Remember those rumors sourced from the Chinese tech blogosphere that the Galaxy S8 may come with a new custom Sony camera sensor, tagged as IMX333. At the time, it seemed a bit improbable, given that this sensor is not in Sony's official Exmor lineup of mobile sensors, and that the camera was rumored to be the same as on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Moreover, last year the 12 MP camera that found its way in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge uses two sensor models - either Samsung's own S5K2L1 ISOCELL unit, or a piece by Sony, marked as IMX260.
A quick look at a system info app reveals that Samsung uses two types of sensors - its own and Sony's - this year for the Galaxy S8 as well, but the Sony sensor is listed as... you guessed it... IMX333. The new 8 MP front camera also uses either Sony IMX320, or a Samsung sensor. Sony, as the world's largest phone camera sensor maker, often does custom orders for huge clients like Apple or Samsung, and then the manufacturers tack on optics and image processing of their own, for a completely individualized experience. Thus, the improved low-light and anti-blur abilities that Samsung is touting may be a result of precisely that move, along with some new software algorithms.
Samsung's own sensor is coded as S5K2L2 this time, so it seemingly is also a different model than the S5K2L1 that is used in the S7. We made a couple of shots with the S8 against some popular phones, and the pictures from the new flagship came out with a tad brighter exposure, and not as warm and yellowish color balance as from the S7, but we can't comment on any difference in quality before we get the retail version for a review still. Last year, there was a slight difference in photos taken with the Sony or the Samsung sensor, so it will be interesting to see if that trend will hold with the new S8 camera sensors as well.
The photo from the S8 looks somewhat lighter than the one from the S7, showing overall better detail (most obvious in the sandbox)
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: