The Samsung Galaxy S8 could see some interesting updates to its front-facing camera, if reports from ET News are to be believed. The Korean publication claims the upcoming smartphone will feature an autofocus selfie camera, which remains a rare feature on the market.
The Sony Xperia XA, which features an 8-megapixel front camera, is one of few smartphones to feature an autofocus front lens. If reports are accurate, the Samsung Galaxy S8 would likely be the high-end first global smartphone to feature an autofocus front camera.
“People are starting to take more selfies and number of demands for cameras that take selfies with higher qualities is increasing,” an industry representative told ET News. “It is heard that Samsung Electronics has decided to [include autofocus] for Galaxy S8 in order to differentiate its flagship Smartphone.”
Samsung will reportedly use a different actuator (the component that allows a camera to follow light) for the Galaxy S8 front-facing camera. Instead of a Voice Coil Motor (VCM), the Galaxy S8 will use an encoder for its front-facing autofocus feature. Typically manufacturers use a VCM to implement autofocus on rear cameras; however, using an encoder will allow the handset to remain slim. It is likely the Galaxy S8 rear camera will continue to have an autofocus feature.
At this time there is no word on how many megapixels the Galaxy S8 front camera will have. Samsung has outfitted its most recent smartphones, including the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 7, with a 5-megapixel front camera.
However, since Apple has upgraded the number of megapixels on its own iPhone 7 front camera to 7, it is possible Samsung may similar make such tweaks to its front lens. Samsung has not confirmed the feature for the Galaxy S8. "We cannot discuss any information regarding new products that are not commercialized yet," a Samsung representative told Phone Arena.
Front-facing smartphone cameras have long been an afterthought for manufacturers, which often focus on improving the quality in the main rear-facing cameras. However, as selfies have become more popular companies have used improvements in front-facing cameras to draw in consumers.
In recent years, several OEMs have begun to pay more attention to the front lens. Devices such as the Nokia Lumia 730 were among the first “selfie phones” on the market in 2014. Such devices featured higher-quality front facing cameras with more megapixels. The Lumia 730 for example featured five megapixels, when many other front facing cameras featured one to two megapixels. Now on the market, consumers can find devices, such as the Oppo A57, which features a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.
