The Galaxy Note 10 will let you zoom on sound in videos

Samsung has finally graced us with the new smartphones from the Note series and as usual, they’re some of the most capable smartphones right now. We’ll talk about the features of the Note 10 and 10+ in-depth over the next few weeks and probably even months, but for now, we only have quick hands-on impressions and all the information Samsung gave us during its presentation. There is one curious new feature that might get lost in the flurry of the announcement but we find it exciting and decided to bring it to your attention.

We’re talking about something Samsung calls “Zoom-in Mic”. Zoom-in Mic works in tandem with the regular video zoom of the Note 10’s camera and what it does is enhancing the sound that’s coming from that particular place on which you’re focusing on. Imagine filming a street performer on a busy street, by zooming in on him, the Note 10 will tune out all the street noise and amplify the sound coming from the instrument. At least that’s the theory.

The examples Samsung showed during the presentation and the one it has on its website don’t give a good idea of how well the feature will work since there’s only one source of sound in the video and it just becomes louder. It’s definitely something that’s worth testing but if it does indeed work as advertised it would be a great testament to Samsung’s engineering prowess.

One use of this feature that probably comes to mind to most of you is eavesdropping by amplifying a conversation held in the distance. And while that’s obviously something you can try doing, we doubt this first implementation will work that well. Plus, having to point your phone at someone so you can spy on them doesn’t really scream “stealth”.

We find the mic zoom being tied to the picture zoom somewhat limiting. What if you want to record a video of someone speaking in front of an audience and want to focus the sound recording on him but still capture the stage they’re on? Perhaps in a feature version of this functionality, we’ll get to choose the area where the mics should be focused separately from the video feed.

It seems manufacturers are still able to surprise us with features even if they’re not exactly groundbreaking or something that will make your life significantly better. Even so, we’re always happy to see such small surprises that haven’t been spoiled by numerous leaks weeks before the release of the device.