Test results

What three phones can actually do: dim the light, run both cameras, go ultrawide

By Andre Gaz, developer of InspectCam · Published 24 September 2026 · Last updated 24 September 2026

Spec sheets don't list any of this, and most of the "which phones support it" lists online are guesses. These results come from running InspectCam (the app I build, on Google Play) on each phone, reading back what the phone's camera hardware reported, and then checking that the behaviour on screen matched.

The results

Three phones is a small sample, and this page will say so every time it is quoted. It is still enough to show the thing that matters: you cannot read these capabilities off a spec sheet. The phone has to be asked.

Dimming the light

Android 13 gave apps a way to set the flashlight to a brightness level instead of just on or off. Whether a phone can do it is a number its camera hardware reports: the maximum flashlight brightness level. Android's reference is explicit that a value of 1 means brightness control is not supported.

The Pixel 6a reports more than one level, so the LED can be turned down. The Pixel 4a 5G reports one, even though it runs Android 13, the release that introduced the feature. The Galaxy S21, two Android versions newer, also reports one.

This matters more for inspection than it sounds. At close range a full-power LED blows out anything shiny, wet or metallic. On a phone that can't dim its LED, the practical fixes are to hold the phone further back and zoom in, or to light the subject from the side. The screen, used as a light for the front camera, can always be dimmed, because it is just the display.

Both cameras at once

Since Android 11 an app asks the camera service which cameras may stream together, and the phone answers with a list of pairs. The Pixel 6a and the Galaxy S21 returned a front and rear pair. The Pixel 4a 5G returned nothing, so on that phone no app can show both cameras. The full explanation is in why some phones can't use both cameras at once.

The ultrawide, from inside an app

All three phones have an ultrawide lens. Only two let an ordinary app reach it.

An app normally sees the rear cameras as one combined camera with a zoom range. Android's reference defines what the bottom of that range means: if the camera can zoom out from 1×, its minimum zoom is below 1.0, and zooming below 1.0 widens the view. Both Pixels report a minimum below 1×, so zooming out lands on the ultrawide.

The Galaxy S21 reports a minimum of exactly 1×. Samsung exposes that phone's ultrawide as a separate camera rather than as part of the zoom range, so an app that uses the standard zoom path stops at 1×. Samsung's own camera app still uses the ultrawide directly. If a third-party app on your Galaxy won't go wider than 1×, this is the reason, and it isn't a fault in the app.

Why no rule predicts it

Line the three phones up by any obvious property and they refuse to sort.

• Android version. The Pixel 4a 5G is on the release that introduced brightness control and can't use it. The Galaxy S21 is two releases newer and can't either.
• Brand. The two Pixels disagree on two of the three capabilities.
• Hardware on the spec sheet. The Galaxy S21 has an ultrawide lens and apps still can't zoom out to it.

Each capability is decided by what the phone's camera hardware, and the software its maker wrote for it, chooses to report. That is why the only trustworthy answer comes from the phone itself.

Checking your own phone

• Dimming. A camera information app from Google Play that lists camera characteristics will show a value called android.flash.info.strengthMaximumLevel. Above 1 means the LED can be dimmed. Exactly 1 means it can't.
• Both cameras. See how to find out about your phone.
• The ultrawide. Open any third-party camera app and pinch out. If it stops at 1× while your phone's own camera goes wider, your phone keeps the ultrawide outside the zoom range apps use.

Send us your result

This table only grows with real tests. If you've checked a phone, email support@inspectcam.app with the exact model number (Settings, then About phone), the Android version, and what you saw. Results that contradict this page are the most useful ones. The borescope compatibility list follows the same rule: nothing goes in until it has actually been run.

Questions people ask

Why can't I change my flashlight brightness on Android?

Because your phone's camera hardware reports a single brightness level for its LED. Android 13 added brightness control, but only phones whose hardware reports more than one level support it. Of three phones tested here, only the Pixel 6a did; the Pixel 4a 5G on Android 13 and the Galaxy S21 on Android 15 did not.

Why can't third-party camera apps use the ultrawide on my Samsung?

On the Galaxy S21 tested here, the combined rear camera that apps use reports a minimum zoom of 1x, so an app using the standard zoom path cannot go wider. Samsung exposes the ultrawide as a separate camera, which its own camera app uses directly.

Which phones support both cameras at once?

Of three phones tested, the Pixel 6a and the Galaxy S21 did and the Pixel 4a 5G did not. It depends on the camera hardware rather than the Android version, so the dependable test is to try it on the phone in your hand.

Does a newer Android version add these features?

Not on its own. The Pixel 4a 5G runs Android 13, the release that introduced flashlight brightness control, and still cannot dim its LED. Each capability depends on what the phone's camera hardware reports.