Samsung’s ALoP introduces a big aperture lens that guarantees low-noise portrait photographs in night time photographs and a lower-profile digital camera bump and slimmer smartphone. The upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra stands out as the first to make use of the know-how.
In November 2024, Samsung Electronics received a complete of 29 ‘CES Innovation Awards 2025’ forward of the world’s largest and most influential know-how occasion, CES 2025. One Samsung know-how honored with a CES 2025 Innovation Award is All Lenses on Prism (ALoP). This revolutionary construction that permits smaller telephoto digital camera modules whereas capturing shiny and clear images, can be showcased on the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 7-10, 2025.
As cell phone customers demand higher picture seize from their cameras, smartphone makers have added cameras for every zoom ratio (e.g. broad, ultra-wide, telephoto). Over time, the cellphone digital camera array has develop into fairly crowded, with an ever-larger digital camera bump. That could also be about to vary because of All Lenses on Prism (ALoP), developed by Samsung’s Sensor Solutions Team.
The know-how, which was formally introduced in November 2024, might debut within the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone, the upcoming firm’s flagship mannequin, which, in line with rumors, can have the identical lens set because the S24 Ultra, aside from the ultrawide digital camera, which can drop the precise 12MP and be primarily based on a 50MP sensor with a 1/1.57″ optical measurement and 1.0 µm particular person pixels the Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN3. There can also be an opportunity that AloP will first seem on a rumored Galaxy S25 Slim, a brand new addition to the household, that can be used to point out the potential of AloP to include a set of huge telephoto lenses in a smartphone with out incurring the penalty of an enormous digital camera bump.
Limitations of the folded telephoto digital camera
Limitations of the folded telephoto digital cameraTelephoto cameras have been a brand new level of differentiation for smartphone producers as a result of they provide high-magnification capabilities, can compress backgrounds, scale back distortion because of the slim area of view, and even create an appropriate background blur impact, perfect for portraits… however as they attain ratios as much as 5x, taller module peak and an obtrusive digital camera bump are unavoidable.
The frequent resolution is the usage of folded telephoto digital camera construction, bending the trail of sunshine by 90 levels like a periscope to permit for longer focal lengths horizontally with out extending the thickness of smartphone vertically. The lenses stand vertically with respect to the airplane of the smartphone physique, so their diameter determines the peak of the digital camera bump. This made increased magnification telephoto cameras in smartphones potential… however launched limitations by way of gentle gathering.
In reality, the folded telephoto digital camera construction limits the telephoto enhancements that may be made by way of picture brightness. A wider lens diameter is required for brighter photographs. Moving to a bigger telephoto lens and brighter telephoto digital camera utilizing massive picture sensor will increase each the module peak and size, to the purpose the place the person would discover the ensuing cumbersome digital camera bump objectionable.
To deal with these points, the business has been in search of an answer that may obtain higher outcomes than conventional folded zoom buildings. That’s AloP, a know-how that employs a intelligent optical construction wherein lenses sit horizontally upon the prism, remaining within the airplane of the smartphone physique. Using this method, rising the efficient lens measurement (EPD) by rising lens diameter brings a brighter picture but doesn’t have an effect on the digital camera module shoulder peak. Moreover, it gives for a shorter module size by decreasing the house wanted for lenses within the folded digital camera module.
ALoP: options and advantages
ALoP: options and advantagesHere are the important thing options and advantages AloP brings to smartphones:
Brightness. The novel optics design of ALoP accommodates an f/2.58 lens aperture at a focal size of 80mm. Differing from standard folded digital camera optics, the lens on this case is positioned forward of the prism. In this manner, ALoP can use a big aperture lens that guarantees low-noise portrait photographs in night time photographs.
Compact measurement. Thanks to the ALoP structure, the module size could be shortened 22% with respect to standard folded digital camera optics. More importantly, the ALoP takes up an particularly low module peak as a result of it employs a 40˚-tilted prism reflection floor and 10˚-tilted sensor meeting. Taken collectively, these lowered dimensions make for a lower-profile digital camera bump and slimmer smartphone.
Aesthetics and ergonomics. Users typically discover a thick smartphone digital camera bump objectionable. It not solely makes the smartphone design unappealing but additionally more durable to make use of when laid on a flat floor. Additionally, the form of the lenses inside the digital camera bump could be off-putting. In a smartphone utilizing standard folded digital camera optics, customers see an oblong prism that’s cosmetically considerably jarring to an in any other case modern digital camera look. By distinction, in a smartphone adopting ALoP optics, customers see solely the anticipated round lens shapes.
According to Younggyu Jeong, from Samsung’s Sensor Solutions Team, “smartphone cameras are rapidly evolving, but they haven’t yet surpassed DSLR capabilities due to size constraints. I believe new technologies will continue to emerge to close that gap, with technologies aimed at improving the image quality of telephoto cameras, which are disadvantaged in terms of form factor, at the forefront.”
“As a business” – he added -, “we anticipate the commercialization of various technologies to reduce F/#, increase zoom magnification, and reduce module size. We will continue to combine the differentiated hardware solutions of ISOCELL with AI-based software solutions to expand users’ mobile camera experiences.”
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