What is an ultrawide camera in a smartphone? Technically, it is a camera type that has a broader area that can fit into one picture. Ultrawide is suitable for the shots of extensive areas, groups, and scenery as it offers an entirely different view of the scene.
This feature is moving towards becoming a standard for those who would like to achieve unique and high-quality pictures using their smartphones. Let’s know what an ultrawide camera is, how it works, and its benefits.
Ultrawide Camera: What Is It?
An ultrawide camera on a smartphone does not capture a scene with a wider angle than normal lenses but offers a wider field of view of about 120 degrees, which is similar to human eye vision. This wide perspective is helpful when shooting a big scene, people or at locations where one cannot move back, physically.
However, these lenses have the drawback of edge distortion where straight lines appear curved. Manufacturers deal with this through software updates or by building lenses with smaller FoV to reduce such outcomes. Having an ultrawide camera expands a smartphone’s utility by providing the user with opportunities to apply creativity not available with a conventional lens.
Benefits of Ultrawide Camera on Smartphones
There are several advantages of the ultrawide cameras in smartphones:
- More in One Shot: They enable one to take more details hence good in capturing large areas such as landscapes or people in large groups or when you are in a small room.
- Unique Angles: They allow for different angles which make subjects seem more active and different angles than normal lenses.
- Ultrawide lenses: Some of the lenses give users the ability to focus on small objects or subjects while being useful for other purposes.
- Huge Area Coverage: With panoramic mode, ultrawide cameras are used to capture broader scenes of a landscape which may be greater than what can be captured with the normal lenses.
- Supreme Night Photography: When using night mode, ultrawide lenses are very efficient in low light conditions, but one may need to ensure that the phone does not move to attain the best results.
An ultrawide camera expands the creativity of a smartphone, and people with such a device do not have to stick to the same old routines as with a conventional camera.
Top Ultrawide Camera Smartphones to Consider
Here are some of the best ultrawide camera smartphones that you can go for:
| Smartphones With Ultrawide Camera | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | This model was launched in January 2025 and it comes with a 50MP ultra wide lens with brightness of f/1.7 for better low light photography. |
| Google Pixel 9 Pro | The best highlight of this phone is its AI-enabled 48MPl ultrawide camera that produces high-quality images. |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | Comes with an ultrawide lens of 48MP, aperture of f/2.2 and a focal length of 13mm, which offers the best shots. |
| OnePlus 13 | It has an ultrawide lens of 48MP that provides a wide field of view with vibrant picture quality. |
| Xiaomi 14 Ultra | Features a 50MP ultrawide lens with a 128° field of view and macro mode, ideal for landscape and macro photography. |
Both of these smartphones have a good ultrawide camera that satisfies various shooting requirements and desires.
Capturing Stunning Shots with Ultrawide Camera
It has now become much easier to take beautiful photos with an ultrawide lens on your smartphone. Here are some tips:
- Align Your Subject: Make sure your subject is properly centered so that there is less chances of edges bending or curves being distorted.
- Leading Lines: It is useful to draw lines in the scene that will help to lead the viewer’s attention through the picture.
- Take Different Perspective: As they shoot, they should vary their position to take a low or high shot to make the pictures different.
- Take advantage of the Panoramic Mode: Wide lenses should be used in conjunction with panoramic mode for wide angle shots of the landscape.
- Use night mode: The ultrawide lenses tend to perform poorly in low light conditions therefore avoid using them at night or in poorly lit areas.
If you apply all these techniques, you will improve your photography skills to capture perfect pictures using the smartphone’s ultrawide lens.
Evolution of Ultrawide Cameras in Smartphones
When mobile phones initially started incorporating cameras, they were very basic and only capable of providing low quality images. The idea of incorporating complex features in cameras for the mobile phones was still in a nascent stage.
The first change was carried in 2014 on the HTC One M8 device, and it included a dual camera that enabled depth sensing. This was instrumental in paving way for additional features concerning the camera in the subsequent mobile phone devices.
The year 2018 saw the Huawei P20 Pro come with the rear triple-primary lens that consisted of 20MP ultra-wide lens.
Smartphones of the present generation keep improving themselves with the ultrawide camera. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy A9 also released in 2018 touted the first phone camera system that had four cameras and among the main ones an ultrawide lens has a 120-degree field of view improving the versatility of smartphone photography.
Final Word
The ultrawide cameras on smartphones are quite versatile and amazing to use in capturing photos. They enable you to capture more of the scene and different angles in a given scene, which is ideal for landscapes and group photographs. It should be stated that despite the possible edge distortion, there are much more advantages in their terms. Since innovation in smartphone technology is constantly on the rise, ultrawide cameras are only going to get better in the future and therefore, it would be great for those who are keen photographers.
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