Dual cameras, dual batteries, dual motors … Why are there more and more dual-number designs on mobile phones?

yes man, double happiness, double happiness and unparalleled in the world ... It seems that in Chinese dictionaries, most of the words about "double" have beautiful meanings.

the mobile phone field is no exception. As early as the functional machine era, "dual card dual standby" has become one of the important selling points of mobile phones. However, at that time, because the mobile phones equipped with this function were mostly shanzhai phones, the word was not as glamorous as it is now.

as the competition between traffic charges and operators intensifies, consumers' demand for dual-card dual standby is rising instead of falling, and this function is gradually accepted by mainstream manufacturers and becomes the standard of smart phones.

Image from: CNET

Later, mobile phone manufacturers began to make other articles on "Double Camera", and "Double Camera" is a classic case.

HTC G17 and LG Optimus 3D are smart phones equipped with dual cameras earlier. At the beginning of the concept of "double shooting", gimmicks were more than practicality. Shooting 3D video with a mobile phone is a trivial function for most users.

HTC G17 (left) and LG Optimus 3D (right)

Later, the second lens on the back of the mobile phone began to have other functions. For example, the secondary camera of HTC M8 can detect the depth of field, so that users can change the focus when processing photos later. Huawei P9' s secondary photo is a black-and-white lens, which allows users to enhance the photo texture.

for the first time, Apple adopted a dual-camera scheme on the iPhone 7 Plus, and the secondary camera was a telephoto lens equivalent to 5 mm.. Since then, multi-focus post-shooting has become the pursuit of flagship machine, and the number of cameras is increasing.

dual-camera scheme for iphone 7 plus

after the wave of dual-card, dual-standby and dual-camera passed, "double-camera", "double-camera", "double-camera" and "double-camera" became popular. Especially since last year, related concepts have appeared frequently and become the focus of mobile phone manufacturers' publicity.

what's the use of these functions that sound like fog? Is concept greater than practicality? This is an interesting topic.

the first mobile phone with dual speakers is hard to trace. HTC One is an early smartphone equipped with dual speakers. Its hardware advantages, combined with the sound effect of BeastAudio, make HTC One's listening sense far beyond the single speaker mobile phone in the same period.

HTC One(M7)

When it comes to dual speakers, Sony Xperia Z series must also have a name. Thanks to the functions of xLoud and S-Force, it can put out sound effects to overwhelm many smartphones in the same period.

the dual speakers on the mobile phone allow users to enjoy 2.-channel stereo sound in landscape mode. The sense of immersion when watching TV dramas and playing games is also relatively stronger.

when dual speakers began to become the mainstream configuration in flagship machine, their hardware parameters also began to be the object of publicity. For example, Xiaomi 1 Pro and realme X5 Pro all claim to be equipped with "1216 linear speakers", which means their size is 12mm x 16mm, which is relatively large on mobile phones.

In the actual experience, the number and size of speakers really play a decisive role in the external sound effect. For friends who like to listen to songs and play games outside their mobile phones, dual speakers are the configuration of "you can't go back after using them".

Nokia N9 released in 211, in order to achieve a better combination of tactile and virtual buttons, welded a linear motor on the motherboard in advance, but it didn't cause much splash.

Nokia N9 with advanced design

In 215, the combination of X-axis linear motor of iPhone 6S and 3D Touch made consumers pay attention to the seismic experience of mobile phones, which also led mobile phone manufacturers to carefully tune the vibration motor.

from rotor motor to Z-axis linear motor and X-axis linear motor. The vibration motor experience of mobile phones is getting better and better, and the vibration sense is becoming more and more diverse and delicate. Every time you enter text and receive information, it becomes a gentle interaction with your mobile phone.

However, in recent two years, a new concept has been derived from vibration motor: double motor. As the name implies, it is to plug two vibration motors into the mobile phone.

For mobile game lovers, the shock feedback in the game has a significant impact on the game experience. In 22, Lenovo launched the Savior e-sports mobile phone Pro, with an X-axis linear motor on the top and bottom of the fuselage.

the glory of the king's direction wheel and skill icon both support vibration feedback

In our hands-on experience, these two motors can simulate vibration feedback in various games. Whether it's a joystick or a button, it has sensitive and delicate vibration feedback, which smells like a PlayStation gamepad.

after that, the design of dual motors began to be seen in a variety of game phones, such as iQOO 7 released at the beginning of the year. The user portrait of this kind of mobile phone is relatively clear, that is, the performance and the priority of the game are higher.

due to the limitation of motor size, it is hard to say that this kind of mobile phone is light and thin. Are you willing to sacrifice some lightness and beauty for a better game experience?

Lenovo rescuer Pro

Like the dual motors, the dual pressure-sensitive screen also serves a better game experience.

In March, 219, Black Shark took the lead in installing dual-zone screen pressure on Black Shark 2 mobile phone. Simply put, its interactive logic is somewhat similar to Apple's 3D Touch, but it doesn't need special adaptation.

The pressure sense of the black shark is mapped, and users can DIY press the corresponding operation on the screen according to their own habits and preferences. For example, in the game of "Eat Chicken", the left area is mapped as "fire" and the right area is mapped as "aim", so that the action of shooting with two fingers can be realized.

In the glory of the king, the left area can be mapped to open/close the backpack, and the right area can be mapped to buy equipment. In a team war, you can change equipment by pressing the screen for seconds, which is simply an official "plug-in".

in addition to the black shark, the dual pressure sensitive screen is also one of the heavy selling points of iQOO 7. The operation logic is similar to that of Black Shark, and users can set the buttons of pressure-sensitive screen mapping by themselves.

However, the game properties of the dual pressure-sensitive screen are stronger than those of the dual motors, and its application scenarios are limited, so it is doomed that it will not be as popular as dual speakers.

when the screen refresh rate is upgraded from 6Hz to 9Hz, 12Hz and 144Hz, you will find that the battery of the mobile phone is becoming less and less durable.

fortunately, the charging technology of mobile phones is constantly improving. 55W, 65W flash charging technology is gradually decentralized, and some flagship machine has supported 12W flash charging, so basically, the Kung Fu mobile phone will be fully charged after eating a meal.

the design scheme of double batteries is indispensable behind the charging power exceeding 1.

iQOO's double-cell design scheme

Traditional single-cell battery is difficult to maintain the peak charging power for a long time, so it needs to be slowed down in the later stage of charging to protect the battery. And the battery has a limit on the charging current, so it is difficult for the current technology to make the charging power of single-cell batteries exceed 1.

one battery won't work, so two batteries. For example, in 219, OPPO RenoAce launched the 65W SuperVOOC 2. flash charging technology, which uses a double-cell series battery, so that each cell can input 32.5W power at the same time, thus improving the charging efficiency.

The battery module with two batteries in series can not only keep the peak charging power for a long time, but also reduce the risk of battery charging at high power.

although the dual battery looks excellent, it is actually a developing technology, and the most prominent drawback at present is the energy loss in the process of voltage output.

a mobile phone equipped with a dual-cell battery needs to be equipped with a step-down circuit to reduce the output voltage of the battery, and a certain amount of energy will be wasted in this process, which will adversely affect the battery life. But I believe that with the continuous maturity of dual-cell technology, there will be more suitable solutions to solve this problem.

The "serial charging and parallel discharging" scheme of Black Shark mobile phone can reduce the waste of battery energy.

After the "dual camera" has become a thing of the past, "dual main camera" has become the Sina head in the field of mobile phone cameras.

dual main camera means that the mobile phone has two cameras with similar specifications (generally wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle), and the gap in sensor size and imaging quality is relatively small.

It seems that the concept of dual-camera is the first clear selling point of Huawei Mate3 Pro. Its wide-angle camera and ultra-wide-angle camera are both 4 million pixels. The former uses a 1/1.7-inch sensor, and the latter has a sensor size of 1/1.54 inch, which is similar in imaging quality.

if the pixel is taken as the measure, then OPPO Find X2 Pro can also be regarded as a dual camera phone. Its wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses are 48 million pixels, which is good in video shooting and photo shooting.

vivo X6 Pro+, which has just been put on sale, is also under the banner of "dual main camera". The 5-megapixel ultra-large bottom sensor and 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle micro-pan/tilt form a dual-main photographic system.

vivo X6 Pro+ huge two main lenses

However, it is difficult to clarify the concept of dual main lenses. Some people say that Xiaomi CC9 Pro, Samsung S2 Ultra and other models also adopt the dual main camera strategy. Although in terms of parameters, these mobile phones do not have two cameras with very similar specifications.

so what conditions does a mobile phone meet to be called a dual camera? There is no clear boundary at present. It is not as easy to quantify by quantity as double motors and double pressure sensitive screens, and there are often many differences in the specifications and parameters of the two lenses.

in addition, even if the pixels of the two cameras are the same, there is a big gap in imaging quality in many cases. This has something to do with the sensor model, lens module and tuning optimization. From this point of view, there are still many subjective elements in the name of "double-subjective photography"

the ultra-wide angle of oppo find x2 pro is similar to the size of the wide-angle lens

dual screen, dual antenna, dual 5G, dual-layer motherboard ... there are still many designs about the "dual" of mobile phones. In fact, behind these names, a big reason is for the effect of advertising marketing.

double corresponds to single, for example, double card corresponds to single card. "Double" is not only grounded and conducive to memory, but also shows the characteristics of "no one has me, and many people have me". Spending the same money can get more, which is undoubtedly more attractive to consumers.

moreover, some designs really improve the user experience. Dual speakers allow users to enjoy a better audio-visual experience; Double motors and double pressure-sensitive screens are sharp tools for gamers; The dual-cell design solves the problem of flash charging of mobile phones.

Glory to the V4

However, designs such as "dual main camera" and "dual screen" are still more conceptual than practical at present.

For example, in the poster of Huawei Mate3 Pro, besides "dual main camera", there are slogans such as "dual 4 million", "dual OIS" and "dual super photosensitive sensor". The purpose is to facilitate consumers' memory and enhance the publicity effect.

Meizu Pro 7, a dual-screen mobile phone with the slogan "Double eyes are like a small window, and beautiful scenery is vivid", has also been forgotten by the market because of the lack of rich usage scenarios. Recently, the Xiaomi 11 oversized cup exposed by foreign media is also suspected of adopting the design of front and rear dual screens, but we don't know whether it will repeat the mistakes of Meizu.

this kind of "even number" design is increasing, which also reflects the improvement of the manufacturing technology level of the mobile phone industry. In the thinner body, more functional designs are accommodated, and the degree of precision and integration of mobile phones is constantly improving.

Lenovo Savior Pro's "Multi-Double Layout"

Perhaps when the level of the mobile phone industry goes further, we will see designs such as "three main cameras" and "four batteries". The release of Xiaomi's "four-curved waterfall screen" concept machine has proved that mobile phones are developing in this direction.