A new series of leaked images passed along by Dutch tech blog “Galaxy Club” is making the rounds, indicating that Samsung is working on a new LED-based notification system for upcoming smartphones. According to the leaked material, some of Samsung’s future handsets could be equipped with an LED notification light called “Smart Glow”, consisting of an LED “ring” surrounding the rear-facing camera lens. The LEDs will glow in different lights depending on the type of notifications waiting for the user, and can even be used to capture selfie photos with the smartphone’s rear camera.
Smart Glow might be one of the upcoming unique hardware features that may find its way on multiple Samsung smartphones to help separate them from the competition. The Smart Glow ring can glow in a variety of colors and can be customized to notify users in regards to various aspects, including battery life or battery charging status. The same features can even help capturing selfies with the phone’s rear-facing camera, which is generally more powerful than front-facing sensors. The option is called “Selfie Assist” and works by detecting the subject’s face and informing the user that his / her face has been properly framed and is ready for capture. The device will beep, the Smart Glow LED notification will glow blue, and after 2 seconds the phone will automatically capture the selfie.
Although it’s unclear which Samsung smartphones will take advantage of Smart Glow first, the source speculates that the feature is likely to debut alongside the Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) set to hit the shelves in India. However, assuming that the feature will prove to be useful, it could also be included in future flagship phones such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note (rumored to be called the “Samsung Galaxy Note 7” as opposed to “Galaxy Note 6”) or the Samsung Galaxy S8 set to launch in the first half of 2017. In any case, the alleged Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) is not yet official but has already been spotted at the FCC and in the AnTuTu database. Based on the leaked information so far, the Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) should sport a 720p display, a Spreadtrum SC8830 quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, and an 8-megapixel main camera now believed to be coupled with the so-called Smart Glow feature.
