Samsung Galaxy S11 Tipped to Pack 108-Megapixel Camera, Might Offer 5x Optical Zoom Support

Samsung's next Galaxy S-series flagship, tentatively called the Galaxy S11, is still quite far away from seeing the light of the day. But if a new report from Samsung's home market is to be believed, the Galaxy S11 will dramatically up the camera game by packing a 108-megapixel camera as the main snapper that will most likely employ the company's own ISOCELL HMX sensor. Moreover, the phone is tipped to employ a periscope-style camera module that would bring 5x optical zoom feature to the table. The latter is something we have already come across on Huawei's P30 Pro flagship, which won acclaim for its imaging capabilities. It may be that the 108-megapixel sensor will be employed on the Samsung Galaxy S11, a report claims.

As per a report from Korea-based The Elec, Samsung will fit the Galaxy S11 with a 5X optical zoom camera module. The optical zoom module will be supplied by the Korean giant's sister firm, Samsung Electro-Mechanics. The first batch of optical zoom camera modules has already made to Oppo's Reno smartphone series, and will now be employed for the first time in the company's own smartphones, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S11.

To recall, Samsung commenced mass production of its 5x optical zoom camera module back in May this year, alongside a less powerful 2x optical zoom camera module. The entire camera module is only 5mm thick and employs a periscope mechanism backed by OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) to capture detailed long-range shots without any blurring or distortion caused by hand movements. And thanks to the small profile of Samsung's 5x optical zoom camera module, it can be fitted in the phone's body without creating a huge camera bump.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics shared a video earlier this month showcasing how its 5x optical zoom camera module will work. The video shows a familiar periscope mechanism with a prism for bending light, something we have already seen on the Huawei P30 Pro. Employing the 5x optical zoom camera will be a big jump in terms of imaging capabilities for Galaxy S11, since the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy Note 10 duo is capped at 2x optical zoom. So is the case with iPhone 11 Pro duo, which is also limited to 2x optical zoom support.

Samsung Galaxy S11 may sport the new 108-megapixel sensor from the South Korean giant

The company also plans to equip the Galaxy S11 with a 108-megapixel main camera that will be part of a quad camera setup. The 108-megapixel sensor is most likely the company's own ISOCELL HMX 108-megapixel sensor that was announced last month. The sensor is 1/1.33-inch in size, which means it would be able to absorb more light. Samsung is also throwing in the Tetracell technology that combines four pixels into one, letting users capture brighter and more detailed photos in low-light conditions. The ISOCELL HMX 108-megapixel sensor is also capable of capturing videos at resolutions up to 6K (6016x3384) at 30 fps and relies on the company's smart-ISO mechanism.