Smartphone cameras have now become a necessity. With so many changes already underway, it’s difficult to assume how the smartphone cameras will evolve further. But that’s the most fascinating aspect of technology: it’s always changing. Here’s what we can expect from Smartphone cameras in 2022, from custom imaging chips to improved zoom.
Are you more of a gaming person or a creative one?
If you are in love with smartphone cameras, the year 2022 will make you fall more in love with those tiny lenses attached to your smartphones. We have listed five enhancements that will make your smartphone cameras more advanced. But first, let’s take a look at how smartphone cameras have progressed in the year 2021.
Having a camera on a smartphone was once considered a luxury but is now a necessity. Would you buy a smartphone without a camera? Well, I know what’s your answer going to be, so do the smartphone companies.
Therefore, many mid-range smartphones this year have included features such as 108MP cameras, triple rear cameras, Quad-cam modules, flagship phones with ultra-wide cameras, and many more in their camera. Similarly, after years of 12MP sensors, Google has updated its hardware with the Pixel 6 Series. Furthermore, many camera brands collaborated with manufacturers to ensure that users receive a phone with a high-quality camera. With so many changes already underway, it’s difficult to predict how the smartphone camera will evolve in the future. But that’s the most fascinating aspect of technology: it’s always changing. So, what can we expect from Smartphone cameras in 2022? In this article, we’ll look at a few potential smartphone camera trends for the coming year.
Cinematic mode on Android
Cinematic Mode is effectively a smarter portrait video mode. The reason the iPhone series is received well by everyone is also because of these features. It’s not like there weren’t any portrait video features in android before. Huawei and Samsung have offered this option in the past. However, Apple’s approach includes auto-focusing on a subject when their face is detected, tracking the subject, and more. And there is no doubt that some Android OEMs will imitate Apple’s Cinematic Mode implementation. Does it mean everyone will have Cinematic Mode by 2022 or 2023? Well, we aren’t certain about that. What we know is several brands attempted to copy 3D Touch and how that turned out. Therefore, it will be interesting to see Cinematic Mode on Android.
RGBW camera will recur?
In 2015, Huawei released the P8 with an RGBW camera sensor. After that, Oppo released the phone with RGBW camera sensors in 2015 and 2018. Color filters with red, green, and blue subpixels are used in traditional camera sensors. RGBW sensors, on the other hand, add white subpixels to the mix, promising improved light intake and less noise.
Both Oppo and Vivo have announced their RGBW camera sensors for future devices, so this technology may be recurring in 2022. Oppo has stated that a commercial device with an RGBW sensor will be released in Q4 2021. Meanwhile, Vivo announced in 2020 that its first RGBW-sensor devices would be available in 2021, claiming that they offer better image quality than RYYB sensors from companies like Huawei.
According to rumors, Next year, the Galaxy S22 series could get 50MP RGBW camera sensors. Even if the S22 claim is false, it appears that RGBW sensors will be one of several smartphone camera trends in 2022.
Under-display cameras get a boost
In 2020, ZTE released the first commercially available phone with an under-display selfie camera, but by 2021, several more phones had joined the fray. Xiaomi’s Mix 4 and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 have under-display cameras, while ZTE brought its Axon 30 series.
The problem with these cameras is that they perform poorly in conditions other than direct sunlight. Even here, there is a noticeable difference in quality between these cameras and traditional front-facing shooters. On the Galaxy Z Fold 3, there’s also haziness in the display area above the camera, so it’s not seamless.
Nonetheless, we expect under-display cameras to improve in 2022, as some of the industry’s biggest names have already mastered the technology in 2021. They are without a doubt improving the hardware and algorithms for next-generation efforts. However, it’s uncertain that all of the major flagships will have this feature.
Better 8k video
The Red Magic 3 was the first phone to support 8K video recording, with 8K/15fps capabilities in 2019. After that, the Snapdragon 865 series of chipsets supported native 8K/30fps bringing notable improvement in 2020. Therefore, this trend is expected to continue in 2021, as many flagship phones will support 8K resolution. In 2022, we expect 8K video recording to improve in quality. It’s probably too soon for 8K/60fps, but we’re expecting to see improvements like 8K HDR or 8K with improved stabilization.
Custom imaging Chip
Most smartphones use an image signal processor (ISP) built into the phone’s chipset to process pictures. The Spectra ISP, for instance, is commonly used in phones with Snapdragon chipsets. However, we’ve noticed a trend where brands used to create their custom ISP in 2021. Instead of the Snapdragon imaging chip, both the Xiaomi Mix Fold and the Vivo X70 Pro Plus use their own ISPs.
Xiaomi claimed that the custom chip improved low-light shots, improved autofocus, and improved auto white-balance and auto-exposure. Vivo’s in-house ISP, on the other hand, claimed to offer less noise, improved power efficiency, and MEMC frame interpolation. It’s not the first time we’ve seen companies offer custom imaging chips. Google’s flagships have also included custom imaging silicon from 2017 onwards. With the Pixel 6 series, the company updated its hardware in this area. As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google, Vivo, Xiaomi, and possibly other brands keep this smartphone camera trend going in 2022.
Optical Image Stabilization will step up
Optical image stabilization (OIS) has been a must-have feature on higher-end smartphones. In recent years, we’ve seen several companies such as Vivo with its micro-gimbal stabilization technology and Apple with sensor-shift stabilization.
We hope Vivo will continue its micro-gimbal push next year too. Similarly, Samsung might add optical image stabilization to its Galaxy A series of mid-range smartphones. Oppo also showed off its “five-axis OIS” technology earlier this year, stating that it would be available in Q1 2022. To sum up, it appears that better stabilization will be a major trend in the coming year.
An improved telephoto zoom lens
In 2021, Sony made one of the more important technological advances when it released phones with changeable telephoto cameras. The feature, which is available on the Xperia 1 III and 5 III, demonstrates that you don’t need two different telephoto cameras to get smooth zoom performance.
Furthermore, typical telephoto and periscope cameras have a fixed zoom factor, while everything else is a hybrid zoom with software assistance. Sony went one step further, featuring a telephoto camera capable of shooting at 2.9x and 4.4x natively for the significant quality. On the downside, this solution still uses hybrid zoom for interstitial zoom factors. However, it provides a higher-quality, more flexible zoom experience on paper than operating a single telephoto or periscope camera.
In 2022, we hope Sony continues to improve this technology, but we also know Oppo is upping the ante with its zoom technology. Earlier this year, the company announced a continuous optical zoom module that can smoothly move and shoot at any point between 3.3x and 7x. However, they haven’t given any information about its release.
Final Thoughts
Who in today’s world would say no to a smartphone with a better camera? Similarly, people are growing fonder of capturing the moments/photography and video blogging/ vlog. As a result, companies have aspired to develop smartphones with improved camera quality. However, these are just speculative predictions for how our smartphone cameras will look in 2022. However, we might get many surprises in that process and witness some fascinating evolution in technology later.
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