Samsung Galaxy S6 will reportedly feature Sony’s IMX240 camera sensor

Just like every year, we hear a ton of different rumors regarding Samsung’s next big flagship phone leading up to its announcement. According to a new rumor that’s not so surprising, Samsung will reportedly use Sony’s IMX240 camera sensor in the upcoming Galaxy S6. As reported by SamMobile, the Galaxy S6 will also tote a 16MP rear-facing camera, not the 20MP camera that was previously rumored.

So, why is Samsung’s decision to use a Sony sensor not surprising? First of all, if you can recall back to last October, an iFixit teardown of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 handset revealed that the company used the same Sony IMX240 camera sensor in the phablet. So, this isn’t the first time the company moved away from their in-house built camera tech.

Samsung hasn’t exactly been quiet about their journey into ISOCELL camera technology, which they used in the Galaxy S5. A big drawback to using ISOCELL tech in the camera is the omission of optical image stabilization (OIS). Instead, ISOCELL uses a software-based alternative called Picture Stabilization. Even though we praised the S5’s camera in our full review, the lack of OIS support may be the reason why they’re going with Sony this time around.

Perhaps the company is working to better their own camera tech before they put it in another flagship device. And for now, that may not be a bad thing. The Note 4’s camera, which used the IMX240 sensor, was one of our favorite cameras on a smartphone that released last year.

What do you think of the rumor? Are you glad to see a return to Sony’s cams or would you prefer Samsung to have stuck with ISOCELL?