There has been a lot of progress in cameras for smartphones, for very good reasons. And I mean a lot, see the physical design of a modern smartphone lens for ex

There has been a lot of progress in cameras for smartphones, for very good reasons. And I mean a lot, see the physical design of a modern smartphone lens for example. I would guess that laptop cameras got hit with extra protection because they're "too close" to what's considered core intellectual property for a camera-maker. But it's just a guess really.