Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 both will feature dual-cameras [REPORT]

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A new report suggests that Samsung will implement a dual-camera system when the Galaxy Note 8 emerges. This feature had been strongly linked with the Galaxy S8 earlier this year, but Samsung decided against including it in its flagship smartphone. This would seem to be a wise move, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Korean corporation to distinguish between its two main device ranges.

Media in Samsung’s native South Korea has reported that the consumer electronics giant is already preparing to include dual-camera technology in the Galaxy Note 8. This comes just days after reports from East Asia indicated that Samsung will also be releasing a refurbished version of the Galaxy Note 7 as well. Clearly the company believes that there is still a great deal of mileage in this somewhat discredited product range.

Galaxy Note 8: FinFET coming

It is also likely that Samsung will include its 10nm FinFET LPP technology in the Galaxy Note 8, having outlined this technology in recent public statements. This reportedly delivers a 10 per cent performance increase and a further 15 per cent in efficiency. This could assist the Korean manufacturer in including a more powerful camera in the Galaxy Note 8, safe in the knowledge that it would be balanced out by this power-saving innovation.

But it is debatable whether Samsung will increase the megapixel rating included in the Galaxy Note 8, as the corporation has instead concentrated on improving features rather than specs in recent releases. While many Samsung fans would probably welcome an increase in the 12-megapixel resolution included in the Galaxy Note 7, we should not expect this to be forthcoming.

Photography has become increasingly important in the mobile space, and Samsung has earned its reputation as a particularly esteemed purveyor of this technology. Both the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series have performed particularly capably in photography in recent releases, and thus Samsung will be looking to build on this in order to stay ahead of the pack.

This will require the Galaxy Note 8 to deliver some serious functionality, as some of Samsung‘s rivals are already being linked with some outstanding camera technology for 2017. This could see the Korean corporation particularly focused on virtual reality with its next generation phablet, as the dual-camera feature will enable this to be delivered.

iPhone 8 VR focus

While virtual reality has yet to become an entirely mainstream technology, the PlayStation VR headset has achieved significant market penetration, while the Oculus Rift project has also proved popular with PC users. This means that the time could be ideal for Samsung to move into the VR niche with the Note 8, particularly as it has already committed itself to this technology with the Gear VR headset. And murmurs from East Asia suggest that LG Innotek has acquired the order to supply the 3D facial recognition cameras that will be included in the iPhone 8.

This latter whisper suggests that Apple will embrace the augmented technology that it has publicly expressed enthusiasm about previously. The CEO of the Californian company, Tim Cook, previously noted that Apple is excited about the potential of augmented reality, and that it fits with its goals for the iPhone range far more neatly than VR.

Whether this will impact upon the quality and functionality of the iPhone 8 camera is debatable, but it is known that the supplier is already involved in the iPhone range by delivering the dual-lens camera modules for the iPhone 7 Plus.

iPhone 8
FunkyFocus / Pixabay

New Facility

But reports from Korea suggest that LG Innotek has set up this new facility because the modules included in the iPhone 8 will be both front-facing and smaller than the previous devices in the series. It is also notable that 3D facial recognition technology is significantly more sophisticated than its 2D equivalent, enabling much improved accuracy to be delivered.

Apple is likely to be utilizing this 3D version of facial recognition as it will deliver a superior experience to the existing Galaxy S8. Many users have observed that the system can be relatively easily deceived, and Apple will clearly hope to resist this tendency with the dual-camera included in the iPhone 8.

With the 3D modules included in the potential iPhone 8 camera, the security of this device will be greatly enhanced. This is bound to be emphasized in advertising for the iPhone 8, and the ball will be very much in Samsung’s courts to deliver something of the same quality and safety.

Apple acquired Israeli startup RealFace in February, and ever since then it has been expected that the corporation would instigate some form of facial recognition in the near future. RealFace claims its algorithms can recognize faces with 99.67 per cent success rate, which significantly outperforms even the human eye.

Technical issues

This will certainly put pressure on Samsung, as the East Asian company has experienced technical issues with components related to its cameras previously. This inability to overcome those difficulties means that the Galaxy S8 featured almost exactly the same camera already included with the Galaxy S7 Edge, considered a disappointment by some Android users.

However, it now seems likely that Samsung will have ironed out any dual-camera difficulties by the time that the Galaxy Note 8 is released. Images had been posted online ahead of the release of the Galaxy S8 suggesting that this device would feature a dual-lens camera, so it is obvious that the Korean corporation has been moving in this direction for some time.

Yet reports have also suggested that Samsung will tease the dual-camera set up in the Galaxy Note 8 by including it in a Galaxy C release before the phablet arrives. This has been reported on by ValueWalk previously, and should it come to fruition then we will get a sneak preview of the dual-camera when the more affordable Galaxy C series arrives.

This all adds up to an interesting year for smartphone cameras.

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