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Huge Galaxy S11 camera upgrades could include 5x optical zoom

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Sep 25, 2019, 11:08 AM

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Huge Galaxy S11 camera upgrades could include 5x optical zoom

The Samsung Galaxy S11 may still be five months away but it’s never too early for some juicy leaks. Recently, information about the in-display fingerprint scanner, range of colors, and even the software has appeared online and now a new report (viaSamMobile) published by The Elec details the Galaxy S11’s all-important camera setup.

Before proceeding, do note that everything below is simply a rumor at this stage. Because of that, it’s worth taking all of the information with a pinch of salt.

Not 12MP, not 48MP, but 108MP for the main camera

Samsung settled for single and dual-camera setups on its 2018 flagships but ultimately chose to switch things up this year after feeling the heat from Huawei. The Galaxy S10 boasts a triple-camera setup as standard while the Galaxy Note 10+ features an impressive four sensors. Next year’s Galaxy S11, according to The Elec, will take things to an entirely new level with some huge improvements.

Replacing the aging 12-megapixel sensor that Samsung has used on its flagships since 2016’s Galaxy S7 is reportedly going to be an all-new 108-megapixel alternative. The latter will be supplied by Samsung itself and was recently featured on the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha concept phone. This particular sensor is much larger than usual smartphone implementations and can, therefore, capture a significant amount of extra light. All of this, in turn, should result in better low-light photography. Samsung may also use pixel binning technology to produce superior 27-megapixel shots.

Expect four cameras

Joining the primary camera will apparently be a Time-of-Flight sensor much like the one found on the Galaxy Note 10+. This should help with AR content and portrait photography because it gathers highly accurate depth data. Also expected is an ultra-wide-angle camera. However, at this stage, there’s no information about the sensor or the accompanying lens.

Forget 2x optical zoom; 5x is the way to go

The Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone 11 Pro both feature support for 2x optical zoom, something that’s now considered pretty standard across the industry. The OnePlus 7 Pro takes things a little further with 3x optical zoom but, ultimately, it’s the Huawei P30 Pro that sets the benchmark.

This phone was first announced back in March and includes support for an incredible 5x optical zoom. Accompanying this is an impressive 10x hybrid zoom and an even crazier 50x digital zoom. The only phone that has been able to replicate this since is the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom but it seems next year’s Galaxy S11 could eventually join the list. According to today’s report, the Galaxy S11 will feature a 5x optical zoom camera supplied by sister company Samsung Electro-Mechanics. The latter already manufacturers Oppo’s telephoto module so impressive results are to be expected.

5x optical zoom just like the Huawei P30 Pro

It’s unclear at this stage what sensor will be used alongside the periscope-like lens but Samsung will undoubtedly combine everything to provide an impressive hybrid zoom that may go beyond the Huawei P30 Pro’s 10x. After all, the extra data gathered by the 108-megapixel main camera could help the company achieve previously unseen levels of zoom on a smartphone.

In addition to the upgraded sensors, Samsung is reportedly planning a new feature that’s quite similar to Apple’s Deep Fusion which is coming to the iPhone 11 Pro later this year. This quickly analyzes a regular photo, four that were taken with a fast exposure, and an additional four that were taken before the shutter button was pressed and then fuses them together. The objective of this is to achieve the best possible photo in the easiest way.