The new Samsung Galaxy S9 is the shiny new thing and has Samsung's latest
mechanical aperture camera.
Not exact matches
To tune how much light is received, conventional devices use
mechanical contraptions like the blades that form the adjustable
aperture in
cameras.
Samsung's new 12 - megapixel
camera has a
mechanical aperture that shifts from f / 2.4 in normal lighting to a wider f / 1.5 in darker environments.
A
mechanical element widens the
aperture to f / 1.5, and when the
camera is in auto mode, the switch happens automatically if environmental lighting drops below 100 lux.
Although it packs the same 12 - megapixel resolution as the Galaxy S8, the
camera now offers a variable
aperture that's
mechanical, capable of switching on the fly from f / 1.5 to f / 2.4.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has all of the excellent Galaxy Foundation aspects found in the S9 and S9 Plus, but it doesn't yet have Android 8 Oreo, it uses the Snapdragon 835 processor, and the
camera does not have dual
mechanical aperture.
While there's just a single 12MP
camera in the back, it has a
mechanical iris which can switch between two
apertures.
Cameras: Super speed dual pixel 12 megapixel with OIS and
mechanical dual
aperture (f / 1.5 and f / 2.4) and 12 megapixel f / 2.4 telephoto
camera.
The
cameras in the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus both have a
mechanical aperture, something never before seen in a flagship phone.
The
mechanical variable
aperture of the
camera still works after numerous drops, which is commendable.
The fact that
camera enthusiasts will most likely care more about the S9's
mechanical aperture is also why I imagine Samsung chose to make it automatic when shooting in Auto mode, as a way to take out any guesswork for novices.
VentureBeat says the two devices will be equipped with 12 - megapixel
cameras featuring variable
aperture with
mechanical adjustment between f / 2.4 and f / 1.5, with super slow - mo also offered.
We managed to get our hands on a Galaxy S9 Plus at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and we took a few photos around the show area to get a better understanding of the
camera, and how the
mechanical aperture works.
The S9's
camera also has a
mechanical aperture that adjusts how much light enters the lens, widening to let in more light when you're somewhere that's dimly lit.
The controversial fingerprint sensor has also been moved to a more sensible location below the
camera lens, and though the S9 doesn't get a dual - lens system like the Note 8 or S9 Plus, it still has the revolutionary and impressive
mechanical aperture on its single lens.