The LG V30 Will Have The Largest Aperture Ever In A Smartphone Camera

Carl Velasco, Tech Times 10 August 2017, 09:08 am

Could the best current smartphone be any more innovative than it already is? Except for a bigger battery, what else is there to improve? Perhaps there's a push toward a more polished mobile virtual reality platform, though that's not really a "problem" per se.

Smartphones have fallen prey to the law of diminishing returns, which argues that as things get better, the extent to which they get better slims down — the jump from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics is shocking. The jump to 1080p to 4K? Arguably not as much. In fact, perhaps innovation is going backward what with Apple removing components such as the headphone jack that has been a staple for decades.

All kidding aside, it's hard to innovate these days. Not because smartphones manufacturers are too lazy to do it, but there's very little aspect one can make better anymore. Samsung managed to redefine the screen with its Infinity Display. LG, meanwhile, will focus on improving the camera.

With that in mind, LG has just announced its upcoming V30 phone will have an f/1.6 aperture — the largest in any smartphone. Quick basic photography fact: the larger the aperture is, the more light can get in, hence, brighter photos in low light.

LG V30 Gets Wide-Aperture Dual Cameras

With its aperture, the LG V30's camera lets in 25 percent more light than traditional f/1.8 cameras. But that's not all. Beyond the wider aperture, the new camera will include a glass lens that LG says can deliver sharper, more faithful photographs.

"LG boasts an unrivaled heritage in smartphone photography and our decision to adopt glass in the V30 camera is specifically because this has traditionally been the realm of DSLRs," said Juno Cho, LG's mobile communications president.

The cameras — yes, they're dual — will also have conventional features such as laser detection autofocus and optical image stabilization. Other improvements include less edge reduction whenever you take photos with the wide-angle camera.

The phone itself will be smaller than its predecessor, LG said. However, it will sport a larger 6-inch OLED display that has a 2:1 aspect ratio with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440. The LG V30 will also pack other features including Cine Video and Live Zoom effects, alongside LG Log and Graphy controls for those who want expanded manual settings.