Samsung’s next big camera upgrades could completely skip over the Note 10
A series of leaks has now indicated that the Samsung Galaxy S20 will come packed with improved camera specs — but it’s looking like the Note 10 will miss out.
The Galaxy S20 has been rumoured to include an upgraded sensor and 5x optical zoom − that’s according to the prolific tipster Ice Universe. But this big upgrade is reportedly going to skip over the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, which might make the upcoming launch a bit of a damp squib − at least, for any consumers who were hoping for big camera improvements.
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The slated new sensor should be capable of capturing even more detailed images than the current sensor, replacing the 1/2.55-inch 1.4um CMOS currently present on the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy Note 9. It’ unclear why the Note 10 will apparently miss out on this upgrade, but we’re looking forward to seeing it in action with the S20.
Galaxy Note10 is Samsung's last 1/2.55-inch 1.4um CMOS flagship phone. Samsung has been using it for 4 years. Starting next year, Samsung S11 will adopt a new large-size large-pixel CMOS.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 29, 2019
The second improvement that Samsung has in the pipeline is optical zoom. This doesn’t come as a surprise, because we’ve noticed big advances being made in this area from the likes of the Huawei P30 Pro and the OnePlus 7 Pro.
But what is surprising is that the 5x optical zoom is also expected to skip over the Galaxy Note 10, and is more likely to be found on the A series. This would put the Note at a significant disadvantage compared to its flagship competitors.
Although Samsung has developed and mass produced 5x optical zoom camera, but Samsung will not use it for flagship phones, maybe the future A series will adopt, maybe. The greater possibility is for external sales to Chinese brands.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 29, 2019
IceUniverse has also claimed that Samsung has developed a 10x optical zoom, though it sounds this tech is likely to stay on the workbench; adding this feature to your smartphone would make it unreasonably thick and, perhaps understandably, it appears that Samsung has decided against releasing it for now.
Samsung has considered the 10x optical zoom phone project not long ago, which is stronger than the P30Pro's 5x, but it was eventually cancelled because it is too thick and doesn't look like a phone. If you give up the thin body because of this, this is what Samsung does not want
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 29, 2019
These latest leaks have given us plenty of food for thought, but also serve as an advance notice — the Note 10 camera is unlikely to change much from the S10, so if photography is your priority it might not be worth upgrading just yet.
We have to hope Samsung has got other tricks up its sleeve to make sure the Note 10 launch goes off with a bang rather than a whimper.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.