For the Galaxy S10 line, Samsung brought new, advanced hardware and software-based technologies to the camera, including cutting-edge, AI-powered features. In order to learn more about the phones’ pro-grade camera system – which features an Ultra Wide lens, Super Steady video recording, and a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) – Samsung Newsroom sat down with Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division’s camera developers and product planner.

(From left) Seoyoung Lee, Sunyong Kim, Sugon Baek and Wonseok Song of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division, who planned and developed the Galaxy S10 line’s camera technologies.

The Power of the Ultra Wide Lens

The secret to taking incredible photos with the Galaxy S10 line is the Ultra Wide lens. The addition of the Ultra Wide lens was a major moment for Samsung, and represents one of the biggest changes to the Galaxy series in generations. Now, users can capture every detail of an epic landscape, or fit the entire family into one group shot without having to move back.

“Users expect more than just improved image quality with a new device. They want a camera that makes it easier to take amazing photos,” explained product planner Sunyong Kim. “The Ultra Wide lens features a 123-degree field of view, just like the human eye, so you can easily capture the moment just as you see it.”

Image captured using the Ultra Wide lens on the Galaxy S10+. This feature is also available on the Galaxy S10 and S10e.

With the Ultra Wide lens, users can easily take dynamic pictures using the camera’s Live Focus function and Panorama mode. “Live Focus has been available on previous Samsung devices with the Telephoto and Wide-angle lenses, but for the Galaxy S10 line, we brought it to the Ultra Wide lens as well,” noted Sugon Baek. “What’s more, Panorama mode offers more vertical scope than previous models did, and greatly reduces the need to move the camera from left to right in order to capture the full shot.”

A panorama shot on the Galaxy S10+. This feature is also available on the Galaxy S10 and S10e.

Shake-Free Video Quality

Another new innovation that’s built into the Galaxy S10 line is the camera’s Super Steady video-recording feature, which offers users enhanced video stabilization.²

Super Steady works by using VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization) technology. It predicts user movements before filming starts, and once the camera is running, it calculates the adjustment range to minimize shakiness in videos.

“In the past, achieving optimum video stabilization meant sacrifices for the camera’s angle of view,” noted Wonseok Song. “A conventional wide-angle camera couldn’t solve the problem. But thanks to the Ultra Wide lens, the S10 is able to support a natural viewing angle while also offering stability and quality.”

Given that the adjustment capability of the Super Steady technology is best for capturing bigger movements, Song has a tip for users filming in different conditions: “For scenes that feature less action in low light, use the camera’s normal mode. For brighter scenes that feature more movement, Super Steady is best.”

Video footage3 shot on the Galaxy S9 (left) and Galaxy S10+ (right). This feature is only supported when filming with the Full HD Ultra Wide lens.

A Camera That’s Smart

The Galaxy S10 doesn’t just have the most advanced camera system on a Galaxy phone, it also has the smartest. In a first for Galaxy smartphones, the Galaxy S10 includes a next-generation NPU that automatically optimizes pictures in up to 30 different categories.

“We added 10 additional categories to optimize common photos, including ‘Dog,’ ‘Drink,’ and ‘Shoe,’” explained Seoyoung Lee. ‘Dog’ mode, she added, optimizes users’ pictures by focusing on fine details, such as strands of fur, whereas categories like ‘Shoe’ and ‘Clothing’ focus on objects’ colors, since most pictures of these objects are taken without people’s faces in the frame. “We also added ‘Drink’ category because we noticed the growing trend of people sharing pictures of their cocktails on social media.”

The Galaxy S10 line’s camera also provides suggestions of ways to potentially improve photos through its Shot Suggestion function. Based on the Galaxy S10 line’s machine learning capabilities, Shot Suggestion references a database of over 100 million users’ pictures to offer helpful tips on improving overall composition, positioning and proportions for photos of various subjects, including people, animals and vehicles. “The AI-based suggestions have been developed not just to prioritize putting the subject at the center of a photo,” said Lee. “That way, no matter how you want to set up your shot, the Galaxy S10 will help you do it in the most striking way possible.”

Seeing the Whole Picture

In developing the Galaxy S10 line’s camera, the team focused on engineering technologies that add real value to the camera experience, rather than simply increasing the number of lenses and features available.

“The camera is for more than documenting and recording,” explained Kim. “It is now the means through which we communicate.”

From the Ultra Wide lens, to Super Steady, to the NPU – and to other features, like Instagram mode, new filters, enhanced Bixby Vision, and easy shifting between lenses – the Galaxy S10 helps users do more with their camera than they ever could before. For all of those users who say a great camera is the top feature they’re looking for in a smartphone, Samsung has planted the flag.

¹ According to Samsung Electronics’ research

² Video stabilization on the Galaxy S10 line is up to three times better than conventional technologies.

³ This footage has been placed side by side and edited for comparison purposes.

The Galaxy S10 line builds on Samsung’s camera leadership – which includes the company’s game-changing Super Speed Dual Pixel and Dual Aperture technologies – by introducing a slew of exciting enhancements and even more advanced intelligence. Together, these innovations offer users all the tools they need to take truly epic shots and videos.

See More, Snap More

Each Samsung Galaxy S10 is like a professional-grade camera that fits in your pocket. The devices’ easy-to-use cameras were designed to allow you to capture any shot and angle. So no matter what you’re shooting, you’ll always have the right lens for the job.

At 123-degrees, the rear camera’s new 16MP Ultra Wide lens features a field of view that’s similar to the human eye. It covers approximately 4.3 times more area¹ than a 77-degree Wide-angle lens, and allows you to capture the world as you see it. Perfect for taking epic landscape shots, big panoramas (both horizontally and vertically), or simply fitting the entire family into a photo, the Ultra Wide lens ensures that you’re always able to capture the full scene.

Pictures taken with Galaxy S10’s Wide-angle (left) and Ultra Wide lens

 

Each Galaxy S10’s rear camera setup also includes a 12MP Wide-angle, Dual Aperture, Super Speed Dual Pixel lens. It combines an f/1.5-aperture lens with an f/2.4, and automatically adjusts to light just like our eyes to help users snap professional-looking photos, day or night. The Galaxy S10 and S10+’s triple rear camera setup also includes a 12MP Telephoto (zoom) lens. For those times when you need to get a little closer to your subject, the Telephoto lens provides two times optical zoom and ten times digital zoom.

Each Galaxy S10 comes equipped with a 10MP UHD Dual Pixel front-facing camera that’s perfect for taking high-quality selfies. The Galaxy S10+’s dual front camera setup offers improved megapixels and super-fast autofocus,²and includes an RGB depth lens for enhanced quality of bokeh effects.

A Smarter Way to Shoot

The Galaxy S10’s hardware is complemented by a next-generation Neural Processing Unit (NPU) – a layer of intelligence for all your photos – that streamlines image processing and makes already smart features better.

The addition of the advanced NPU makes the camera’s Scene Optimizer function that much more powerful. Now, Scene Optimizer is capable of analyzing even more complex scenes, and can simultaneously process more image recognition data than before. The camera recognizes up to 30 different types of scenes in all (up from 20 with the Galaxy Note9), including “Face,” “Baby,” “Dog,” “Vehicles,” and more. The function will also automatically optimize the color, saturation, white balance and contrast in order to ensure that the image you see on your screen appears as true to life as possible.

When the camera recognizes specific scenes, it will also suggest other ways to potentially improve your photo. For example, if you’re taking a picture of a sunrise, the camera will automatically ask you if you’d like to switch to the Ultra Wide lens to ensure that you capture the scene in all its glory. If you’re taking a picture in extreme low-light conditions, it will propose that you take a Bright Night Shot for a professional-quality picture.

The camera also offers users instant, automatic recommendations on how to best frame their photo through its Shot Suggestion feature. Utilizing a database of over 100 million pictures, Shot Suggestion’s composition guide offers helpful tips to help you improve your photo’s proportions, positioning and overall composition.

The camera’s upgraded Live Focus mode allows you to customize your photos with artistic effects. The Galaxy S10+ utilizes its dual front cameras to support the feature, which includes options to add new spin bokeh, zoom bokeh, and color point effects, while the Galaxy S10 and S10e’s front-facing camera utilizes the NPU’s intelligence.

Silky Smooth Videos

Recorded videos are so much smoother with the Galaxy S10, thanks to groundbreaking innovations that ensure that users’ footage looks fantastic.

The camera’s Super Steady video-recording feature is the first of its kind on a smartphone, and offers users up to three times better video stabilization than conventional technologies. Powered by anti-shake stabilization technology (VDIS), Super Steady evens out shaky footage, allowing you to record fluid video during even your most active moments. So whether you’re dancing at a concert or recording a bumpy bike ride, with the Galaxy S10, the content you capture will be nice and steady.

Both the front and rear cameras are capable of recording pro-grade UHD footage, which allows users to step up their social game with true-to-life video quality. And in another smartphone first, the rear camera offers users the ability to take their recordings to the next level by capturing them in stunning HDR10+.

Utilizing dynamic tone mapping technology that provides 2.1 times broader color range than SDR, the Galaxy S10 allows you to take videos that are brighter and more dynamic than those taken with other smartphone cameras. That’s because the camera uses tone mapping techniques to go frame-by-frame and optimize the color for every scene.

A New AR Emoji Experience

Samsung’s latest flagships offer users a brand new AR Emoji experience, highlighted by a revamped design, greater customization options, and the ability to track not just your face but also your eyes, tongue and body movements, including your arms and legs.

AR Emoji’s new Mask Mode offers a fun way to touch up a less-than-stellar photo. Not satisfied with the expression you made in your last shot? Simply choose an AR Emoji that nails the emotion you want to express, and place its face over yours.

Users can also customize their AR Emojis like never before. In addition to choosing from the dozens of expressive stickers that are created for each AR Emoji, you can create your very own stickers, featuring unique backgrounds, expressions and other personal touches. Users who download AR World from the Galaxy Store app will also be able to access tons of new hairstyles, outfits and accessories that’ll make their AR Emoji even more unique.

Samsung’s Most Epic Cameras Yet

In addition to placing more fun and convenient features at users’ fingertips, the Galaxy S10 line’s powerful cameras allow you to capture moments in more detail – and with more lenses – than ever before.

The Galaxy S10 5G truly packs the power of a professional-grade camera into your phone by offering a total of six lenses – two on the front and four on the back. In addition to featuring all of the lenses included in the Galaxy S10+ camera, the 5G model introduces Samsung’s next-generation 3D Depth Camera.

This innovative camera allows the device to accurately capture depth by measuring the length of time it takes for an infrared light signal to bounce off the photograph’s subject. The camera uses the resulting depth information to improve the quality of portrait-style images, and to power exciting new features like Video Live focus and Quick Measure. The former allows you to apply cinema-quality bokeh effects to recorded videos, while the latter enables you to use your phone to instantly measure distance, area or volume.

¹ At a distance of approximately one meter.

² Super-fast autofocus is included in the front cameras of the Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+ and S10 5G, as well as in the rear cameras of the Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10 5G.