We’re only about a month away from the unveiling of theSamsung Galaxy S24family, which means that the leaks are only going to get meatier in the coming weeks. While there’s a lot to get pumped about, today’s development could potentially dampen some excitement, especially for those hoping for significant camera upgrades.
The official launch date is yet to be confirmed, but as per rumors, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is expected to go official on January 17. The entire range is likely to get new chipsets and designs. Amid the upgrades, theS24 Ultra might actually offer a relatively pedestrian camera system— by omitting the 10x periscopic zoom camera. As per a new leak, the standard Samsung Galaxy S24 and S25 will not bring improved cameras either.
As per notable Samsung leaker Revegnus on X, the primary camera sensor of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series — which is the Samsung ISOCELL GN3 — will make its way to the Galaxy S24 and S25 series as well, suggesting that the Korean giant will stick to the same hardware for almost three years.
The ISOCELL GN3 debuted on the S23 and S23+ earlier this year, offering a 50MP resolution with a 1/1.56-inch image sensor. It is among the larger sensors being used on smartphones today, allowing for a larger pixel size that usually translates to better light sensitivity. While it’s one less thing to be excited about, such a move is not particularly surprising or unexpected. Sensor sizes aremore important than the megapixel countwhen it comes to smartphone photography.
Why do smartphone makers continue using the same hardware over the years?
Contrary to popular belief, moving to the latest hardware on all possible fronts doesn’t always yield better results. There are many factors at play here compelling smartphone manufacturers to continue using the tried and tested.
The primary reason for an approach like this is usually for economics. Instead of buying the latest component each season, extending the use of the same component over multiple years often allows OEMs to enjoy better economies of scale. In simpler words, Samsung can order about thrice as many sensors, giving it a higher bargaining power. Additionally, in the world of tech, hardware prices drop considerably over time, as manufacturing and scale become more efficient. These factors should allow Samsung to reduce its bill of materials related to cameras. Whether these monetary benefits are passed on to consumers is a separate topic, though.
One company known for stretching the life of its components to three or even four years is Apple, using the same screens, cameras, frames, and more recently, even processors. But before we label these brands greedy, we should understand the advantages of such recycling. As manufacturers spend more time with a component, they better understand how to get the most out of the components. This is often termed ‘optimization,’ where experience and familiarity with hardware allow them to be more efficient with the final implementation.
For instance, Google used the Sony IMX363 sensor on the Pixel 2 throughPixel 5, and the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 on thePixel 6and 7. In all of these cases, Google was able to offer better image quality without changing the sensor on the back thanks to better image processing and computational photography. By taking a software-first approach, manufacturers have one less “moving part” to worry about when putting a new product together.
With computing power and AI getting more capable each year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Samsung pull off better photos with the Galaxy S24 and S25 than with the S23.
