Galaxy S21 Ultra 10x zoom camera might have a special trick

By JC Torres/

Some fans might already be counting down the hours to Samsung's first big event this year but the stream of leaks and rumors shows no sign of slowing down just yet. From arguable color options to wireless charging accessories, we're still hearing last-minute details that could make or break your decision to invest in the Galaxy S21, at least emotionally. The latest tidbit is unsurprisingly aimed at shutterbugs once again, this time giving wildlife and outdoor photographers something new to chew on.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is already expected to have a rather unique telephoto narrative. It has actually two telephoto cameras, both sporting 10 megapixel sensors. One is capable of only 3x optical zoom while the other goes for 10x zoom. Now the cat known as Ice universe has more to say on the latter, painting it as the most advanced of its kind.

It won't just be because it has a 1.22 micropixel sensor, a large aperture, and support for dual-pixel AF. Those are already points in its favor but the leak focuses instead on the new periscope lens system. It will allegedly only use two refractions instead of the usual five.

The periscope lens contraptions inside smartphones these days refract light repeatedly in order to magnify the image without having to resort to the bulky lenses you see in professional cameras. Unfortunately, that refraction process also means some light or detail may get lost in the process so the fewer refractions it takes to achieve the same level of zoom, the more detail is preserved.

Impressive as it may sound, we still have to take that with a grain of salt. Samsung, after all, is the company that hyped its "Space Zoom" to high heavens, only for it to come crashing back down in reviews. That said, Samsung probably couldn't do worse than what it already has, which isn't all that much compared to top contenders in the zooming category like Huawei and Xiaomi.

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