When Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus, one of the selling points he took the time to disclose was that the iPhone 7 Plus came with a dual camera. It was the first time for the Cupertino-based company to incorporate this type of technology, thereby edging the phone's camera feature beyond the competition.

A Brief History Of The Apple Camera

As The New Yorker notes, cameras in handhelds were not always such a priority. But with the birth photo sharing sites like Instagram and Facebook, it became more and more relevant. It mattered how good a camera was, of course, but it mattered more how within reach it was.

So as photo sharing became more and more popular, smartphone manufacturers - particularly Apple - set their eyes to developing the built-in camera.

The Dual Lens Camera Of The iPhone 7 Plus

The publication claims that the iPhone 7 Plus camera, specifically, has not only caught the eyes of casual point-and-shoot photographers, but has also taken the attention of professionals.

The unit's camera has two lenses. One, which is a 28mm -equivalent and 12-megapixel lens and another that is a 56mm.-equivalent, 12-megapixel telephoto lens. Furthermore, Apple packed it in with plenty of features. These include longer exposures, better aperture, as well as the option to shoot in digital negatives.

Taking The Dual Lens To The Future

There is then no question why Apple wants to take this feature further, particularly in its upcoming anniversary unit. The iPhone 8 is expected to sport the exact same camera system at least.

As 9to5Mac reports, however, that the dual lens camera will remain exclusive to the higher-end model of the upcoming iPhone. This is because, while it is a stellar piece of technology, it does not come cheap. There are grand costs that come with the installation of a secondary camera.