It looks like Samsung may be taking a quality over quantity approach to cameras in some of its upcoming phones, as a report suggests the Galaxy A54, Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A24 will all have one less lens than their predecessors.
Specifically, TheElec (opens in new tab) claims that none of these phones will have a depth sensor, leaving them with triple-lens setups, where the Samsung Galaxy A53, Galaxy A33, and Galaxy A23 all have quad-lens camera setups.
That’s good news, as while a decent depth sensor isn’t a total waste of time (as it can help with portrait shots and the like), those on cheap, mid-range handsets tend to be a total filler that adds little. nothing for camera performance.
Of course, if Samsung were removing the depth sensors but keeping everything else the same, that wouldn’t be great either, but according to this report, the company will focus on strengthening the core camera offering. So, presumably, the money saved by not including a depth sensor will be pumped into other lenses or sensors.
Speaking of which, apparently the Samsung Galaxy A54 will have a 50MP main camera, a 5MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro camera, while the Galaxy A34 will have a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro. Lastly, the Galaxy A24 will reportedly have a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra wide-angle and a 5MP macro.
In terms of megapixel numbers, the Samsung Galaxy A24 is oddly in the best shape, if that’s right, despite presumably being the cheapest of these phones, while the most premium – the Galaxy A54 – reportedly has the lowest total megapixel count.
But that just goes to show that megapixels aren’t everything either. If they were, Apple’s 12 MP handsets would not continue to rank among the best camera phones.
As well as potentially leading to camera improvements, ditching the depth sensor could also cut costs – although it remains to be seen whether those savings will be passed on to consumers.
As for when you’ll be able to buy these phones, the Samsung Galaxy A34 will apparently arrive in March, with the Galaxy A54 in April. There’s no word on when the Samsung Galaxy A24 might launch, but the Galaxy A23 arrived in March of this year, so a launch around March 2023 seems likely.
Analysis: less is more
This news is promising, assuming this report is accurate, as while a quad-lens camera could be a good bullet point in the spec box, the actual quality of the cameras will likely be improved by this change.
Ideally, it would be nice to see Samsung go even further and ditch macro cameras on these phones. Macro lenses on cheap phones also tend to be filler, and as they’re supposed to be only 5 MP, we’re not optimistic they’ll be any good. So it would be nice to see Samsung skip the macro lens or focus on making it really worth it.
But this is a step in the right direction anyway and could help these handsets compete with the best cheap phones – most of which currently have triple or quad lens cameras, with some padding.