HTC 10's latest tease focuses on its mystery camera(s)

The latest in HTC’s cryptic tweets hyping up its latest phone, rumored to be called the HTC 10, turns our focus to its cameras.

The tweet in question reads “World First, World Class, Front and Back. You’ll see.” Along with the text, the image clearly shows off two camera lenses, detailed with silver trim on the outer edge. What could this possibly mean?

Based on the image above, the HTC 10 could have a dual-camera setup, similar in style to the HTC One M8 that came before. Keep in mind that the Duo Camera built into the M8 was a bit misleading, since one of the lenses was reserved only for detecting the depth of the scene, while the other snapped the photo.

It’s hard to tell if the HTC 10 will follow suit with the same tech, or, more preferably, provide a new setup that shoots ultra-wide, hi-res photos. The equal sizing of each lens in the image leads me to believe that both lenses will be used for image capture.

HTC states that it’s bringing “World First” tech to the new device, which could be hinting toward dual front-facing cameras to supplement the two-lens rig on the backside. This, again, could be crucial for shooting wide-angled selfies like the LG V10. But, the implementation of dual cameras on each side could mean something much bigger.

VR might hit the mainstream in a big way

I’m going to get a little crazy here. If you’ve seen the Samsung Gear 360 or the LG 360 Cam, you know that they record 360-degree footage with two wide-angle lenses on polar opposite sides, then the software stitches it all together to make a VR-ready video.

The HTC 10 could actually be the “World First” 360-degree capturing smartphone that feed video straight to the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or any other capable headset, for VR viewing. Considering the intense speed that VR is picking up, it makes sense. Let’s just hope that it will have a microSD card slot for all of that footage.

If true, the new smartphone from HTC would have a mode that kicks on each of the lenses on the front and back. And, hey, with the company’s heavy usage of “10” in its mysterious Twitter campaign, who knows? Maybe each of the four lenses will be 10MP and capable of at least 1080p footage recording.

HTC’s device is rumored to be unveiled on April 19. And whether it’s packing hardware and cameras prepared for VR, or just capable of taking really nice photos, we’re excited to see it finally come out from behind the curtain.