras, which are practically useless to meet the count. This is true, especially in the mid-range and entry-level segments. Look around, and you’ll see this pattern even in the Kenyan smartphone market.
Realme is the only company that has not shipped a single device with a standalone camera in Q3.
Chinese tech company Xiaomi has been at the forefront of adopting the multi-camera strategy. Most of its smartphone shipments in Q3 – over 80 percent – have at least two sensors on the rear. On the other hand, Vivo is the only company that most of its shipments were devices with three cameras.
Omdia
On the other end of the spectrum, Apple has been conservative on its iPhones’ camera department. In Q3, the company shipped the majority of dual-camera iPhones, followed by single-camera iPhones.
Even the company’s latest iPhone 12 mini has a dual-camera setup – a 12MP wide and 12MP ultrawide.
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