Robert Triggs / Android Authority TL;DR Smartphones shipped in Q2 2025 with an average of 3.19 cameras, down from 3.37 a year earlier. Dual-camera setups now lead shipments, while single-camera models are making a comeback. Brands are swapping extra lenses for higher-res sensors and AI-driven photography. Phone makers spent many years racing to cram as many cameras into their handsets as possible. At one point, it wasn’t unusual to see four lenses stuck on the back of a flagship, and it was easy to assume that trend would continue. However, the latest research shows the opposite, with smartphones actually being shipped with fewer cameras for more than three years. The latest report from market tracker Omdia (via Business Wire) shows phones sold in the second quarter of 2025 averaged 3.19 lenses across the front and back. That’s down from 3.37 a year ago, and it’s the 13th quarter in a row that the number has dipped since peaking back in early 2021. The change comes almost entirely from rear cameras, as no manufacturer is taking away the single selfie cam. The most common formula these days is two cameras on the back, which made up 41% of shipments last quarter. Triple cameras were close behind at 36%, while single-camera models have crept back up to 21%, helped by phones like the iPhone 16e. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. Higher resolution and more innovative tech are filling the gap left by those missing lenses. Omdia notes that 50MP-class sensors now dominate at 58% of all shipments, while cameras above 100MP are starting to carve out a niche at 9%. Low-res sensors under 15MP are on a steep decline, sliding to just 12% of shipments compared to more than half of all phones five years ago. In other words, one really good sensor is increasingly replacing the need for several weaker ones. It’s a shift that lines up with what we’ve been seeing in the latest flagships. It’s about quality over quantity, with the real leaps coming from tricks like advanced HDR, in-sensor zoom, and AI-powered low-light photography. Space for cameras is at a huge premium in modern handsets, so doing more with less hardware is becoming the new normal. Follow