The best phones with dual front cameras (September 2019)
Smartphones with multiple rear-mounted cameras are common, but the trend is slowly growing for front-facing shooters. Those in need of more versatility need to look a bit harder to find the best phones with dual front cameras. This is why we have curated a list of our favorite ones.
One quick note before we begin: dual front cameras on phones are more readily available in Asia, where companies like Huawei, Redmi, Oppo, and others dominate. For this article, we have mainly selected smartphones with two front cameras targeting Western buyers, as well as those in Asia.
Best phones with dual front cameras:
1. Google Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL
The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL may be the most unusual phones on this list. While more smartphones are adding camera sensors on the back, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL stick with a single rear 12.2MP camera. Instead, the company decided to put two 8MP sensors on the front of each phone. One of them is a standard camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 75-degree field of view. The other has a wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a 97-degree field of view.
Google also added a couple of selfie-based software features for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Group Selfie mode has received the most attention. It lets owners access the wide-angle sensor so they can bring in more people into their selfie pictures. The other camera feature using the front-facing cameras is Photobooth Mode, which senses when you are smiling and automatically takes a picture.
Besides its cameras, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL both have some excellent hardware and software inside. It is a great overall phone. Because it is a Google device, it should also get software updates in a timely fashion.
Google Pixel 3 specs:
- Display: 5.5-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 845
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64/128GB
- Camera: 12.2MP
- Front cameras: 8 and 8MP
- Battery: 2,915mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
Google Pixel 3 XL specs:
- Display: 6.3-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 845
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64/128GB
- Camera: 12.2MP
- Front cameras: 8 and 8MP
- Battery: 3,430mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
2. Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is a phone to beat, and it also has dual front-facing cameras. The main one sports a 10MP sensor, Dual Pixel Autofocus, a 1.22μm pixel size, and an f/1.9 aperture. The second camera has an 8MP depth sensor with a 1.12μm pixel size and an f/2.2 aperture.
The front sensors are just alright. Samsung really focused on dynamic range, which has become a key concern in flagship cameras. Unfortunately, these cameras are also soft. But hey, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus continues to be one of the best overall phones. This is why it makes it to this list.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, QHD+
- SoC: SD 855 or Exynos 9820
- RAM: 8/12GB
- Storage: 128/512GB and 1TB
- Cameras: 12, 12, and 16MP
- Front cameras: 10 and 8MP
- Battery: 4,100mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
3. Samsung Galaxy Fold
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is unique in many ways, but one of them is that it has a couple of camera sensors in the front. The main camera sports a 10MP sensor with a 1.22µm pixel size and an f/2.2 aperture. The secondary camera is in charge of sensing depth; it has an 8MP sensor and an f/1.9 aperture.
Overall, the phone is a beast. It packs a Snapdragon 855 processor, 12 GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a beautiful 7.3-inch display. All this beauty comes with a very high price of $1,980.
Samsung Galaxy Fold specs:
- Display: 7.3-inch QXGA+, 4.6-inch HD+ when folded
- SoC: SD 855
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Cameras: 12, 12, and 16MP
- Front cameras: 10 and 8MP, and 10MP cover camera
- Battery: 4,380mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
4. LG V40 ThinQ
Here’s yet another odd smartphone in the camera department. While the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL kept just one rear camera and doubled up on the front cameras, the LG V40 ThinQ went in the other direction. It has three rear camera sensors and two front-facing cameras.
One of the front shooters has an 8MP sensor, an f/1.9 aperture, and an 80-degree field of view. The other 5MP camera has a wide angle lens, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 90-degree field of view. In our review, we were happy with how it took wide-angle selfie shots. The dual front cameras can also take excellent portrait mode images with bokeh background blurring effects.
While the LG V40 ThinQ concentrates its camera efforts on its three rear sensors, the two front-facing cameras do a good job for people who want to put in some extra efforts in their selfie shots as well. The phone also has high-end hardware, including the Snapdragon 845 chip, and excellent software, including LG’s well-known manual camera mode.
LG V40 ThinQ specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, QHD+
- SoC: SD 845
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64/128GB
- Cameras: 12, 12, and 16MP
- Front cameras: 5 and 8MP
- Battery: 3,300mAh
- Software: Android 8.1 Oreo (upgradeable to 9.0 Pie)
5. Asus Zenfone 6
The Asus Zenfone 6 is a great deal considering the specs you get for the price. The device comes with a Snapdragon 855, up to 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of internal storage, and more. These are specs you typically find in very expensive high-end devices, but this handset gives them to you at just $649 from Amazon (for the specced out version).
In terms of the front-facing cameras, the Asus Zenfone 6 is a completely different beast, as it uses the same cameras in the front and rear. A mechanism will flip up the rear cameras and point them at you when a selfie is to be shot. The main camera sports a 48MP sensor with am f/1.79 aperture. The secondary 13MP shooter is meant for ultra wide-angle shots.
Asus Zenfone 6 specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, HD+
- SoC: SD 855
- RAM: 6/8GB
- Storage: 64/128/256GB
- Cameras: 13 and 48MP
- Front cameras: 13 and 48MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
6. Redmi Note 6 Pro
Those looking to get dual front cameras on the cheap can’t do much better than the Redmi Note 6 Pro at just $165.67 from Amazon. It doesn’t come with the same specs the rest of the phones in this list enjoy, but the device is still plenty powerful. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor and up to 6 GB of RAM.
The dual cameras feature 20MP and 2 MP sensors. The difference in resolution is due to the fact that the secondary camera is mainly used as a depth sensor. The primary sensor uses a 4-in-1 pixel binning method for an effective pixel size of 1.8 microns. Selfies pack a good amount of detail. The edge detection in portraits is quite good and you can also fine-tune parameters for beautification if vanity is your thing.
Redmi Note 6 Pro specs:
- Display: 6.26-inch, HD+
- SoC: SD 636
- RAM: 3/4GB
- Storage: 32/64GB
- Cameras: 5 and 12MP
- Front cameras: 2 and 20MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Software: Android 8.1 Pie
These handsets should keep your selfie shooting quite versatile. Multiple cameras are in, so expect to see better options as more smartphones get announced.
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