Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Patent Points To Dual-Camera Inclusion

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The Galaxy Note 8 from Samsung will undoubtedly be one of the most important releases in the history of the Korean company. This phablet must take up the reins from the Galaxy Note 7, recalled after it exploded on a frequent basis. This means that Samsung must deliver an outstanding device when the Galaxy Note 8 is released, in order to reinvigorate this damaged brand.

With the Galaxy Note 8 expected sometime later in the year, there has been a good deal of speculation regarding what we can expect from Samsung. And the latest leak suggests that the consumer electronics giant will include a dual-camera setup in its next generation phablet.

Samsung investment

This seemed likely considering the investment of Samsung in Core Photonics, with this company having focused on dual-lens technology. There have been other morsels of information that have suggested the Korean corporation is thinking of updating the camera in the Galaxy Note 8, but new information from Korea begins to solidify this impression.

A leaked schematic last week had given no indication of the dual-lens camera provision of the Galaxy Note 8, but a leaked patent from Korea has shed some light on the probable dual-camera module that Samsung is developing.

The patent in question depicts two sensors housed in a slim chassis, with the text accompanying it indicating that this can be utilized for collecting more photons. This will be invaluable for improving the low-light shooting capabilities of the device; one of the primary arguments for including dual-cameras in the first place.

Aside from the photographic capabilities of the Galaxy Note 8 in darker conditions, it is also suggested that dual-cameras will assist with 3D mapping and distance measurements. This suggests some sort of map-related functionality, such as that included in Google’s hugely popular Maps program.

Galaxy Note 8 patent

The patent was not written in the English language, but makes reference to magnets, access and lens alignments, suggesting that optical image stabilization will be part of the camera’s portfolio of features. There could also be a zooming solution included based on this information, suggesting that the features included in the Galaxy Note 8 camera will be upgraded significantly.

Recent information has suggested that Samsung will not risk dual-lens technology in the forthcoming Galaxy S8 flagship, so it could be considered slightly surprising that such a decision will be made with the Galaxy Note 8. But Samsung could have been preparing this technology for some time, and there has recently been a tendency to save the best features in the Samsung armory for the Galaxy Note range.

Galaxy Note 7 plans

Interestingly, Samsung may also be resurrecting the Galaxy Note 7, with reports suggesting that the Korean company has plans for the leftover handsets from this doomed generation. Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have been putting Samsung under pressure to do something constructive with the Galaxy Note 7 rejects, and the plans of the corporation have now finally been announced.

Although some of these handsets will be scrapped, with any useful components being harvested, and metals extracted in an eco-friendly fashion before destruction, Samsung has other plans as well. It seems that the company will attempt to refurbish an unspecified number of the handsets, before selling them back to consumers or utilizing them as rental devices. The Galaxy Note 7 lives once more!

Samsung has provided no specific details on this scheme, other than the basic intention, but a statement from the company does outline the policy. “Regarding the Galaxy Note 7 devices as refurbished phones or rental phones, applicability is dependent upon consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers as well as due consideration of local demand. The markets and release dates will be determined accordingly,” Samsung states.

Meanwhile, components such as semiconductors and camera modules will be detached from the discarded stock by companies who typically specialize in such tasks. The intention is to use these devices for test sample production purposes, with Samsung also extracting precious metals such as copper, nickel, gold and silver for leftover component recycling.

There certainly will not be a major relaunch of the Galaxy Note 7 concept; the phone is simply too discredited for this to occur. But it seems that all is not lost for the disastrous exploding device.

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