Samsung Galaxy S11 to have a 108-megapixel camera, report says

Samsung’s next flagship, the Galaxy S11, will likely come with a quad, 108-megapixel camera. This is according to a new report by Bloomberg, which cites people familiar with Samsung’s plans. 

That’s an immense jump, megapixels-wise, from the S10, which has a triple, 12/12/16-megapixel camera. It’s not particularly surprising, though, given that Samsung already sells a 108-megapixel sensor to third-party manufacturers, such as Xiaomi. 

Furthermore, unofficial renders of the Galaxy S11 show a massive camera bump on the back, with five rear cameras nested inside. 

The setup on the new Samsung will be quite similar to the penta camera system on the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 (read my review of that device here), according to the report. Besides the main, 108-megapixel sensor, there will also be an ultra-wide lens and one with 5x optical zoom, as well as a depth sensor for those bokeh shots and AR apps. Unlike the renders above, the new report claims the S11 will have a total of four rear cameras. 

My impressions of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10’s camera system were very positive; in fact, with a little tweaking it would probably be the best on the market. I’d still say the iPhone 11 Pro has the best camera, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung’s Galaxy S11 dethroned it come February, when the phone is likely to be announced. 

Bloomberg says that Samsung will also put the high-res sensor, as well as a the 5x zoom camera, onto its next foldable phone, which will reportedly have a clamshell design. This is interesting; the last rumor we’ve heard about that phone was that it’ll be fairly cheap at $845, which indicated mid-tier specs (a la Motorola’s foldable Razr). 

The new foldable will likely be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S11 in February.