At least one early prototype of the Galaxy S8 featured dual camera lenses just like the iPhone 7 Plus.

A leaked photo reveals Samsung stacked one camera module on top of the other, rather than side by side — but obviously decided against this design for the final model.

The iPhone 7 Plus’s dual camera is one of its biggest advantages over the smaller iPhone 7. It not only allows for 2x optical zoom — a feature we rarely see in smartphones (especially thin ones) — but also that super-cool Portrait shooting effect.

As soon as iPhone 7 Plus made its debut, we knew rival smartphones with similar dual-lens cameras would follow. And we assumed — based on its track record of following Apple’s biggest moves — that Samsung would be one of the first to copy.

It certainly looks like the South Korean company was close to doing just that. A photo posted to Chinese micro-blogging network Weibo, allegedly showcasing an early Galaxy S8 prototype, confirms Samsung tested at least one version of the device with two cameras.

It’s unclear why only one camera made it into the final design. Perhaps Samsung was unable to achieve the same kind of results offered by the iPhone 7 Plus, or it simply had to make room for other components.

One thing we do not see in this photo is the Galaxy S8’s fingerprint scanner, which now sits alongside the rear-facing camera, making room for that larger Infinity Display on the front of the phone. This could be the reason why the second camera was sacrificed.

Samsung almost certainly won’t give up on the dual-camera setup, though. It will want to offer fans the same functionality they can get elsewhere, and so there’s a good chance we’ll see it on the Galaxy Note 8 later this fall.

Via: Android Community