Samsung rumored to partner with Olympus for the Galaxy S22
Last month, we heard some rumblings that Samsung would be upgrading the camera sensors for the Galaxy S22. This may be a bit early in the game for a lineup that’s not slated to come until early next year. However, now is the time where phone makers (and Samsung in particular) would be nailing down the final design and specs.
A new report from PulseNews (via 9to5Google) claims that the Galaxy S22 will feature a 200MP primary camera, which is almost double that of the 108MP sensor found on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The report suggests that this will be one of five total sensors, although details are scarce about those other camera sensors.
The inclusion of a 200MP camera lens shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given that Samsung announced one of its own earlier in the year. But what does come as a surprise is that Samsung could be partnering up with camera-maker Olympus. Samsung already provides some of the best camera hardware on the market, so this rumored partnership likely would have to do with image tuning and post-processing.
As evidenced by the OnePlus and Hasselblad partnership, this type of collaboration is nothing new. We’ve reached the point in smartphone camera hardware where phone makers are putting more focus on the software side. Another notable partnership is Huawei with Leica, and even before OnePlus, Hasselblad partnered with Motorola for a rather unique (albeit useless) Moto Mod for the Moto Z series.
Finally, this report suggests that we’ll see the Galaxy S22 lineup arrive sometime in January. This would keep in line with Samsung’s recent schedule. Plus, S Pen support is expected to continue, although, it’s unknown whether the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus will gain this functionality, or if it will remain reserved for the Ultra.