Consumers often look at the megapixel count of a digital camera as a basis to gauge quality. Of course, those with more than a basic understanding of camera technology know this is a foolish mistake as a number of other factors play into the overall quality of photos you can expect from a camera.
As far as smartphone cameras are concerned, industry leaders have made great strides in overall quality over the years but for many, low-light conditions still present a problem – namely, graininess and blurring. To that end, Samsung has reportedly developed a new 13-megapixel camera module that will drastically improve low-light image quality while keeping power consumption under control.
Specifically, the new hardware is said to allow for low-light photos up to eight times brighter than current modules. What’s more, the internals also have optical image stabilization to help eliminate blurred images. You’d be surprised at how many photos I’ve seen that would be so much better if the camera was just held still. Even slight movement combined with a slow shutter speed can introduce a tiny bit of motion blur and wreck a picture.
The new module will go into production early next year and could find its way into successors for the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy S 4, among other phones. With CES 2014 only a few months away, we might even see the new camera tech crop up in a couple of smartphones on the show floor in Las Vegas.
