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Samsung Galaxy S8 To Feature Auto-Focus Front-Facing Camera? Leaked Specs Indicate 2017 Flagship Smartphone Could Improve Selfie Game

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 08:56 PST, Nov 30, 2016

The latest leak about Samsung’s next flagship smartphone suggests the South Korean company will include an advanced front-facing camera in the Galaxy S8.

Samsung is apparently trying to capitalize on the popularity of self-portraits (aka selfies). The company’s next flagship smartphone, likely to be called Galaxy S8, is rumored to feature a front-facing camera that will boast auto-focus. In an industry obsessed with the rear camera, quality of images, and megapixel count, the Korean company is trying to differentiate its offering by ensuring that the quality of photographs taken using the front camera are as good, if not better than the one mounted on the rear of the device.

While Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed all the specifications, rumors about the device have been making rounds on the internet. Moreover, given the top-of-the-line hardware that was present in the now-discontinued Galaxy Note 7, it is possible to guess the internals of the new device that’s expected to launch early next year, possibly before Mobile World Congress in late February 2017.

According to South Korean publication ET News, Samsung is expected to incorporate automatic focus (AF) function to the Galaxy S8’s front-facing camera, a feature that, while made for video chats, is overwhelmingly used for taking selfies. Needless to say, the new function could vastly improve the quality of photographs taken using the front-facing camera.

To implement the auto-focus feature, Samsung could add an encoder-type AP actuator to the camera module. The actuator-driven auto-focus technique will grant higher speeds and accuracy to the camera unit. The component will be tasked with controlling the location of the lenses and adjusting their focus when the Galaxy S8 user activates the front-facing camera. The AF actuators are highly sought in rear cameras because they make it possible for the optical unit to identify and locate objects. In simple words, the front-facing camera won’t take photos randomly; it will try to locate faces and capture the image only after it digitally latches onto a face.

Samsung has traditionally remained loyal to the megapixel race that many other smartphone makers use to convince buyers about the superiority of their devices. However, for the past few years, Samsung has quietly side-stepped the competition and instead attempted to infuse features that amateur and professional photographers crave. Apparently, the company has been improving the abilities of its rear cameras to take better photos in poor conditions. The current flagship devices from Samsung have been repeatedly lauded for their performance in low-light as well as action shots. Essentially, Samsung is relying on quality and reproduction to win out in head-to-head tests, reported Forbes.

Photos taken with a smartphones’ front-facing cameras have never been on par with those taken with the rear camera. However, apps like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger have ensured the front-facing camera is put through its paces. Unfortunately, despite the regular usage of the selfie camera, Samsung refused to abandon the trustworthy five-megapixel fixed focus camera on the front of its leading smartphones for several iterations, reported SamMobile. Ironically, despite being a white goods manufacturer, Samsung has continually made great improvements in the rear camera without compromising on the thickness of the devices.

Samsung was expected to be badly hit with the fiasco of its latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note 7. Increasing reports of exploding devices eventually forced the company to halt the production of the device and issue a worldwide recall. The incident not just cost the company billions in lost revenue, but experts predicted it would badly impact the company’s credibility. While the company’s short-term sales and revenue were hit, owing to the company’s swift damage control, buyers appear to have retained faith in Samsung. Experts predict by the time Samsung launches Galaxy S8 sometime next year, the memory of Galaxy Note 7 might have been completely erased.

Apart from the auto-focus on the front-facing camera, Samsung is expected to introduce its homegrown artificial intelligence-based virtual assistant along the lines of Cortana and Siri.

[Featured Image by Jung Yeon-je/Getty Images]

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