Most modern smartphones have several rear cameras designed for different purposes.

But what exactly is a depth camera, and does it really matter?

What Is a Depth Camera?

Samsung Galaxy A53 camera array

Depth cameras on smartphones aren’t like most of the other cameras on phones.

Some iPhone models also have a “TrueDepth” camera, which is primarily used forFace IDfacial recognition.

The only time TrueDepth is used for photography is when using Portrait Mode on the front-facing camera.

Depth Effect in the Camera app on iPhone.

Portrait Mode works well on the Galaxy S21, even though it doesn’t have a dedicated depth camera.

Do I Need a Depth Camera?

So, should you be looking for a phone that has a depth camera?

There’s a simple answer: nope.

Depth camera test on Samsung Galaxy S21

Portrait Mode works well on the Galaxy S21, even though it doesn’t have a dedicated depth camera.

Using other lenses for depth effects has one significant benefit – the other lenses are more useful.

It mostly comes down to psychology.

One example of this trend is theGalaxy A03s, a budget phone from Samsung.

It has three cameras, but only the main 50 MP sensor is useful.