The mobile phone camera has evolved drastically over the years – from a basic addition unable to compete with even entry-level point-and-shoots to an absolute necessity that can rival compact standalone shooters. Smartphone apps allow on-the-fly editing and customization of photos, and an always-on Internet connection makes uploading to social media as seamless as ever.
Camera-centric smartphones are a hot topic lately, with such contenders as the 41MP Lumia 1020 and the 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z1 redefining what a pocket-able device can be capable of. Samsung’s Galaxy S4, and now the Note 3 phablet, both sport a formidable 13MP rear shooter that is aided by tweaks and interesting shooting modes that are baked into the software. Unfortunately, Samsung’s camera received poor marks for low-light photography.
Luckily for mobile shutterbugs, the South Korean tech giant is working on a new camera that will address the low-light issues and more, which is likely to be included in a future Galaxy S5 and Note 4.
Apple proved that megapixels aren’t everything with the new iPhone 5s – maintaining 8MP and instead focusing on increased sensor size and light sensitivity. Samsung will also stick with 13MP for the next camera, tweaking the hardware itself rather than gunning for a Nokia or Sony-esque megapixel count.
“Samsung also boasts of eight times brighter low-light shots, better autofocus mechanism, which also reduces battery consumption. The module measures 10.5 x 10.5 x 5.9 mm, similar to the ones on the brand's existing smartphone cameras, and is expected to offer better Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for full HD video capture as well,” said TechTree.
The powerful OIS (something Apple has yet to include) will help shaky-handed photographers by correcting angular errors up to 1.5 degrees off the mark. “This is impressive considering digital cameras can only fix errors up to 0.7 degrees,” added PhonesReview.
Samsung is a popular outsourcer of components for other major smartphone makers – the company ironically produces arch-rival Apple’s A7 chip, the 64-bit marvel that powers the new iPhone 5s. The new camera will be no exception.
“It has been developing the technology in concert with ‘leading smartphone makers.’ In other words, you won't have to live in Samsung's Galaxy to see the benefits,” reported Engadget.
Samsung is consistently releasing both a Galaxy smartphone and phablet each year – Expect to see the new camera in action by the end of next summer.