Rumour has it that Samsung could be developing a smartphone camera with massive 1/1.7inch type sensor and an equally mind-boggling f/1.4 lens, but don’t expect it to appear in the forthcoming Galaxy Note 6 as it battles with the anticipated iPhone 7 Pro.
According to a report at Photo Rumors these new camera components will form part of a highly-aggressive smartphone camera development roadmap for Samsung, a road eventually leading to the impressive specs above. A bigger sensor increases the amount of light that can be captured, and therefore plays a very significant role in the overall picture quality a camera can deliver - especially in low light situations.
However, there’s no way such a camera module would fit inside a phone with anything like the dimensions of any future Galaxy S8 or even Galaxy Note 6 handsets.
A 1/1.7” type sensor wouldn’t be the largest ever camera sensor in a smartphone, that accolade belongs to the
Although technically a fully functional smartphone, the DMC-CM1 is marketed as a camera with phone capabilities rather than the other way around. To find a bona fide smartphone with a sensor anywhere near the size of Samsung’s rumoured monster, we have to go back to 2013 and
Way too big for a “normal” handset
Barring any new game-changing lens technologies, an f/1.4 lens paired with Samsung’s 1/1.7” type sensor would require a camera module almost as bulbous as that of the ancient Nokia 808. However, you cut it, we’re looking at one big camera bulge - one which certainly wouldn’t fit with the design philosophy of a slender smartphone like the Galaxy S7. Several compact cameras, such as
The sensor is described as a 1/1.7inch “type” as camera sensor sizes actually follow a rather outdated system based on the dimensions of old video camera cathode ray tubes. The 1/1.7” designation refers to the diameter of such a tube, but only a much smaller area of the tube is actually useful for imaging and it’s this smaller area which defines the physical size of the sensor. The actual dimensions of a 1/1.7” type sensor are in fact only 7.6mm by 5.7mm.
Dual cameras are a better alternative for consumer phones
There is, of course, another way to increase the total sensor surface area, and that’s to use multiple sensors. Dual camera solutions have come and gone with varying levels of success.
Perhaps the most polished implementation at the moment is found in Huawei’s P9 handset, which features a pair of Leica-branded rear-facing imagers which more than double the camera’s total light gathering capacity over that of a single-sensor solution. The dual-sensor technique is also the method rumoured to feature in at least one version of
How could Samsung improve upon the Galaxy S7 camera?
Given that a bigger sensor brings with it a whole new set of challenges, it could be the case that Samsung simply doesn’t have a viable dual camera solution ready for the Galaxy S range. This could potentially leave the door open for competitors, such as Apple, to leapfrog the stellar performance of the Galaxy S7.
However there’s still good news on the horizon, as Samsung’s rumoured roadmap also includes a 1/2.3” type sensor which could still bring a nice bump in picture quality, and has to be a likely contender for the Galaxy Note 6.
More On Forbes
New HTC 10 Performance Shocks Galaxy S7 And iPhone 6S
Microsoft's Spooky New Bot Can Automatically Caption Your Photos - Sometimes
Instagram Battles YouTube And Snapchat With Longer Videos
