Why Do Some Smartphones Have 3 (Or More) Camera Lenses & How Do They Work Together?

Back in the day, smartphones only had a single camera. Today, though, seeing three or even more cameras on an Android device or iPhone is completely normal. While it might seem like a marketing gimmick, these multiple cameras actually serve a crucial role in helping you capture stunning photos.

With a DSLR camera, you can swap out lenses depending on the type of shot you want, whether it's a wide-angle landscape, a detailed close-up, or a portrait with a blurred background. However, since smartphones are much more compact in comparison, it's not possible to have interchangeable lenses. To compensate for this limitation, manufacturers integrate multiple cameras on a smartphone, each offering different focal lengths and capabilities. When you switch between modes like ultra-wide, telephoto, or macro, in the camera app, your phone automatically selects the appropriate camera sensor to capture the best possible image. 

Below, we'll explore what each of these cameras do, as well as how they differ from one another. So, let's dive in!

Depending on the brand and model, the combination of camera lenses on a smartphone can vary. However, most modern smartphones with triple-camera setups, whether it's the iPhone 16 Pro, Google Pixel 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25, or OnePlus 13, typically include these three cameras: a primary (or wide-angle), ultra-wide angle, and a telephoto camera. 

The primary camera is the one that your phone uses for general photography. It is typically the most powerful camera with the highest megapixel count. Next, the ultra-wide angle camera, as the name suggests, is used for capturing a wider field of view. This makes it ideal for group shots or capturing landscape without having to step back. Finally, the third is the telephoto camera, which provides optical zoom for capturing distant objects. This allows your phone to take photos without using digital zoom or cropping, so it can maintain image quality.

Certain phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, for instance, feature four rear cameras. In this case, the fourth is a periscope telephoto camera that uses a telescope-like arrangement to capture distant objects. Some Huawei and Honor phones also include a monochrome sensor, which is used to capture black-and-white photos for better sharpness and detail. 

A phone's ability to capture great photos is not solely tied to the number of cameras it has. Its image processing capabilities play a major role in the final result. In other words, simply having three or four cameras doesn't automatically make a smartphone better than one with fewer sensors. A perfect example of this is Google's Pixel 3 and older models, which relied on a single rear camera for years, while competitors had already adopted dual or triple-camera setups. 

Most smartphones rely on computational photography to maximize image quality. Simply put, this involves merging images from different cameras and using image processing to produce a final result. For instance, when you capture photos in portrait mode, your phone uses multiple cameras and sensors to measure depth and separate the subject from the background. It then uses image processing to create a blur or bokeh effect in the background. 

If a phone has a monochrome sensor, it may use it in combination with the primary or the telephoto lens to enhance photo quality. In this case, the monochrome sensor captures finer details with better contrast, while the other lens captures color data. The two are then merged to create a sharper, more detailed photo. An important thing to note is that the exact image processing technique used varies from one manufacturer to another, which is also what makes one phone look distinct from another.