HTC's 2018 flagship will bring back a feature it once loved

HTC wants to start making phones with two rear cameras again, and that’ll happen in 2018. The company committed to releasing at least one dual-camera phone next year. Its decision comes as other players in the mobile industry have implemented dual-camera setups on their phones throughout 2016 and 2017.

Here’s what HTC President Chialin Chang told the media this week:

“We’ll definitely be releasing a dual-camera phone next year, but we’ll need to figure out how to make this feature stand out.”

Phones with two rear cameras are common today, but HTC was one of the first brands to embrace the technology a few years ago. Yet the Taiwanese company seemed to not care about it anymore. The One (M8) from 2014 was the last flagship made by HTC to have two cameras on the back. That was a phone which received a ton of praise for its dual-camera setup. And now there are a large number of flagships that have the same thing pushed as a key feature. So it looks like HTC was just too early before.

The company’s 2018 flagship should have a dual-camera setup. Apple, Samsung, LG, and others have been using the technology for their high-end devices. Google is one company that hasn’t, but that’s because it’s algorithm is strong enough to produce stunning shots with a single lens. If HTC wants to be taken seriously, two cameras on the back are a necessity. Doing so would be in HTC’s best interest as the U11, which debuted earlier this year, was applauded for its single rear camera.

It should also be noted that the company doesn’t plan on flooding the market with devices next year. HTC expects it’ll release five or six phones in 2018 due to declining sales.