A new patent The app suggests that Samsung is working to move its lens stabilization from its cameras to the sensor. Switching from current optical image stabilization to sensor stabilization could improve image quality and reduce blur. Both Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Apple iPhone 14 Pro use image stabilization on cameras, but iPhone stabilizes the sensor while Galaxy phone stabilizes the lens.
We initially saw this as a rumor in 2021, as the Samsung Galaxy S22 received its first hints and leaks. At the time, we reported that Samsung was testing this feature, and it could also be part of a partnership with camera maker Olympus. That partnership never materialized, but we are now seeing the possible fruits of the labor.
A stabilizer on the sensor means a bigger bump
Apple was the first smartphone maker to use sensor stabilization, a technique closer to how some very high-end professional SLR cameras, like the Canon EOS R6, stabilizes an image in the camera body, not just in the lens. Of course, on a smartphone, the distance between the sensor and the lens is much shorter, but Apple believes that stabilizing the sensor produces a better shot.
It also means a bigger camera bump. Image stabilization relies on tiny motors that move the lens or sensor in response to an accelerometer – aka a gyroscope. It can be incredibly responsive, but it also takes up more space.
Adding the hardware closer to the sensor adds even more thickness, and you can see the dramatic camera bump difference between the iPhone 11 Prowhich did not use sensor stabilization, and the iPhone 12 Proon which Apple launched the feature.
Rumors suggest that this patent might apply specifically to the telephoto lens, but the current patent makes no mention of it. Samsung already equips its telephoto lens with digital tricks that produce stunning results, even up to a jaw-dropping 100x zoom. Better stabilization would certainly equate to even bigger improvements here.
Analysis: Probably not for the Galaxy S23 Ultra
As we said, this kind of stabilization results in a bigger camera bump. We’ve seen leaked images of the rumored Galaxy S23 Ultra phone, and it seems to have the same camera array design as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. This phone has five lenses that cross the back, but no bump.
It’s entirely possible that Samsung hides all the stabilization inside the phone. Samsung already hides an entire stylus inside the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the phone is still waterproof sealed. With his Galaxy ZFlip 4 and the collapsible family, he has already proven his contortionist abilities when it comes to arranging the guts of the phone.
Patents are a good way to check industry direction, but a poor way to predict a specific product feature. We hope to see the next Samsung Galaxy S phone constantly improve on the photos taken by its predecessor, if that’s even possible. Eventually, a stabilized image sensor could be a way for Samsung to achieve this.