The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra could be about to share its most impressive feature with future applicants to our best cheap phones guide. The feature in question is the 10x optical zoom ‘folded’ telephoto camera that’s found on the pricey Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra flagship, which looks set to be sold as a separate component to companies.
It seems not a single day goes by without some sweeping news around the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra lacked the finesse of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it was no less a powerful phone.
The Korean-giant refined the formula with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it's clearly paying dividends as other companies pine after the telephoto technology. It concerns the 100X Space Zoom feature, which makes use of the 10x lens, folded, innovative periscope lens, that lets users achieve extraordinary levels of magnification.
- OnePlus Nord 2 swaps Qualcomm for MediaTek – and it packs power
- Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is easy on the eye and the wallet in this first look
- Google Maps hazard feature from Waze makes your car travel a whole lot safer
What this news could mean is that mobile users get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra‘s most prestigious feature in a cheaper phone from our best Android phones. It could also significantly cut costs, enabling greater access to the technology, although it could still be pricey.
In the blog, Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced it was kicking off manufacturing for the 10x zoom module, stating that it would sell the 10x zoom component to both automotive and smartphone producers.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics has stopped short of naming any specific manufacturers interested in the technology, but said: “Samsung Electro-Mechanics supplies camera modules to major smartphone companies, and with its technology accumulated in the mobile area, it is expanding its business with global automotive companies.”
If this news results in wider adoption of the folded camera technology that sees its lenses placed across the width and length of the phone, as opposed to depth, then it could mean a bunch of Android phones with the telephoto feature making their way onto T3’s esteemed best phones guide.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Samsung Electro-Mechanics is in the business of providing camera modules to external companies, but there's plenty of innovation going on inside Samsung, too. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 21 likely to get its own version of this sensor, you may not have to wait too long with it potentially releasing later this year.
It's obviously very early days for concrete confirmation around other companies receiving the telephoto tech, but the early signs look promising.
Source: Tom's Guide
Luke is a former news writer at T3 who covered all things tech at T3. Disc golf enthusiast, keen jogger, and fond of all things outdoors (when not indoors messing around with gadgets), Luke wrote about a wide-array of subjects for T3.com, including Android Auto, WhatsApp, Sky, Virgin Media, Amazon Kindle, Windows 11, Chromebooks, iPhones and much more, too.
-
When is Black Friday 2024 – this Friday or next? Here's the official answer
Black Friday is on 29 November in 2024 – a week later than the year previous. But that's not stopped retailers putting on their sales...
By Mike Lowe Published
-
Forget Black Friday, F1 24 is completely free for a limited time
This top racing game has a free weekend
By Max Freeman-Mills Published