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The Galaxy S11's 108MP camera may support 8K video and loads more

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Nov 18, 2019, 4:49 AM

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The Galaxy S11's 108MP camera may support 8K video and loads more

Nothing major is expected from the Galaxy S11 in the design department but rumors do suggest Samsung is planning several internal hardware upgrades. One particular focus should be the cameras, which are the subject of today’s leak.

A 108-megapixel main camera that supports 8K video at 30fps

An APK teardown conducted by XDA Developers of the One UI 2.0 beta 4 Samsung Camera app has revealed several references to new hardware and software features that could make their way into the Galaxy S11. One of these is the ability to record 8K video at 30fps, a significant jump over the 4K video at 60/30fps that’s supported by the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10.

This new recording standard is supported by the recently announced Exynos 990, which is expected to power the international Galaxy S11 models, and should be compatible with the upcoming Snapdragon 865, which will be used inside the US versions. But as XDA points out, it requires a main camera that’s capable of capturing 33 megapixels.

Therefore, if Samsung wants to support the feature, it’ll need to ditch its favorite 12-megapixel main camera after four years and eight flagship lineups in favor of a higher resolution one. A concrete reference to the sensor Samsung is preparing wasn’t found but earlier rumors have mentioned a 108-megapixel camera.

Lots of other camera modes are being prepared

In addition to the upgraded video recording, Samsung is working on a bunch of other camera features that’ll improve the experience. The most intriguing one is perhaps a new mode called ‘Single Take Photo’ which allows users to ‘Start shooting to capture the scene in a series of pictures and short videos.’

In other words, you’ll be able to pan around for 15 seconds and the phone will automatically capture several photos and videos of it all, meaning you won’t have to worry about shooting from the perfect angle. The app will tell you to slow down if you’re moving too fast and, once the process is completed, you’ll be able to view everything in the Gallery app as per usual.

Another feature that could prove beneficial to some is one called ‘Director’s View.’ It lets users lock focus on the subject and ‘select who’s in the close up.’ Samsung might further enhance the feature by enabling video recording through multiple cameras simultaneously.

While on the topic of video, it’s worth mentioning Samsung’s plans for a ‘Night Hyperlapse’ mode which presumably integrates Night Mode into the standard Hyperlapse mode. Additionally, the South Korean giant is working on a feature that’ll enable vertical panoramas.

Last, but certainly not least, is custom filters. The APK teardown indicates a new feature that’ll allow users to copy the saturation, brightness, and exposure of photos as a custom filter and paste it onto other photos is in the works.

Premium specs will accompany everything

Some of the features mentioned above could still be killed off before release, but the ones that are released will join a range of flagship specifications if they’re compatible with the Galaxy S11. According to rumors, the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865 will be paired with a minimum of 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage inside the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+. Buyers of the cheaper Galaxy S11e, on the other hand, will probably benefit from 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard.

All three smartphones are expected to feature curved-edge Infinity-O displays that boast punch holes in the center. A 6.9-inch display is reportedly planned for the Plus-branded variant while the cheapest version should feature a 6.2-inch panel. The standard Galaxy S11, on the other hand, looks set to use a 6.7-inch display.

Everything mentioned above will be accompanied by Android 10 and One UI 2.1 straight out of the box and support for fast charging. Rumors suggest a 4,000mAh battery will make its way inside the Galaxy S11e while the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+ may benefit from 4,300mAh and 4,800mAh cells respectively.