Samsung may have confirmed new Galaxy S9 camera tech
With every new flagship release, manufacturers typically like to tout improvements made to their device’s photo taking capabilities. A phone’s camera is arguably one of the most important factors when choosing a new smartphone and one of the few areas where noticeable improvements can still be made. It’s not always the biggest difference (as we saw moving from the Galaxy S7 to the S8) but the Samsung Galaxy S9 could be looking to bring something new to the table.
We already saw from a leaked photo of the Galaxy S9’s box that Samsung is equipping the device with a “Super Speed” 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with OIS, support for variable aperture, and Super Slow-mo. That last part is important. You may remember rumors that the S9 would feature up to 1,000fps slo-mo video capture, rivaling the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, well it looks like it wasn’t far off.
Looking at Samsung’s website, they’re making a lot of noise about their new “3-stack FRS” ISOCELL camera tech which can record 430fps in 1080p Full HD. Although it wasn’t mentioned, it seems likely that it could be capable of capturing even slower-motion video at 720p (probably around 960fps). But super slow-mo video is only the half of it. Samsung also says the camera Super Phase Detection auto focus. It’s supposed to be an improvement over regular PDAF in that it can lock onto fast moving objects more quickly, even in low lighting conditions.
Now Samsung didn’t come out and say this new ISOCELL camera will be featured on the Galaxy S9, but usually they start bragging about new tech like this as a way to tease the device ahead of time. Considering the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will look extremely similar to last year’s model, we’re hoping for more under-the-hood changes like this. With Mobile World Congress 2018 kicking off next month, we’ll know for sure then.