LG Files Patent for Ridiculous Multi-Camera Smartphone

LG might put as many as sixteen cameras on a flagship in the future. In a new patent filing, LetsGoDigital discovered the South Korean company wants to experiment with a multi-camera setup that uses more lenses than anything ever released to the public. It would unlock capabilities most existing smartphones are far from offering.

The multi-camera setup appears to be in a 4×4 grid. Together, these lenses are able to secure multiple shots and let users select the best to keep.

Yet there's a lot more to this technology than taking sixteen photos for plenty of choices. LG wants to improve depth perception. Whether it's during or after, a smartphone's portrait mode can be enhanced. Users could manipulate a photo exactly to their liking.

Even selfies are part of the equation. While there's a single-camera setup up front, LG's patent filing reveals a mirror-like design on the back to let the multi-camera setup be used instead. Yes, all sixteen lenses could collaborate on one selfie for you. Because, you know, one or two cameras on each side aren't enough already.

Here's a look at the arrangement:

It's always a tossup with patents. The technology could be used at a much later time, or LG could be keeping this in its pocket and never do anything if advancements aren't made. LG needs its research and development team to work on this for several years until a final decision comes.

Foldable phones are a category set for growth, and maybe LG can work this patent into a similar product. It'd be full of next-generation technologies that may or may not pan out well for the mobile industry

The current lineup from LG takes advantage of multi-camera setups already. If you're interested in this idea, check out the G7 and the V40. Both could hold you over until LG's sixteen-camera bonanza hits.