Reviews have been praising Samsung for the improvements seen on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge camera, particularly with low-light imaging. However, it appears some handsets may have an inferior camera, depending on the type of lens with which it has been outfitted.
As was the case in 2015 with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, many pundits and smartphone enthusiasts are discovering that Samsung has used different camera modules for different handsets. Some Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge models feature Sony’s IMX260 module, while others feature Samsung’s ISOCELL module.
The smartphone market is accustomed to Samsung using two different processing chips in different models of its smartphones; devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips usually come to North and South America, while Samsung’s Exynos chip is usually found it devices sold in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. However, there appears to be no such divide between the Sony and Samsung camera modules used in the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, according to Android Authority.
In terms of specifications, the ISOCELL and IMX260 modules are the same, featuring a 12-megapixel lens with f.1/7 aperture. Samsung using different camera components in its new devices likely wouldn’t be an issue, if it wasn’t discovered that the ISOCELL module in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge didn’t perform as well as the Sony module. And what’s interesting is thus far, Samsung has promoted only its own ISOCELL camera as a component for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
After testing with AIDA64, we’ve discovered our Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge features the Sony IMX260 module.
Samsung has yet to comment on the matter, but many are expecting the manufacturer to credit supply chain issues for the reasons some Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge models feature a Sony camera module.
