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Olympus refutes rumored partnership with Samsung for the Galaxy S22 series camera

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 15:35:00 +0000

Back in April this year, a rumor emerged that South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung was in talks with Japanese camera maker Olympus for a collaboration that could see Olympus producing the camera module for future Samsung smartphones. While no official statement emanated from either party at that time, the rumor mills were agog again recently. We have even seen fan-made renders of the Galaxy S22 with an Olympus branded camera.

The renowned Japanese camera maker has now denied the existence of any partnership with Samsung in relation to the design and development of the camera setup for the upcoming Galaxy S22 series. However, the reputable online platform LetsGoDigital reached out to the Japanese camera maker and it indicated that there was no collaboration between it and Samsung.

It is unclear whether indeed there were talks between Olympus and Samsung that may have collapsed at some point. Samsung has also not mentioned any partnership between it and Olympus. It is also not unlikely that Olympus has been in talks with different smartphone manufacturers on possible partnerships in the production of the camera module for their smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Concept

It is not uncommon to have such collaborations between traditional camera makers and smartphone manufacturers. It is believed that such partnerships yield more powerful cameras for smartphones. Indeed, smartphone makers often claim improved image processing and overall efficiency using such collaborations. Some of the partnerships that are open knowledge in the industry include Leica and Huawei, Zeis and Vivo, Hasselblad, and OnePlus, among others.

While Olympus has hinted that there was no partnership between itself and Samsung, Samsung on its part has not made any official statement either asserting or debunking the claim. The Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup may be unveiled in the first quarter of 2022 and the three devices on the lineup will be successors to the Galaxy S21 series. It promises to be Samsung’s premier flagship offering for 2022, although much of what we know currently is speculative.

Samsung Galaxy S22 series smartphones to reportedly feature a new 50MP RGBW sensor

Jeet — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 05:12:33 +0000

Samsung is working on its next-generation Galaxy S-series flagship smartphones which will be launched early next year in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup. While there’s plenty of time to the official launch, leaks related to the smartphones keep surfacing online.

In the latest leak, tipster Yogesh claims that the Galaxy S22 series from Samsung, as well as some other non-Samsung phones, will come with a new 50MP RGBW sensor.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Render

Ice Universe has claimed that the South Korean giant will be launching a new 200-megapixel camera sensor and a 50-megapixel RGBW unit next month. Samsung had previously confirmed that it was working on a 200-megapixel camera sensor.

Earlier it was said that the top-end variant of the lineup, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be retaining the 108-megapixel sensor. However, the report was refuted and the device was claimed to have a new 200-megapixel sensor in a five-camera setup. The 200MP sensor is reportedly being made in collaboration with Japan-based Olympus.

Samsung recently announced the world’s smallest 0.64μm-pixel sensor, 50MP ISOCELL JN1 camera which is meant for mid-tier phones. In February, it had unveiled the 50MP ISOCELL GN2 sensor which is 1/1.12-inches and has 1.4μm-sized pixels.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is also expected to come with 65W charging support and the firm is reportedly testing the technology. The 65W charger from Samsung was certified by TÜV SÜD in February this year. This is the same charger with model number EP-TA865 which was certified by South Korea’s NRRA certification in September last year.

Last week, it was leaked that the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra are likely to carry model numbers SM-S901x, SM-906x, and SM-S908x. While not yet confirmed, the phones are expected to get launched in January 2022.

Samsung Galaxy S22 concept renders showcase 200-megapixel Olympus camera module

Jeet — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 05:37:05 +0000

The high-end specifications in flagship smartphones seem to have reached a saturation point, and now the company is focusing on the user experience. But one aspect that takes priority for many manufactures is to offer the best camera experience.

Many smartphone makers are now collaborating with camera and lens manufacturers to optimize their flagship devices’ photo-taking experience. Brands like Nokia and Huawei have been doing this for a while, but more companies are now taking this route. OnePlus recently followed suit by forming a partnership with Hasselblad for the OnePlus 9 series.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Render by Technizo Concept

South Korean giant Samsung is also rumored to partner with Japan-based Olympus for its Galaxy smartphones lineup as the company aims to improve the photography experience. It is speculated that the Galaxy S22’s camera module could be from Olympus.

LetsGoDigital has revealed concept renders of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 flagship smartphone, created by Technizo Concept. Notably, the renders are based on the rumors that Olympus and Samsung are partnering for camera performance and these are just the concept renders, meaning the actual design could differ from this.

It shows a larger 200-megapixel primary camera sensor on a rectangular module placed in the top-left corner. There are a few other sensors that sit below the primary sensor. The larger lens could drastically improve the photo quality as it can capture more light. Recently, Samsung had also teased that it is developing a 200-megapixel image sensor as the successor of the 108-megapixel sensor found in the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

It is believed that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, the company’s upcoming foldable smartphone slated to launch in July or August this year, could be the first device to feature a camera module designed under the partnership of Samsung and Olympus.

While rumors and reports about this partnership with Samsung and Olympus keep surfacing online, both the company are yet to confirm this. We speculate that the company could announce this at the upcoming ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ event scheduled on 28th April.

Samsung rumoured to partner with Olympus for future smartphone cameras

Jed John Ikoba — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 05:46:27 +0000

A recent leak by tipster @heyitsyogesh via Twitter, corroborated on Weibo by Ice Universe, has indicated that South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung is in talks with Japanese camera maker Olympus for a collaboration that could see Olympus producing the camera module for future Samsung smartphones.

Olympus has a chequered history of camera manufacture since it began operations in 1919. Samsung manufactures image sensors, but it seems to be looking in the direction of Olympus to produce high-quality photo and camera modules for its forthcoming smartphones. Olympus is a leading manufacturer of optical and reprography products.

If the partnership is confirmed, Samsung will join a growing list of smartphone brands that have outsourced the production of its camera to camera manufacturers. The list includes Huawei, OnePlus, and Vivo.

Ok this could be huge!

With the Note lineup out this year, Samsung is going big with the Fold 3.

Heard about this very briefly, Samsung might be jumping on the latest trend of partnering with a camera brand. We might see this possibly happen on a special edition Fold.

— Yogesh (@heyitsyogesh) April 6, 2021

Samsung is seeking to substantially improve the picture quality of its smartphones, and the tweet by the tipster says Olympus had approached Samsung for the collaboration, and the talks are progressing according to plans. The partnership may culminate in Olympus producing the camera module for the Galaxy S22, which is likely to enter the market within the first quarter of 2022.

While both Samsung and Olympus are yet to put out an official statement, the partnership holds a lot of promise for both companies. In what could be an additional pointer to the veracity of the partnership, Samsung is presently working on a chip that is codenamed Olympus. It is an Exynos processor that is a successor to the current Exynos processor plagued with lots of criticisms. The new Olympus chipset is expected to reflect a massive improvement in the performance compared with the current Exynos chipset.

So while we await official confirmation from both companies, it is apposite to reiterate that the leak is just a rumor which may be credible or a ruse.

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Olympus is leaving the camera business, sells imaging division to Japan Industrial Partners

Sean — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 09:32:28 +0000

Olympus has recently announced that it is planning on leaving the camera business entirely. The company will be selling its imaging division to an investment fund.

Japan Industrial Partners has previously bought the VAIO computer business from Sony and haw now also signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) that will have Olympus transfer its imaging division. This division was a small part of Olympus’ business that mostly comprises of medical equipment manufacturing, with an example being endoscopes.

The company’s CEO, Yasuo Takeuchi, had hinted at this move back in 2019 in a press conference when he said that Olympus’ camera division can be sold. Although that remark was watered down later on. According to an official statement from the company “we had implemented measures to cope with the extremely severe digital camera market, due to, amongst others, rapid market shrink caused by the evolution of smartphones.” However, it seems those efforts have not succeeded as the business will be sold off now.

Japan Industrial Partners is expected to streamline the imaging division, similar to what it did with VAIO. In other words, it will continue to develop products using the Olympus brand such as OM-D and Zuiko. Olympus and JIP will sign a definitive agreement by the end of September with the entire deal closing near the end of this year. Unfortunately, finer details and financial terms have yet to be revealed.

(Source)

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