New research of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Samsung to celebrate the launch of its Galaxy S9, has shown that more than half of Brits believe it’s important to capture the perfect photograph, and the majority would like to improve the low-light performance of their phone’s camera. Currently, more than two in five spend time editing images taken in low lighting, and more than six in 10 admit they delete images straight away because it’s too dark.

The new Galaxy S9 and S9+, on general sale from 16 March, has an advanced, reimagined camera to ensure users don’t miss a moment – enabling them to capture their epic every day.

Additionally, adults admitted almost 40% of their snaps will be un-usable as a result of low lighting, blurring or because the subject was too far away.

It’s no secret that good lighting is the answer to any great photo but often, photos are taken in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Most smartphone cameras have a fixed aperture that can’t adjust to low or bright lighting environments, resulting in grainy or washed out pictures. Similar to the way the iris of a human eye expands and contracts, Samsung’s Dual Aperture^[1] (F1.5/ F2.4) automatically lets in more light when it’s dark and less light when it’s too bright, taking photos that are crisp and clear.

A Samsung spokesperson said: “We have reimagined the camera on the Galaxy S9/+ to enable our fans to capture the epic every day. The incredible dual aperture lens transforms low light photography, allowing users to get the perfect shot first time, so that they can live in the moment.”

There is a cost to pursuing the perfect shot, as 43% of respondents felt they missed out on the ‘true’ experience by spending too much time taking pictures.

As well as an enhanced low-light camera, the S9 benefits from:

• Super Slow-mo: Make every day moments epic with dynamic, slow-motion video that captures 960 frames per second. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ also offers automatic Motion Detection, an intelligent feature that detects movement in the frame and automatically begins to record – all users have to do is set up the shot.

• AR Emoji: Samsung lets users create an emoji that looks, sounds and acts like them. AR Emoji uses a data-based machine learning algorithm, which analyses a 2D image of the user and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model that reflects and imitates expressions, like winks and nods, for true personalisation.

• Bixby: Samsung’s intelligence platform, integrated into the camera, uses augmented reality and deep learning technologies to provide helpful information about a user’s surroundings.

For more information about the Galaxy S9 and S9+, visit http://www.samsungmobilepress.com, or www.samsung.com/galaxy.

[1] The Dual Aperture supports F1.5 mode and F2.4 mode. Dual Aperture is installed on the rear camera (Galaxy S9) and rear wide-camera (Galaxy S9+)

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced the newest addition to its ISOCELL image sensor family, the 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3. The 1.4-micrometer (μm) 12-megapixel (Mp) image sensor with integrated dynamic random access memory (DRAM) delivers fast data readout speeds to capture both rapid movements in super-slow motion and sharper still photographs with less noise and distortion.

“Samsung’s ISOCELL image sensors have made great leaps over the generations, with technologies such as ISOCELL for high color fidelity and Dual Pixel for ultra-fast autofocusing, bringing the smartphone camera ever closer to DSLR-grade photography,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With an added DRAM layer, Samsung’s new 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 will enable users to create more unique and mesmerizing content.”

Conventional image sensors are constructed with two silicon layers; a pixel array layer that converts light information into an electric signal, and an analog logic layer that processes the electric signal into digital code. The digital code is then sent via MIPI interface to the device’s mobile processor for further image tuning before being saved to the device’s DRAM. While all these steps are done instantaneously to implement features like zero-shutter lag, capturing smooth super-slow-motion video requires image readouts at a much higher rate.

Delivering an advanced solution, the Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L3 is a high speed 3-stack CMOS image sensor designed with the company’s two-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 DRAM attached below the analog logic layer. With the integration, the image sensor can temporarily store a larger number of frames taken in high speed quickly onto the sensor’s DRAM layer before sending frames out to the mobile processor and then to the device’s DRAM. This not only allows the sensor to capture a full-frame snapshot at 1/120 of a second but also to record super-slow motion video at up to 960 frames per second (fps). With 960fps recording, which is 32 times the typical filming speed (30fps), recording moments such as a child hitting his or her first game-winning homerun, a baby taking his or her first step, or a friend doing a gazelle flip on a skateboard becomes much more dramatic.

In addition to super slow motion video, fast readout can hugely enhance the photography experience. Since the sensor captures an image at very high speeds, it significantly reduces the ‘jello-effect,’ or image distortion, when taking a picture of fast-moving objects, for example helicopter rotor blades. By storing multiple frames in the split of a second, the sensor can support 3-Dimensional Noise Reduction (3DNR) for clearer pictures when shooting in low-light, as well as real time high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, and detect even the slightest hint of movement for automatic instant slow-motion recording.

The image sensor is also equipped with Dual Pixel technology, which allows each and every one of the 12-million pixels of the image sensor to employ two photodiodes that respectively work as a phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) agent. With ultra-fast auto-focus in any lighting condition, it will be harder to miss capturing important moments before they pass by.

The Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L3 is currently in mass production.