There's an interesting bit of information out today about the Galaxy Note 10 camera. Samsung China engineers have apparently let it slip that the Galaxy Note 10 camera will feature a three-stage, f/1.5 – f/1.8 – f/2.4 variable aperture.
Samsung made a pretty big deal out of the Galaxy S9's dual aperture camera system last year. It was the first time since a decade that a mobile device featured a camera with variable aperture. It seems that Samsung is looking to kick things up a notch with the Galaxy Note 10.
Galaxy Note 10 could be the first with three-stage variable aperture
The Galaxy S9 could switch between two apertures: the largest/widest aperture – f/1.5 – seen on a phone at that time and a narrower f/2.4 aperture. You could actually see the aperture blades move as the Galaxy S9's camera switched between the two fixed stages.
The Galaxy Note 9 got the same camera system. A larger aperture refers to a wider opening through which light enters the camera. The f1/.5 aperture enabled the Galaxy S9 to capture brighter photos with lower noise in low-light environments. The narrower f/2.4 aperture would improve image sharpness in brightly lit conditions. It was certainly a step up from the Galaxy S8. We took a detailed look at the dual aperture camera's performance in our Galaxy S9 review.
Samsung retained the two fixed apertures for the Galaxy S10 series as well. Many would have thought that it won't be changed for the Galaxy Note 10. If anything, a shift to a three-stage variable aperture would have been expected with the Galaxy S11. However, @UniverseIce claims to hear from Samsung China engineers that the Galaxy Note 10 camera will have f/1.5 – f/1.8 – f/2.4 variable apertures.
This would actually be a big deal if it turns out to be true. A three-stage variable aperture would allow for more flexibility and thus improved performance. The f/1.5 – f/2.4 aperture works well for low-light and brightly lit conditions. The f/1.8 aperture would be very effective for intermediate cases. This should reduce overexposure in shots which has long been a trait of Samsung's smartphone cameras.
It's unclear if both Galaxy Note 10 models will feature this or if Samsung plans on limiting it to the Galaxy Note 10 Pro. Nevertheless, this is an exciting possibility, one that would make the Galaxy Note 10 quite a unique device.
