This is how the Galaxy S camera has evolved since 2010

Among the mobiles available in Europe, few ranges have the history and fame of the Galaxy S. The most iconic range of Samsung will soon be 10 years in which they have tried to achieve the best a smartphone was capable of in each of the their generations.

Since its first generation, the Galaxy S has tried to have the maximum power, the best multimedia capabilities and the best possible photography experience. Although in this last section it looks like the company has recently lost some of its notoriety as this is an area where companies like Huawei or Google innovate a lot, it is still among the best.

The South Korean company has reviewed its great innovations in each generation of Galaxy S. These innovations are from Samsung’s point of view, but it’s worth remembering a bit of history on one of the most popular ranges. older Android.

Samsung Galaxy S: panoramic photography

Today it is in virtually all camera apps, but in 2010 it was not a feature that was present in all mobiles.

Galaxy S2: Flash Led

Fortunately at that time, it was not necessary for photography (but very useful as a flashlight) but in those days without a flash it was practically impossible to take a picture in the dark. The flash isn’t that it helped improve the quality, but at least it allowed you to take a picture.

Galaxy S3: Burst Shot

Holding the capture button down and taking 20 photos in a second was a demonstration of ability in its day, a feature that continues to be useful to this day for increasing the chances of getting a perfect shot for moving targets.

Galaxy S4: Effect Picture in picture in photographs

Although Samsung has highlighted the ability to take a photo with the front and rear camera simultaneously as the great innovation of the Galaxy S4, the truth is that currently this feature no longer exists in the Samsung camera (and if it exists, it is so hidden that I can’t even find it).

Galaxy S5: HDR mode enriquecido

One of the biggest limitations of mobile photography is the ability to take in light, but thanks to the power of mobile processors and the ability to take multiple images at different exposure levels almost simultaneously, the software is able to get the most out of mobile cameras. . HDR mode has been around for a few years now, but it was still in its infancy by today’s standards. The Galaxy S5 was among the first to use advanced HDR photography modes.

Galaxy S6: photos in less than a second

Samsung added quick access to access the camera and take photos in under a second. For the quality of this camera in its day, it’s strange that Samsung would point out such a decaffeinated feature.

Galaxy S7: fast and precise autofocus thanks to Dual Pixel technology

Although Samsung broke new ground in the use of this technology, it wasn’t until the following year with the Pixel 2 XL that we discovered the true potential of Dual Pixel technology, which Google was able to take advantage of for mode photos. portrait without the need for a depth sensor.

Galaxy S8: algorithms for the image signal processor

The ISP, or Image Signal Processor, is an increasingly important component of mobile photography. Samsung took advantage of the improved power of this processor to take several consecutive captures and select the best of them.

Galaxy S9: variable focus to improve night photography

One of Samsung’s most curious innovations and one that we loved the most is the Galaxy S9’s camera and its ability to switch between 1.5 and 2.4 focal lengths depending on the ambient light. When we have a lot of light it uses the lens with f / 2.4 to capture more detail and in bad conditions it uses f / 1.5 to capture more light.

This year, they also introduced ultra slow motion recording at 960 fps and AR Emoji which didn’t convince us.

Galaxy S10: super stable video and ultra wide angle camera

2019 was the year that Samsung signed up for one of the most popular photography modes when it comes to having a second sensor – wide angle photography. Besides photography, they also introduced a new super stable video recording mode which, while limited to 1080p, allows for phenomenal stabilization.

Galaxy S20 Ultra: spatial zoom up to 100x

It is curious that for the Galaxy S20 generation the company is pointing out a feature exclusive to the more expensive model, although it is remarkable because it is the first mobile with a periscope lens from Samsung. Thanks to sophisticated optical zoom and software, it is able to achieve up to 100 zoom increments and shoot things from far away.

In practice, the magnification of 100 turned out to be overkill (and indeed, with the Note 20 Ultra, they stepped back by reducing the magnification to 50). The first have not arrived (Huawei and Oppo were ahead of the previous year) but the result is satisfactory compared to the rest of the companies.

Galaxy S21: artificial intelligence applied to photography

Samsung is lagging behind in the battle for AI-enhanced photography, where Google and Huawei have a clear advantage and where Apple and even Xiaomi are doing great. However, it is never too late if the result is worth it, but to estimate that it will be necessary to wait a few days to be able to test the latest innovations from Samsung in more detail.