Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are dangerously close to an official unveiling now, and the newest car on the seemingly unstoppable leak train carries a very capable 3.7-megapixel iris sensor, and a back camera that actually has DRAM embedded in it to allow slow-motion recording at up to 1,000 frames per second. The extremely high resolution iris scanner, sitting pretty at almost half of the pixels found in the 8 megapixel, autofocus-equipped selfie shooter, would certainly explain Samsung’s confidence in iris scanning and facial recognition for the device. The embedded DRAM on the back camera, meanwhile, is not a trick that nobody has ever tried before, but so far, it looks like Samsung is going to be the one setting the bar, with the only other contender thus far being Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium, which can capture up to 960 frames per second.
Samsung is one of the premier mobile DRAM manufacturers in the market, so it only makes sense that they would use this to their advantage as much as possible in their newest flagship devices. The back camera sensor is 12-megapixels, the same resolution found on the Galaxy S7. This means that the enhancements that will put the Galaxy S8’s camera above the Galaxy S7’s, if they exist, will lie elsewhere. Thanks to the integration of DRAM inside the physical camera sensor, slow-motion video at up to 1,000 frames per second is one of the features the new flagship has up on its predecessor. It should be noted that the Galaxy S7 is no slouch in the camera department, and held the top title on DxOMark until Google’s Pixel phones filched it. No matter what enhancements are or are not on board, we’re looking at a pretty stellar imaging experience.
While the imaging capabilities on the hardware side seem mostly similar to the Galaxy S7 lineup, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are shaping up to be a real pair of beasts in the imaging department, with software enhancements and new capabilities in the mix. On top of the stellar camera chops, the two new phones’ bold designs have been turning heads since the earliest leaks, and the word that they will carry Qualcomm’s powerful new Snapdragon 835 chips mean that they will be among the fastest phones around, and enjoy new capabilities like PC mode, possibly with x86 app emulation on board.