Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. News

Should your next phone have a dual camera setup?

Add as a preferred source on Google

Remember the days when all you really had to worry about in a smartphone camera was its megapixel count? Things have gotten considerably more complicated since then, with the latest technology constantly pushing the limits of what we though possible from smartphone-sized cameras. The latest innovation pushing for wide adoption in high-end phones is the concept of a dual rear-facing camera setup.

So, what is a dual camera setup, and why should you want one on your next smartphone? These are exactly the questions that technology reviewer Austin Evans decided to answer in his latest video, in which he takes a look at some of the latest phones on the market featuring dual cameras, and discusses each implementation of the concept. Many of the features, as he points out, are not much more than gimmicks, and produce little in the way of actual added value to the phone.

Recommended Videos

So if many of the features are gimmicky, what makes these dual rear camera setups worth considering? Well, in the case of the LG G5, for instance, you get one camera with a fixed telephoto lens, and one camera with a fixed wide angle lens, which allows you to switch back and forth between the two cameras. This greatly expands the capabilities for the G5 owner, who can now zoom (kinda) without having to “zoom with your feet” toward your subject.

Evans wraps it up by noting that most consumers likely don’t need the dual camera technology right now, and that while the technology is full of gimmicky tricks, it is also full of potential to really change the smartphone market — possibly being the next big thing for mobile.

Anthony Thurston
Anthony is an internationally published photographer based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Specializing primarily in…
Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo 2 makes instant photography more digital with touchscreen and video capture
Fujifilm’s new camera can capture the moments before you take a photo.
instax-mini-evo-2-featured

Fujifilm just gave its most popular instant camera a serious digital upgrade. The Instax Mini Evo 2 now comes with a touchscreen, larger sensor, and a video feature that captures four seconds before each photo. It is set to arrive by the end of November for $289.95.

What's new with the Instax Mini Evo 2?

Read more
Sigma FP2 is the world’s smallest full-frame camera built for photographers and filmmakers
The new mirrorless camera combines 24.5MP photography, 6K OpenGate recording, and expandable accessories in a compact body.
Sigma FP2 featured

Full-frame cameras tend to be chunky beasts, but Sigma wants to prove that big imaging doesn't need a big body. Enter the Sigma FP2, the successor to its tiny, boxy fp mirrorless camera. It keeps the same modular design but packs in some serious upgrades, including a 24.5-megapixel partially stacked full-frame sensor, improved autofocus, 6K video recording, and 70GB of built-in storage. Sigma calls it the world's smallest full-frame camera, and while it might be tiny, the same cannot be said for its price tag.

Sigma FP2 brings faster shooting and 6K video

Read more
This award-winning phone thermal camera is 10% off for Halloween, saving you $107
Thermal Master P3 thermal camera drops with code THERMCAM10 (save $107 total): 512x384 IR super resolution, an adjustable-focus lens, and 2026 Tom’s Guide AI Award winner.
Man using thermal camera attachment with phone

A phone thermal camera is one of those tools you don’t think you need until the first time it saves you from an expensive problem, and the Thermal Master P3 just got easier to try. For Halloween, it’s discounted with the code THERMCAM10, a 10% cut that works out to $107 off the total. It’s also fresh off a win at the 2026 Tom’s Guide AI Awards for best phone thermal camera, which is the kind of third-party nod that separates a serious tool from the cheap clip-on sensors that flood this category.

Thermal Master Halloween sale

Read more