It’s only July, and although Samsung has yet to officially unveil the oft-leaked and thoroughly detailed Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 5G, a number of insiders and publications are already trying to guess the main specifications and key selling points of next year’s Galaxy S22 lineup.
Given that it’s practically impossible to know anything for certain with so much time still left to go until 2022’s first big Unpacked event, it’s genuinely amusing to see such wildly different predictions bandied about of late.
108 or 200MP primary shooter? That is the question
Unfortunately, the answer will obviously have to wait, as there’s no way to anticipate just how reliable this Korean publication’s “multiple industry sources” will prove when all is said and done.
The S21 Ultra comes with a 108MP main camera and four rear imaging sensors totaling 140 megapixels
That’s because 200 could represent the megapixel count of the S22 Ultra’s main shooter… or the combined number of those five lenses rumored to reside on the back of Samsung’s next (non-foldable) powerhouse.
Alternatively, the main rear-facing camera might go from 108 all the way up to 200 megapixels, which sounds… about as unnecessary as the other possibility. But when has that ever stopped the world’s top smartphone vendor from pushing the flagship envelope?
Olympus technology and S Pen support
Believe it or not, the (vague) 200MP tidbit is not even the most implausible part of the latest Pulse News report, with the same publication claiming that the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G will be using camera technology provided by “Japan’s Olympus” as well.
Unlike Carl Zeiss or Leica, this particular optics manufacturing company has yet to dip its proverbial toes into optimizing smartphone cameras, and unlike Nokia or Huawei, Samsung makes its own industry-leading image sensors.
Could Olympus bring some of its mirrorless magic to the S21 Ultra?
Of course, Olympus could bring its mirrorless camera expertise to the table and undoubtedly help improve the photography-taking chops of the S22 Ultra compared to its predecessor, but even if that does end up being the case, it’s unclear why the super-premium handset would need a 200MP lens… or a grand total of five rear-mounted shooters.
That leaves us with S Pen support as the only believable rumor of today considering that this year’s S21 Ultra can also be paired with a (separately sold) stylus.
