LG no longer manufactures smartphones, but still designs components for them. The “Innotek” branch of the Korean brand has just lifted the veil on a very promising camera module that we will soon be able to find on our mobiles.
The camera module presented by LG Innotek is a real telephoto lens offering an optical zoom capable of “walking” between x4 and x9. A technology that is often found on classic cameras, but which is much rarer on our smartphones.
A new course for the zoom of our smartphones
There are smartphones on the market that already offer impressive zooms. This is for example the case of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra which benefits from a x3 telephoto camera module, but also a x10 module. The limit of this configuration is that the focal ranges between these two zooms are filled by a digital zoom which can result in a loss of detail in the final photo.
To fill this gap, LG is announcing an “optical zoom camera module” similar to those found in a mirrorless camera or DSLR. LG claims that its module works at the micrometer, while preserving battery life.
The module obviously benefits from an integrated optical image stabilizer to reduce camera shake, which is one of the problems encountered by telephoto lenses when used handheld (without a tripod).
If LG’s camera module is one of a kind, it’s not the first time we’ve seen this technology on our smartphones. Indeed, LG has already equipped the Sony Xperia 1 IV this year, which is the first smartphone to be equipped with a “real” optical zoom offering a sliding focal range from 85 to 125 mm, without resorting to digital zoom.
Less space and more optimization
The other advantage put forward by LG is the miniaturization of its module which limits the thickness of the camera. A physical characteristic that is not displeasing to us. Indeed, the camera blocks of our smartphones are becoming wider and thicker, to the point of sometimes unbalancing the phone once in hand.
As many smartphone manufacturers have proven, the camera module is only part of the equation when it comes to taking quality photos. LG is aware of this and announces that it has worked hand in hand with Qualcomm to optimize this new camera module with the company’s new high-end chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen2:
“This will enhance the custom picture setting for optics, which includes autofocus, auto exposure, auto white balance, lens shading correction and more. Users will be able to focus quickly. And photos and videos will have superb image quality. »
LG’s new camera module will be presented in more detail at CES 2023, which begins on January 3. No brand of smartphone has yet been mentioned, but the models that will be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 SoC are potential candidates. Thus, we could cite the Xiaomi 13, the OnePlus 11 or the Galaxy S23.
LG Innotek
