Here's 2018's new iPhone X with three rear cameras

New iPhone X joining Huawei P20 Pro in the triple camera camp… and the Galaxy S10 is getting in on the action, too

2018 iPhone X
(Image credit: LetsGoDigital)
Paul Douglas
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On June 12 we told you that the new iPhone X was likely to arrive with no fewer than three rear cameras. Now Dutch site Let'sGoDigital has teamed up with Concept Creator to imagine how these new iPhones might look, basing the designs on schematics which were obtained by Forbes from accessory maker Ghostek. 

LetsGoDigital does point out that there's still uncertainty about the position of the flash, as its placement was not visible in the Ghostek schematics, so while the renders position it beneath the cameras, it suggests that it could also be placed to the right of them.

Alternatively, the flash could adopt the same placement as the current iPhone X, which is to say betwixt the lenses.

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital)

At this stage it's not clear what the third camera would be used for. On the excellent Huawei P20 Pro, there's a 40-megapixel colour and 20-megapixel monochrome camera on the back, along with an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, which zooms you into to distant details.

The current iPhone X features two 12-megapixel sensors with a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens. So what might a third lens do? One theory is that the third 'camera' will actually be a 3D infrared depth sensor, which would work in the same way as the Face ID system, and enable the new iPhone to do more advanced image processing – offering better depth of field and more advanced portrait modes, for instance. That would be a welcome upgrade.

If you can't get enough camera news, you'll be pleased to know that it's not just the new iPhone X that's rumoured to be getting three of the things. According to KBI Securities analyst Kim Dong-won, Samsung will add a triple lens camera to its upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10, due for release during the first quarter of 2019. 

And there could be even more iPhone cameras on the way. That, at least, is the view of  Muhsin M. Belaal Auckburaully, who knocked up this mildly eccentric, five-camera iPhone X concept…

Paul Douglas
Paul Douglas
Global Digital Editorial Strategy Director, Future

Paul Douglas is Global Digital Editorial Strategy Director at Future and has worked in publishing for over 25 years. He worked in print for over 10 years on various computing titles including .net magazine and the Official Windows Magazine before moving to TechRadar.com in 2008, eventually becoming Global Editor-in-Chief for the brand, overseeing teams in the US, UK and Australia. Following that, Paul has been Global Editor-in-Chief of BikeRadar and T3 (not at the same time) and later Content Director working on T3, TechRadar and Tom's Guide. In 2021, Paul also worked on the launches of FitandWell.com and PetsRadar.

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