KGI Securities Reveals Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Dual Camera Details

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Samsung has confirmed that its next-gen flagship Galaxy Note 8 would be unveiled next month. It is expected to be Samsung’s first smartphone to sport a dual camera system, assuming the Galaxy C10 arrives after the Note 8. The Galaxy C10 is also rumored to feature a dual camera setup on the back. In a research note to investors, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed key details of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 dual camera setup.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 dual camera to be better than iPhone 7 Plus

Ming-Chi Kuo is best known for his Apple-related predictions. He predicted in April that the Note 8 would feature a dual camera that would be far superior to the iPhone 7 Plus. In his latest research note obtained by MyDrivers, Kuo says the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 dual camera will support 3x optical zoom. That’s higher than the iPhone 7 Plus’ 2x optical zoom.

The well-connected analyst said the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 dual camera would consist of a 13-megapixel wide-angle lens coupled with dual photodiode (2PD) and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and dual 6P technology. Both sensors will support optical image stabilization (OIS). The iPhone 7 Plus has OIS only in the wide-angle lens.

In theory, a 3x optical zoom means getting closer to the object. Kuo did not reveal what focal length the Note 8 camera sensors would support. The telephoto lens in iPhone 7 Plus has a 56mm focal length while that in the recently launched OnePlus 5 offers only 36mm focal length. Samsung has not confirmed anything about the Note 8 dual camera. So, these reports should be taken with a bit of skepticism.

However, the Korean company unveiled four new ISOCELL image sensors at the MWC Shanghai event last month. One of them called ISOCELL Dual will support dual camera systems in upcoming smartphones. The timing of the ISOCELL Dual announcement indicates that Samsung is working on the dual camera functionality for the Galaxy Note 8. The new sensors will reportedly be manufactured by Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

Galaxy Note 8 to come in new Deep Blue color

Meanwhile, noted tipster Roland Quandt said in a tweet that Samsung would add a new Deep Blue color option to the Galaxy Note 8. The new color will be available alongside the existing options such as Midnight Black and Orchid Gray. There is also a possibility of other color options, said Quandt. The new color was expected. Last year’s Galaxy Note 7 came in a new Color Blue color, which was later used on the Galaxy S8 line.

Galaxy Note 8 Unpacked event less than a month away

Just a few days ago, Samsung sent out media invites for its Unpacked event on August 23, where it will unveil the Note 8. The event will start at 11 a.m. ET at the Park Avenue Armory in the New York City. Samsung’s teaser image that accompanied the media invite confirms that the event is about the Note 8. The image shows an outline of a smartphone with an Infinity display and an S Pen stylus.

DJ Koh, the head of mobile business at Samsung, said earlier this month that the phablet would be rolled out in two phase. The first phase will begin in early September when the phone will hit the stores in markets like South Korea, the US, the UK, and China. In the second phase, the phone will be rolled out worldwide sometime in October. It would be interesting to see how consumers respond to the Note 7 successor.

All you need to know about the Note 8 specs

The Note 8 is said to sport a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen. That’s a significant jump in screen size from the Galaxy Note 7’s 5.7-inch display. The Note 8 will retain the Galaxy S8’s bezel-less Infinity display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The device would come with an improved S Pen stylus that will support more pressure levels and offer new features like translation and currency conversion.

The Galaxy Note 8 would be powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 8895 processor, which runs the current Galaxy S8 devices. However, the Note 8 units sold in the US and a few other Western markets would run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset. The handset is tipped to pack 6GB RAM, though the Chinese version may feature 8GB RAM.

The rumor mill claims the Galaxy Note 8 will be available in 64GB and 128GB storage options. A few other reports claim there will also be a 256GB storage model. The Note 8 will have a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Samsung was previously rumored to add the in-display fingerprint scanner to the Galaxy S8, but didn’t succeed. It again tried to integrate the optical fingerprint solution into the Note 8 display, but has now decided to drop the feature due to technical and security issues.

Unlike the Galaxy S8 on which the fingerprint sensor was placed next to the rear camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 dual camera and fingerprint sensor will be separated by LED flash and heart rate sensor. Among other things, the Note 8 is rumored to launch with a 3300mAh battery, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, and a dedicated button for the Bixby assistant. The Note 8 battery will be smaller than the 3500mAh battery pack in the Galaxy S8 Plus.

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