What does “12MP + 12MP camera” mean in a phone’s specs?

Asked 4/15/2018

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Some phone listings show camera specs like “12MP + 12MP camera” plus a separate front camera, for example on a Samsung Note 8. Does “12MP + 12MP” mean one 24-megapixel camera, or does it mean something else?

camera-specs smartphones mobile-photography dual-camera megapixels

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

2 Answers

A quick search indicates that that "12MP + 12MP" means exactly that: two 12MP cameras. One is a "standard" camera, for the other several possibilities exist (depending on maker): monochrome, wide angle, or tele lens. The 8MP is a 3rd camera facing the other way (for "selfies" while watching the screen).

I would expect the phone info tells you what that particular phone has

Originally by user72870. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user72870

8y ago

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

It means the phone has two separate rear cameras, each with a 12-megapixel sensor — not one 24MP camera.

On dual-camera phones, the second 12MP camera is usually paired with the main one for a different purpose, such as a telephoto view, wide-angle view, or sometimes monochrome capture, depending on the model. The listed 8MP front camera is a separate camera on the screen side for selfies/video calls.

So in this case, think of it as:

rear camera 1: 12MP
rear camera 2: 12MP
front camera: 8MP

You generally should not add the megapixels together. Megapixels describe each sensor individually, and image quality depends on much more than that alone.

What does “12MP + 12MP camera” mean in a phone’s specs?

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