The Galaxy Note 4 might be Samsung's latest high-end contender but, for the first time after a long while, the OEM isn't bragging about its own camera technology inside. Instead, a recent teardown revealed that Samsung's best is borrowing components from its competitor, sporting a 16 megapixel camera sensor made by Sony, specifically the Sony IMX240.
Of course, this isn't exactly scandalous, as OEMs are known to use components made by others, even by industry rivals, to make their own. This is just how the business goes. That Samsung would be using Sony's imaging technology isn't exactly new either. Or at least we've heard it before. Way back last year, there was already a rumor that the Galaxy S5 would use Sony's camera inside. The flagship, however came instead with Samsung's own technology, which is what makes this revelation somewhat interesting.
Even before the Galaxy S5 went out, Samsung was already singing the praises of its ISOCELL imaging technology. It claims to be able to reduce bleeding and improve light absorption by creating walls between cell, isolating them from one another, hence the name. The Galaxy S5 debuted with a 16 megapixel sensor with this technology and with the Galaxy Note 4 also packing a 16 megapixel sensor, it was merely presumed that they are similar. For whatever reason, however, it seems that Samsung has ditched that and gone with the Sony IMX240 instead. Whether that points to a change in beliefs about its ISOCELL technology is something we'll have observe in the future. For now, however, Samsung is curiously silent on that front.
That said, this tidbit doesn't really speak much about the Galaxy Note 4's camera capabilities, aside from the fact that it has larger than usual 1/2.6-inch sensor. Its photography prowess still has to be properly tested and documented, perhaps by something like DxOMark, who crowned the iPhone 6 as the king of the smarpthone camera hill shortly after it awarded the title to Sony's Xperia Z3. And we are definitely still waiting for iFixit to give the Galaxy Note 4 a proper teardown treatment.
VIA: phoneArena