Samsung promises intelligent Galaxy S6 camera, new details leaked

We are inching closer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and a lot of the recent focus and leaks have centered on form and build materials. However, Samsung’s DongHoon Jang is trying to build some hype for the handset’s new technologies, promising that the company’s 2015 flagship will contain Samsung’s most intelligent camera technology to date.

Although no specific details were given out about hardware or features, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 will apparently automatically manage lighting conditions, improve HDR techniques and make the camera experience more intuitive, so that users end up with “amazing pictures under any conditions.” Essentially, Samsung is suggesting that it has put a lot of work into smart camera software, so we can almost certainly expect some new camera and gallery app features when the Galaxy S6 rolls around.

Jang also talks about the increasing importance of high-quality front facing cameras, suggesting that Samsung’s next flagship will likely follow in the footsteps of the recent Galaxy A series, which all feature 5MP front facing cameras. The post also makes reference to the increasing resolution of Samsung’s camera technology over previous Galaxy S generations, which ties in nicely to some new details obtained by SamMobile.

According to leaked details from a Galaxy S6 prototype, the handset may ship with a 20-megapixel optical image stabilization rear camera and a 5-megapixel front facing camera, as spotted in a recent benchmark. This echoes the sentiments expressed in Samsung’s statement. The prototype could take photos in 20MP (5952×3348), 15MP (4464×3348), 11MP (3344×3344), 8MP (3264×2448), 6MP (3264×1836) and 2.4MP (2048×1152) resolutions.

Furthermore, the Galaxy S6/S6 Edge will also apparently make use of new camera APIs made available in Android Lollipop. The handset’s “Pro Mode” is said to allow users to pick between three different focus modes, manually adjust shutter speeds, and has the option to save high-quality RAW images.

However, it is unclear whether Samsung will use such a high-resolution sensor and all of these rumored features in its final product. Cost and mass production issues could be a limiting factor in the module’s availability, but perhaps we could see a 20MP module reserved for the S6 Edge variant, as it would ship in smaller quantities.

Are improved camera technologies near the top of your wish-list for the Galaxy S6?