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LG patent hints at phone with 16 camera lenses

Such a device could let you get multiple perspectives in a single shot and splice photos together.

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seankeane
Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
Sean knows far too much about Marvel, DC and Star Wars, and poured this knowledge into recaps and explainers on CNET. He also worked on breaking news, with a passion for tech, video game and culture.
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LG could be working on a phone with 16 camera lenses.

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The Huawei Mate 20 Pro has three cameras and Samsung's Galaxy S10 is rumored to have six, but LG Electronics could make those offerings look stingy.

The South Korean company -- whose V40 ThinQ has five cameras -- might be working on a camera with as many as 16 lenses, according to US patent 10,135,963, which was awarded on Nov. 20.

The lenses would be arranged in a four-by-four matrix, with each placed at a certain curvature to allow you to take multiperspective photos or combine them to create the desired shot.

LG V40 packs in a bunch of cameras and a big screen

See all photos

As noted by LetsGoDigital, which reported on the patent over the weekend, you'd be able to trace around someone's head with your finger and alter the angle (using one of the other perspectives) until you found the most flattering one. The phone's facial recognition would also find other shots of that person so you could replace their head with one from a photo where they looked their best.

The cameras would be connected to a mirror that'd allow you to take selfies with those, since the front camera wouldn't produce images of the same quality.

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Watch this: Why we need 16 cameras on a smartphone

The patent, titled "Mobile terminal and control method for the mobile terminal," also notes that the proposed phone could include a display and speaker on the back on the phone, the latter allowing it to create stereo sound.

LG didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

LG V40 ThinQ review: This savvy Note 9 rival wields five versatile cameras

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