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Samsung will rollout lossless 2x zoom mode with 50-megapixel resolution camera
Your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will soon be grabbing a new 2x zoom mode using a 50-megapixel resolution, making the camera more powerful. Recently, a cryptic reply by a community manager hinted that the Double Portraits coming to certain Galaxy models, meanwhile, the new input has more details.
Reliable Samsung source discovered a thread in the Korean community, in which the camera in charge confirmed that the 2x zoom mode is coming to the camera and supports 50-megapixel cropping. As soon as the user reaches a 3x zoom level, the S23 Ultra replaces the primary lens with the telephoto.
Samsung develops dedicated 2x zoom mode
A dedicated telephoto offers stunningly detailed photos in close up, where the 10x level gets boosted further using the 2nd telephoto lens. Similarly, a consumer requested Samsung to bring a dedicated 2x zoom level, which uses 50-megapixel resolution for better details in images.
According to the info, Samsung has completed the development of this new 2x zoom mode with a 50-megapixel cropping solution. With the next firmware update, it will be distributed to the Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, thanks to the 200-megapixel camera, which works at 12.5MP, 50MP and 200MP.
The tipster pointed out that the 2x zoom function will be extended to video mode as well. So we are expecting that the company may deliver the new camera cropping toggle to regular Photo, Portrait, and Video functions with the next firmware.
Double Portraits
Earlier, the camera in charge revealed that the next software includes the Double Portraits function for the Portrait mode. Per the info, this new function will deliver Portrait shots with accurately blurred backgrounds when the viewfinder has more than a single subject.
Last month, we’ve seen that the Korean tech giant treated older flagships like the latest S23 series when it comes to feature distribution. The S23’s Image Clipper is available for many models, with the similar we believe to happen with the next S23 Ultra software.
Samsung remained the market leader in the third quarter of the year. After Canalys, IDC reports that Samsung was the biggest smartphone vendor in Q3, 2024, beating its close rival, Apple with a margin of 1.8 million units.
IDC report says the global smartphone market grew by 4% with 316.1 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2024. Interestingly, the market growth was led by strong growth from Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Huawei.
Per the report Samsung sold 57.8 million units, securing 18.3% market share in Q3 2024. Last year, the company seized a 19.6% share by selling 59.5 million Galaxy phones. Notably, Samsung’s YoY growth was negative despite the global recovery.
Samsung maintained the leadership crown despite shipments decreasing marginally. The company continues to grow its share in the premium segment as the average prices increased in the quarter driven by a stronger mix of Galaxy AI-enabled models.
The worldwide #smartphone market has seen a growth of 4.0% YoY in 3Q24. See below for key data and insight from IDC analysts.
Full Press Release: https://t.co/OIAcoBSCNG pic.twitter.com/NLCXGLtWBy
— IDC (@IDC) October 16, 2024
Apple grabbed a 17.7% market share, with sales recorded at 56 million in the third quarter. The company grew 3.5% YoY, up from 54.1 million iPhone shipments, while market share declined merely 0.1%.
The US phone maker will continue to grow in the upcoming US holiday season. Many customers will likely upgrade from the iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and prior models to a new Apple Intelligence-powered iPhone 16 series.
Xiaomi retained its third spot, with shipments were 42.8 million and 13.5% market share in Q3. Last year, the company shipped 41.5 million units with a market share of 13.6%. The company’s YoY growth stalled, with a negligible 0.1% decline.
Other Chinese vendors; OPPO and vivo sold 28.8 and 27 million phones, respectively. The former had 9.1% market share, while the latter had 8.5%. Other vendors collectively sold 103.7 million smartphones up from 99.6 million in the last year.
Workers at Samsung India finally ended the 37-day-long strike. The country seeks foreign investment from leading vendors. However, such a long-standing strike hurt the ambitions of the national and state governments.
Samsung welcomed the decision by CITU to call off the strike at the plant, which employs about 1,800 workers and makes refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines. The company also noted that no actions would be taken against participants.
“We will not take action against workers who merely participated” in the strike, Samsung India said, without elaborating on whether it is planning any action against certain workers.
We might not see any administrative actions against certain employees. It’s a big relief for Samsung India that the strike has been called off. However, the company hasn’t clarified if certain workers are under the radar for potential actions.
This strike is the biggest dispute faced by the company’s Indian unit in years. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions supported the company’s workers union. Samsung also sued the striking union in the initial days when tensions rose.
Govt of Indian state Tamil Nadu, where Samsung’s production fab is located, confirmed the strike has ended. It came after representatives from the Samsung management and striking workers had participated in the talks.
With the stable release of Android 15, along with several new features, satellite messaging has now become available for a few Android devices. The feature allows you to send and receive messages via satellite when you are outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage areas. It is particularly useful in emergencies or in remote areas where normal network coverage is unavailable.
To be specific, who can use this? Satellite messaging in Android 15 has started to come for users with compatible devices, like the Google Pixel series, and specific carriers like T-Mobile (thanks to Elon Musk’s Starlink).
For T-Mobile users running eligible devices with the latest Android 15 OS, you can access this feature by going through Settings > Network & Internet > SIMs > T-Mobile and tapping on Satellite Messaging. Don’t forget, you still need an eligible T-Mobile plan to use satellite messaging.
As of now, this is limited to a few devices which are expected to be available for more devices with necessary hardware requirements in the future.
Keep in mind, even though Android 15 includes this emergency feature, you might not see it right away. This can depend on your phone model, where you live, or which mobile service you use.
Just for your information, Apple has already enabled satellite communication for its iPhones.