T-Mobile accused of misleading customers with inaccurate camera specs

Several weeks ago, we reviewed the latest myTouch and myTouch Q smartphones for T-Mobile, and one of the things we didn't quite like were their 5-megapixel cameras. Oops, did we say 5-megapixel cameras? Yeah, because that is what is listed on the specs sheets for both devices. Yet in reality, the photos that they snap are of lower pixel count, as a recent blog post at Consumer Reports points out.

Here is what it all breaks down to: the maximum resolution, at which the T-Mobile myTouch or myTouch Q can take photos, is 2560 by 1536 pixels, which translates to a 3.9-megapixel image with aspect ratio of 16:9. Other 5-megapixel cameraphones would usually go up to 2560 by 1920 pixels, which will produce 4.9-megapixel photos with aspect ratio of 4:3. In other words, the two myTouch smartphones crop photographs in order to deliver wide-screen images, but about 1 million pixels are being sacrificed along the way. And that isn't cool.

Yet technically, T-Mobile is not exactly misleading its customers as the myTouch and myTouch Q really do come with 5-megapixel camera sensors; it is the devices' software limitations that are causing all the confusion. On the other hand, it would have been nice if there was a disclaimer letting people know that the photos these smartphones produce aren't what they might expect. What do you, guys, think? 

source: Consumer Reports via IntoMobile