Samsung Galaxy S11+ Might Feature 'Space Zoom' Camera

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S11+ smartphone just might feature the best camera setup of any smartphone to date, if the rumors are true.

Korean tech giant Samsung is expected to release a new series of flagship smartphones early next year. The devices, all of them under the Galaxy S11 line, are expected to have better specs compared to their predecessors.

One of these handsets, the top-of-the-line Galaxy S11+, is expected to feature the best smartphone camera setup the tech company plans to release at the moment. Previous reports revealed that the new handset features a rear camera module that will house up to five cameras, each of them unique and designed to do something different from the other.

Bloomberg previously reported that one of these cameras will be a 5x optical zoom camera. A new leak from noted tipster Ice Universe reveals that this is a periscope camera with a module small enough to fit in a smartphone.

This information might not sound so farfetched. Phone Arena reported that earlier this year, the Korean tech giant acquired Corephotonics, an Israeli company that worked with Chinese smartphone company Oppo to create the periscope system it used on its 10x lossless zoom system. Samsung's acquisition might've provided it with the knowledge it needed to create the new periscope camera.

If the Bloomberg report and Ice Universe leak proves true, Samsung will gain a very clear advantage over other smartphone makers and sellers in the U.S. as most smartphones that have such a camera feature are only available outside America.

What's more, the Galaxy S11+'s new 5x periscope zoom camera, combined with Samsung's 108MP ISOCELL camera and the rumored 2x optical zoom telephoto lens that will come with the device, will allow users to enjoy a feature that could be marketed as “Space Zoom,” Phone Arena noted. This feature uses all of the rear cameras to result in “50x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom.”

Aside from these cameras, the Galaxy S11+ is also expected to feature a Time Of Flight (TOF) sensor as well as a new “Bright Night” camera dedicated for night-time photography. These features seem to indicate that Samsung is bent on overtaking other smartphone companies, particularly Apple, in the photography game.