New Sony Xperia could have twice as many cameras as iPhone 11

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Sony-Xperia-6-cameras
This could be huge for mobile photographers.
Photo: Max J.

Sony could be preparing to finally step up its smartphone camera game.

A new Xperia handset has been leaked with twice as many rear-facing cameras as the upcoming iPhone 11. It will reportedly offer eight camera sensors in total, plus a gorgeous edge-to-edge display.

Sony has faced criticism over its smartphone cameras for years now. Its flagship handsets struggle to match rivals in camera performance — despite the fact that Sony supplies imaging sensors for many of those competitors.

But that could be set to change. Sony executives have previously promised that camera performance will improve now that its smartphone and imaging businesses have been joined under one roof.

The first evidence of that is a leaked Xperia handset with a whopping six rear-facing cameras.

Leaked Xperia goes all out on cameras

The unnamed smartphone will feature the following sensors on its back, according to one tipster:

  • 1x 20MP lens with f/2.4 aperture
  • 1x 48MP lens with f/1.2-f2/4 aperture
  • 1x 16MP lens with f/2.4 aperture
  • 1x 8MP lens with f/2.4 aperture
  • 1x 12MP lens with f/1.2-f/2.4 aperture
  • 1×0.5MP time-of-flight (ToF) lens

In addition, the device is expected to have one 10-megapixel sensor and one 0.3-megapixel ToF sensor on its front, above its display.

Why so many cameras?

You might think this is overkill — and for most smartphone owners, it might be. But six rear-facing sensors could give Sony’s next-generation Xperia new capabilities that most handsets don’t currently offer.

That could include unprecedented optical zoom, even wider panoramic shots, and greater portrait mode performance. It could also allow for better performance in low-light settings

Reliable leaker Max J. notes that this particular device is still in development right now, so these specifications should change before it makes its official debut. But if Sony does deliver, it could be huge for mobile photographers.

Will it be better than iPhone 11?

In comparison, Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup is expected to offer three rear-facing cameras — but only if you buy a flagship model. The successor to the iPhone XR will reportedly come with just two.

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