Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S6 And Galaxy S6 Edge To Feature A 20MP Camera Sensor

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According to sources from SamMobile, Samsung's next-generation flagship, the Galaxy S6, along with its cousin the Galaxy S6 Edge, will use Samsung's own 20MP sensor on the back, as well as the 5MP front-facing camera that was used in the Galaxy Alpha last year.

Samsung started using its own sensor at the high-end last year in the Galaxy S5, although from most reports it performed slightly worse than the Sony camera inside the Galaxy Note 4. It seems Samsung wants to try again, but this time with a 20MP sensor rather than a 16MP one.

The new camera will also get Optical Image Stabilization, according to the rumor. Although OIS has been embraced more quickly by other companies, Samsung has been one of the laggards in this area. OIS is an important camera component because it's highly effective against camera shake, which also makes the device better at capturing images in lower-light environments.

It's not clear yet whether Samsung itself will provide the 20MP module for both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. There could be supply issues that could impede the adoption in the Galaxy S6, although even if that's the case, Samsung could probably source a 20MP sensor from Sony.

Samsung has used Sony's sensors in most of its flagships so far, and Sony has been putting 20MP cameras in its own devices for some time now, so there shouldn't be any 20MP camera shortages.

Late last year Sony announced a new 20MP sensor that has 192 focus points, but it's not clear whether that camera will arrive in time for the Galaxy S6 or if Sony will even give other companies early access to it. Sony may prefer using that sensor in its Xperia Z4 or future flagship smartphones of its own. On the other hand, Sony isn't doing so well financially right now, so it could sell that camera to Samsung if the company wants it.

Such high resolution cameras can bring much more details to pictures, but that comes to the detriment of image processing and low-light performance. Lower resolution cameras tend to do better in low-light, and image processing is also much faster because the processor has to deal with much less data. It will be interesting to see how Samsung deals with the processing of 20MP pictures. There haven't been too many complaints about Sony's phones, and chips have gotten even faster since then, which should make image processing quicker.

According to the new rumors, Samsung will also take full advantage of the overhauled camera APIs in Android 5.0 by introducing a "Pro" mode for its camera app. The Pro mode will allow users to choose between three focus modes, including a manual mode. Lollipop has also enabled the ability to save images in the non-compressed RAW format, and the Galaxy S6 camera app is likely to support the feature as well.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are expected to be officially unveiled in March.

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Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • djc831
    Just keep cramming more mega pixels in there, Samsung. That way dum dums will think you have a good camera. It's not just about mega pixels, fools.
    Reply
  • MasterMace
    Still waiting to see important specs - Resolution, Processor, RAM, Battery, Size.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Instead of increasing camera resolution like crazy, they should work on reducing pixel noise, improving sensitivity and increasing dynamic range so people can take sharper, cleaner pictures without having to filter and edit their pictures to hell and back to make them look good.

    There is not much point in having a 20MP raw image if you need to reduce it to 4MP to average noise, blur and other imperfections between pixels down to a reasonable level.
    Reply
  • captaincharisma
    i just hope they get rid of that band-aid looking leather back
    Reply
  • soldier44
    Samsung haters make me lol. Get a life. Stick with your outdated Apple tech and 8mp camera that you seem to love so much. My Note 4 takes awesome pics with a 16mp camera.
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    Even professional photographers rarely need 20mp. Your average Instagrammer certainly has no use for that kind of resolution, either. Just pointless, pointless, pointless, just so the spec sheet has bigger numbers.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    15274870 said:
    Samsung haters make me lol. Get a life. Stick with your outdated Apple tech and 8mp camera that you seem to love so much. My Note 4 takes awesome pics with a 16mp camera.
    If that was intended for me, I do not own any Apple or Samsung products. When I said "they," I meant all camera sensor manufacturers and integrators thereof.

    The majority of cameras out there are horrible at highlights or shadows depending on exposure settings, often both at the same time for cheaper cameras.

    I would like to see a 10-16MP camera that can do low-noise HDR in a single exposure without the need for extensive computational photography or editing to produce good image quality - images that still look good when you zoom into the raw image down to 1:1 on a 24" display instead of a 5" phone or 3" stand-alone camera's review display.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    Instead of increasing camera resolution like crazy, they should work on reducing pixel noise, improving sensitivity and increasing dynamic range so people can take sharper, cleaner pictures

    Assuming the rumor is true, it is possible they're doing more than just increasing the resolution. The rumor also says they're adding OIS which is well overdue. More pixels can be good if done correctly with other upgrades. You can't determine the outcome and condemn them just because they're increasing the resolution. The final result may well be a decent improvement over the S5. We won't know for certain until we see it tested.
    Reply
  • SnakeV943
    Instead of increasing camera resolution like crazy, they should work on reducing pixel noise, improving sensitivity and increasing dynamic range so people can take sharper, cleaner pictures without having to filter and edit their pictures to hell and back to make them look good.

    There is not much point in having a 20MP raw image if you need to reduce it to 4MP to average noise, blur and other imperfections between pixels down to a reasonable level.

    This is why iPhone's have always had the best picture quality of any phone camera and they do it with lower megapixels....why? CCD sensor...

    It's ALL BS marketing.... just like Samsung touting it's 8 core processor...lol Too bad Apple's OPTIMIZED dual core runs circles around. Apple is posting record profits while Samsung's are down 40%.... Samsung will never learn.
    Reply
  • aldaia
    Megapixels have nothing to do with picture quality
    Yes and no. My largely outdated DSLR has half the pixels of my phone, yet it takes way better pictures (than my phone and any other existing phone). Reason: the optics. Newer DSLRs with more megapixels take better pictures using the same optics, so number of pixels plays a role, provided that the optics are up to the task.

    it's the CCD sensor.
    BS! There must be a reason why professional full frame DSLRs from both Cannon and Nikon use CMOS sensors instead of CCD.

    Hence why the iPhone 6+ 8MP takes better pictures than your 16MP Note 4's.
    More BS! I quote from Toms Hardware review "while the iPhone camera is still quite good, it’s no longer the best. Image quality suffers primarily from a lack of resolution for both the front and rear cameras, resulting in pictures that can’t match the sharpness and detail shown by competitors like the Note 4"

    Watch the language. - G
    Reply