Galaxy S8 promises better photos, especially from the front

Though not much has changed in terms of Galaxy S8’s rear camera (for better or worse), the front-facing camera has been completely revamped.

I’m not going to lie – when I heard that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus would have the same 12-megapixel camera found on last year’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, I was rather disappointed. But that certainly doesn’t mean that these camera sensors are bad. Far from it actually. Not only does my Galaxy S7 Edge take some of the best photos I’ve seen from a smartphone, it also received a score of 88, just one below the highest rated Google Pixel.

So has nothing been changed with Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus? Not quite. After all, Samsung has had over a year to work on these. While it is the same 12-megapixel Dual Pixel camera with the same f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.55” sensor size, and 1.4µm pixel size, the company’s new camera firmware and the brand-new image signal processor should improve how the device processes images taken.

The most notable addition is perhaps the multi-frame image processing: as explained in the official unveiling, this technology essentially captures three photos instead of one and combines them into one. By imposing all three on top of one another, objects are clearer and more detailed while noise and blur are reduced to minimum whether it’s zoomed-in or in low light. According to Samsung, “the camera can capture and process the image so quickly that users cannot tell the difference between it and conventional smartphone cameras.”

Other than that, the rear camera is as solid as last year’s. The gestures are simple and easy to use, just like the UI found on the Galaxy S7 with Nougat though now you can zoom in and out simply by sliding the shutter button. While there are no new modes, Samsung has added more filters when you swipe left, including some Snapchat-like AR filters. These come in handy when you’re taking selfies.

Now, speaking of selfies, it’s the front-facing camera that has seen a major change with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Instead of the 5-megapixel camera we’ve had for the longest time on the Galaxy S series, the selfie-shooter is now an 8-megapixel camera with smart autofocus. The aperture is the same great f/1.7, absorbing plenty of light even in low-light conditions, but the autofocus is the real star here. Not many smartphones offer autofocus with the front-facing camera, which could result in blurry, smudged, and just unflattering selfies in dark places. So whether it’s at a bar or a dimly-lit library room, the new camera module on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus should give you clearer selfies (hoorah!).

We will soon bring you a more in-depth review of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, including their camera performance, so stay tuned!