Samsung patents six-camera smartphone design, could this be the Galaxy S30?

[midian182]

Forward-looking: Is the next trend in smartphone design to see how many rear cameras they can hold? Yes, if a Samsung patent is any indication. It suggests a future handset that sports not only a massive six cameras, but each one is also individually tiltable.

Samsung applied for the patent, spotted by Dutch site LetsGoDigital (via BGR), back in December, and it was published by the World Intellectual Property Office last week. It describes an array containing five wide-angle cameras with a focal length of 28mm, alongside a telephoto lens and a LED flash.

While we’ve already seen phones with a high number of cameras, such as the five-camera Nokia 9 PureView, Samsung’s patent has an interesting extra element. Each of the six cameras has the ability to move, or tilt, independently, allowing better panoramic shots and bokeh effects. It’s also suggested that the feature will enable better images in poor lighting, improve focus, and offer higher dynamic range.

There are a few potential downsides to a six-camera phone. Tilting lenses sound like another movable element that could be easily broke, and the cameras might have to be housed in a fairly obtrusive block. Plus, as with the Galaxy S20 Ultra and its 108MP, 100X zoom camera, all that tech will push up the price.

As with all patents, there’s no guarantee this one will ever make it beyond the ideas stage and into a real product. Certainly don’t expect it in the Galaxy Note 20, but with megapixel count now appearing less important, perhaps next year’s Galaxy S30 or Note 30 will be a six-lens behemoth.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/85667-samsung-patents-six-camera-smartphone-design-could-galaxy.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

At what point do you reach diminishing returns?

6 cameras?

 

[Uncle Al]

I do like the camera on my phone but 6 seems a bit like over kill, especially when you can buy a dedicated digital camera for the kind of money they are going to want for this phone. Of course now days everybody fancy's themselves a photographer until you ask them something simple like, what are swings and tilts and why are they important to photography ..... the blank stare's are priceless!

 

[Gaara]

Dont get me wrong, I like the galaxy, but the only problem with Samsung is that the support only last 2 years. in the other hand Apple give yup 5 years

 

[Skjorn]

Dont get me wrong, I like the galaxy, but the only problem with Samsung is that the support only last 2 years. in the other hand Apple give yup 5 years

I use the S8 and the last update was Mar 1. That's 2y 10mo of support. They also updated it to OneUI. I don't know about the S7 or older models though.

 

[Lew Zealand]

The S8 only has Android 9 (in Sammy's skin) though and not the current Android 10, so it's already been dropped for current OS support. Older iPhones which aren't getting the current iOS are still receiving occasional security and other updates like your S8, which is weird as that hasn't happened in the past from Apple that I remember, but we have 3 devices stuck at the previous iOS (iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPad Mini 2) which have received 3 (I'm assuming minor) updates in the past year.

 

[Reehahs]

This will probably go on until the whole back of the phone is covered in cameras.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I use the S8 and the last update was Mar 1. That's 2y 10mo of support. They also updated it to OneUI. I don't know about the S7 or older models though.

I have S7 Edge and I believe we get no more security updates now and we are only on Android 8. I’m picking up a second hand iPhone 11 Pro at the end of the year, I’m not touching Samesung again. I would try OnePlus but they don’t officially sell in Australia and phones are missing important features like VoLTE and are ridiculously priced compared to other countries. OnePlus 8 Pro is $1600 grey import. Google’s QC is sh!t and I don’t trust the Chinese phones.

 

[SixTymes]

S21 not S30

 

[Nobina]

I would prefer one camera that has time and effort invested into it to make it good than 16 random-*** cameras that you'll use once to see what it does and then never touch again.

 

[Skjorn]

I have S7 Edge and I believe we get no more security updates now and we are only on Android 8. I’m picking up a second hand iPhone 11 Pro at the end of the year, I’m not touching Samesung again. I would try OnePlus but they don’t officially sell in Australia and phones are missing important features like VoLTE and are ridiculously priced compared to other countries. OnePlus 8 Pro is $1600 grey import. Google’s QC is sh!t and I don’t trust the Chinese phones.

Im pretty sure my S8 got an update recently for VoLTE. I started seeing the label "HD Calling" and now it shows "VoLTE" next to the signal status icons. Calls do sound a bit different now too.

 

[SixTymes]

S21