It seems like the dual camera on a smartphone is nothing to be impressed about anymore, because smartphone manufacturers have been releasing smartphones with three or four rear camera lenses, and Nokia is even expected to release a smartphone with five rear camera lenses. But none of this compared to the latest patent by LG as the company recently filed a patent with USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) for a smartphone with 16 camera lenses.
The patent was recently granted by USPTO on 20 November, and it shows 16 camera lenses on a curvature which will allow photo-taking on multiple perspectives. Though we’re not completely sure on how the whole thing works, apparently users can choose to either use one lens or multiple lens when they’re taking photos.
Image credit: LetsGoDigital
Besides that, the pictures taken (when using multiple lenses) can be combined, turning it into a moving picture. Users can choose to have different perspectives of the picture, and they can also replace certain parts of the picture with the pictures taken by other lenses. The patent also shows that pictures taken can be stitched together to form a bigger picture, and the patent suggests that there can be face-swapping feature.
The smartphone will also be equipped with a front camera, though it seems like there will be nothing special on that aspect. That aside, a mirror and a flash is also located at the rear of the smartphone, so users can use the 16 rear cameras to take selfies, with the mirror serving as a guide to ensure you’re in the right angle. However, there’s 16 lenses to help you take your selfies so what could go wrong, right?
Cameras aside, the patent also displayed two speakers on the smartphone, one on the front and one on the back which should be to create stereo speaker effect for the smartphone. It is still just a patent, so we cannot say for sure if an LG smartphone with 16 cameras will really be produced and even if it’s confirmed, it’ll probably take some time before it’s launched.