Samsung unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, at a press conference in New York City yesterday.
The next-generation phablet ships with a 6.3-inch dual-curved Quad HD+ Super AMOLED, updated S Pen stylus and iris scanner.
It is also the first Samsung smartphone to include a dual-camera set-up.
Samsung has fitted its new smartphone with a 12MP wide-angle and 12MP telephoto lens.
Both of these are fitted with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to reduce blur when capturing video and photographs in low-light.
By using data from the two lens, the Galaxy Note 8 is able to recreate a 2x optical zoom.
The the Galaxy Note 8’s also includes a new feature dubbed Live Focus, which lets you control the depth of field and adjust the bokeh effect in preview mode and after you take the photo.
In Dual Capture mode, both rear cameras take two pictures simultaneously and allow you to save both images – one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.
The wide-angle lens has a Dual Pixel sensor with rapid Auto Focus, so you can capture sharper, clearer shots even in low-light environments.
The Note 8 is also equipped with an industry-leading 8MP Smart Auto Focus front-facing camera for sharp selfies and video chats.
According to prominent technology analyst Ming-Chi Kuo – who is known for his accurate forecasts about upcoming products, although admittedly, these are typically centred around Apple – Galaxy S9 will nab these camera features.
The Galaxy S9 will follow the trend established by the Galaxy Note 8 and include a wide-angle and telephoto lens on the back of the phone, Kuo has claimed.
The prominent analyst has not revealed any technical specifications for the S9’s camera system – so it’s unclear whether Samsung will stick with the 12MP resolution and 2x optical zoom, or try to increase these for its next release.
Samsung typically launches its new Galaxy S smartphone at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona.
This is usually held in February or March.
In his investors note, KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo also revealed he expects Note 8 shipments to range from 12 to 14 million in 2017.
He also added that Samsung is busy working with Himax and Egis to develop a under-display fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy Note 9 next year.
Like the S8 before it, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has its fingerprint sensor next to the camera set-up on the back of the phone.
During the Note 8 launch Samsung confirmed it would unveil its latest smartwatch – the latest in the popular Gear S series – next week at the IFA consumer technology tradeshow.