[THE INVESTOR] Korean smartphone makers have released smartphones with three or more rear cameras in line with rising demand from the industry for handsets with premium photography features.

Samsung Electronics showcased the Galaxy A9 smartphone earlier this week, which marked its first handset to come with a whopping four rear cameras.

The Galaxy A9 comes with a 24-megapixel main shooter, along with a 10-megapixel telephoto, 8-megapixel wide-angle and a 5-megapixel depth camera, with emphasis on creating excellent depth of field. It also sports a 24-megapixel selfie camera.

The new device is significant as its price tag is expected to be around 700,000 won (US$612), which is relatively low compared to the flagship Galaxy Note 9 that hovers above 1 million won.

Samsung also introduced the Galaxy A7 smartphone with three rear cameras last month.

Industry watchers said Samsung’s move to apply multiple cameras on midrange models reflects its strategy to cope with Chinese rivals in emerging markets.

LG Electronics, Samsung’s smaller Korean rival, also introduced the V40 ThinQ smartphone earlier this month with three rear cameras. The smartphone has standard, telephoto and wide-angle lenses on the back, along with two more selfie cameras.

Korean tech giants have been facing challenges in overseas markets amid the rise of Chinese rivals.

Huawei Technologies, which brought a smartphone with three cameras under spotlight in the first half by introducing the P20, plans to showcase another triple-camera handset, the Mate 20, later this month.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)