One hallmark feature of a top of the line smartphone is a powerful camera, a feature that Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note devices have consistently delivered on. With the upcoming Galaxy S8 however, Samsung is putting a lot more focus not just on the rear main camera but on the device’s front facing or selfie cam as well.
In the previous years, the trend when it came to smartphone cameras was that the ones for the rear gets the bulk of image enhancing hardware and software improvements. The front facing camera on the other hand, received relatively minor upgrades, usually in the form of increased pixel resolution. Nowadays however, it’s obvious that this is simply not enough given that while main cameras for premium handsets are approaching full-on digital camera levels of quality, the images that a front camera can capture are a blurry mess in comparison.
According to reports, Samsung aims to solve this problem by adding auto focus functions to the S8’s selfie cam along with the expected pixel bump. One of the main issues why front camera images tend to be really blurry is that they lack proper focus features. But with the auto-focus addition, the Galaxy S8 should be able to capture selfies that are sharper and better than its competition. Additionally, a beefed-up selfie cam and features such as a 4K display, top of the line Qualcomm Snapdragon and Exynos processors, and a fingerprint reader that’s built right into the phone’s display, will certainly help make the upcoming flagship from Samsung a very attractive phone.
Aside from the decision to add auto-focus to the upcoming Galaxy device’s front camera, also interesting is how Samsung plans to achieve this. With rear smartphone cameras, manufacturers utilize voice coil motors to adjust the position of the lenses to produce a sharp image. However, the problem with this set up is that these are also the parts that add bulk to the camera. Samsung’s implementation for their front camera involves actuators that use the encoder method which is much more compact, making it ideal for front camera purposes. This is to be achieved with camera sizes that are as small as possible. This approach also helps ensure that the front side of the premium handsets are as clean and sleek as they can be so as not to ruin the overall design of the device.
While the new addition may result in a higher price tag for the S8, it is quite understandable why Samsung is pulling all stops to innovate on the device. The Note 7 debacle has made a huge dent in Samsung’s pockets and reputation as a top tier smart phone manufacturer. So aside from making sure that the upcoming flagship smartphone is safe and does not explode, the device should also be loaded with features in order to attract not only new customers, but also to somehow re-capture the Galaxy faithful who were disappointed with the GN7.
That being said though, all indications point to the S8, which we could see as soon as this February during Mobile World Congress 2017, is shaping up to be a really cool smartphone and probably the ultimate selfie-taker.
Let’s hope this time around Samsung gets to execute the manufacturing and launch of its new flagship without a hitch.
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