The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be one of the best Android smartphones this year. It is said to feature, among other things, a dual-camera system on the back to offer better photography experience. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has even said that the Galaxy Note 8 dual-camera setup would be much better than Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus camera system.
Galaxy Note 8 dual-camera system includes two 13MP sensors
A new report coming out of Asia claims that Samsung has decided to use in-house camera sensors on the Galaxy Note 8. According to a Weibo post, the Galaxy Note 8 dual-camera modules will be supplied by Samsung Electro-Mechanics, a sister company of Samsung Electronics. The camera system includes two 13-megapixel sensors working together to enhance image quality.
The Weibo post claims that Samsung Electro-Mechanics is working on not one but three different dual-camera modules. It is unclear where each of them will be used. One module is, of course, for the Galaxy Note 8. The only other Samsung device rumored to feature dual cameras is the Galaxy C10. It is unclear whether the Note 8 would also have two cameras on the front.
Is Samsung going to drop Sony sensors?
The industry source did not reveal whether the Galaxy Note 8 dual-camera system would be placed vertically or horizontally. The rumor mill and concept creators expect the rear cameras to be placed vertically. The Galaxy Note 7 featured Sony’s IMX260 camera sensor, which Samsung had also used on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The latest Galaxy S8 sports Sony’s IMX333 sensor.
It is unclear why Samsung would ditch Sony sensors in favor of an in-house solution. In recent years, the Korean electronics company has been pushing the in-house technologies. It uses the Exynos processors in its flagship phones. Samsung is also reportedly developing proprietary mobile GPUs. Only Samsung knows how the two cameras would work.
Ming-Chi Kuo has received tips from his sources that the Galaxy Note 8 dual-camera setup would include a 12MP wide-angle lens with dual photodiode (2PD), a 13MP telephoto lens, dual 6P lenses, dual OIS and 3x optical zoom. The dual-camera will be Note 8’s “most important upgrade,” claims KGI Securities. Kuo predicts the Note 8 dual-camera would be advanced enough to match Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone 8.
The fingerprint sensor dilemma
Meanwhile, Chinese publication CNMO.com (via SlashLeaks) has published a photo showing the Galaxy Note 8’s rear panel. It has the dual cameras placed vertically. The heart rate sensor and LED flash are positioned below the dual-camera system. Absent from the rear panel is the fingerprint sensor, which sits on the right side of the rear camera on Galaxy S8.
Does it mean that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 would sport in-display fingerprint sensor? Since Samsung has not confirmed anything about the device, there is no way to verify the authenticity of the image. A Samsung executive recently told Naver that the company has decided not to use the in-display solution on Note 8 despite making every effort to implement it because of “technical limitations such as security.”
Samsung had tried to incorporate the fingerprint sensor into the Galaxy S8 display, but the technology wasn’t good enough at the time. Fans were hoping that the in-display fingerprint solution would finally appear on the Galaxy Note 8, which is unlikely to happen if the Samsung executive is to be believed. The exec did not specify where the feature would be positioned. We have seen with the Galaxy S8 that placing it next to the rear camera is not an ideal solution.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 836 to power Galaxy Note 8
Last week, Chinese site ITHome claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 would be the first smartphone to run Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 836 chipset. SD836 is the successor to the current Snapdragon 835, which runs the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. SD836 is said to debut in the second half of this year. It will be an improved version of SD835. Qualcomm had followed a similar pattern last year by releasing Snapdragon 820 and its improved version SD821.
Sources told ITHome that SD836 would be an octa-core, 64-bit processor with a clock speed of 2.5GHz. Its Adreno 540 graphics processor would have a 740MHz clock speed. Snapdragon 845, which would be a significant upgrade over both the Snapdragon 835 and 836, is unlikely to arrive until early 2018.
The Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to feature 6GB RAM, a 6.3-inch Infinity display with Quad HD resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio, Android Nougat, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 3200mAh battery, and an S Pen stylus. Notably, Samsung is testing the Note 8 prototypes with Android Nougat instead of the beta versions of Android O. It is also said to have a “textured Bixby button” to help users differentiate it from the volume down button.
Galaxy Note 8 to be announced in August
Some reports claim that the Note 8 would be unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin. Samsung has announced its Note devices at the IFA in the past, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise. The IFA is set to begin on September 1. However, Korean site The Bell has learned from inside sources that Samsung was planning to hold an Unpacked event in mid-August to unveil the Note 8. The Galaxy Note 7 was unveiled on August 2 and went on sale on August 19th.
