Apple iPhone 7 Plus vs LG V20 Dual Optics Camera Capabilities with Sample Photos

Every time I'd use my LG V20 to take photos of my friends and family on lunch or dinner get-togethers, they'd always ask me to explain what its dual-optics camera can do -- and understandably so. I mean, there aren't too many smartphones out in the market with this rather interesting imaging feature.

One common question is, "Is it practically the same as the dual camera set-up of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus?"

Well, my quick answer to that is, "No, not exactly. In fact, I think they're the complete opposite of each other." Here's why:

Apple iPhone 7 Plus' 12 MegaPixel 28mm f/.8 autofocus main camera is complemented by a secondary 12MP 56mm f/2.8 telephoto lens that work together to give the module two times optical zoom capability.

On the other hand, LG V20's 16 MegaPixel 29mm f/1.8 main snapper comes with an 8MP 12mm f/2.4 wide-angle lens giving you 135-degrees perspective without having to change your shooting spot.

Simply put, the Dual-Optics camera set-up of Apple iPhone 7 Plus lets you zoom in while that of LG V20 lets you zoom out. You can get a more complicated explanation but that more or less captures the essence of it.

To demonstrate that, here are sample low-light shots (with the same subjects) that I took using both smartphone last December 30, 2016 - Rizal Day - at Luneta Park in Metro Manila.

Taken using Apple iPhone 7 Plus

The first shot in each case study was taken as is or with no zoom. The following shot takes advantage of the handset's 2x lossless optical zoom made possible by the secondary telephoto lens.

Case Study #1

Check out those details!

Case Study #2

Here, the 2X optical zoom allowed me to frame my subject better.

Case Study #3

This image highlights the main advantage of this camera set-up as I couldn't physically get near to Rizal's monument to snap a photo as close as this.

Taken using LG V20

The first shot in each case study was taken as is or with no zoom. The following shot takes advantage of the handset's secondary 135-degrees wide-angle lens.

Case Study #1

135-degrees is wider than the field of view of a human's pair of eyes.

Case Study #2

You can use this module to create drama in shots.

Case Study #3

It's also good for making monuments or edifices look more grand.

Side Note: I find the image quality from both smartphones thoroughly impressive -- especially when we consider that I took these shots at night. What do you think?

Alright! Let's talk specs.

The best iPhone yet, aluminum-clad Apple iPhone 7 Plus is equipped with a 5.5-inch Full HD Retina Display, 7 MegaPixel front-facing selfie camera with Full HD video recording capability, 4K main video recorder, 4G LTE support, and a non-removable Li-Ion 2900 mAh battery pack. Inside, it runs iOS 10.2 operating system with a beastly Apple A10 Fusion processor with M10 co-processor delivering industry-leading, ultra-smooth gaming performance, has 3GB of RAM, and offers 32GB/128GB/256GB ROM options.

Supplementary Reading: Apple iPhone 7 Plus Philippines

Protected against the elements, MIL-STD-810G Certified LG V20 features a massive 5.7-inch 2K IPS display, 5MP f/1.9 front cam for selfies, 4K video recorder, Hi-Fi audio recording support, USB Type C port, and removable 3,200 mAh Li-Ion battery pack. Under the hood, it runs its LG UX-skinned Android 7.1 Nougat OS with a Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 processor, has 4GB of RAM, and comes with 64GB of expandable storage.

Both battleship smartphones are now officially available in the Philippines. Apple iPhone 7 Plus prices start at roughly Php 45,000 while LG V20 goes for around Php 38,000.