Camera

OnePlus is projected to launch a smartphone with silicon from MediaTek, rather than Qualcomm as usual, later in 2021. Now, the notable tipster Digital Chat Station claims that this phone will have a high-end main camera sensor, as well as an increasingly popular flat display. It may or may not be available internationally on its launch.

Samsung has announced that its next new ISOCELL sensor for smartphone cameras is "for everyone", thereby suggesting a new, mid-range variant is slated to join this series soon. The OEM has invited its Twitter audience to "stay tuned" for more details to be released on June 10, 2021.

The Honor 50 and 50 Pro are slated to launch in mid-June 2021. Prior to this event, however, the OEM has seen fit to release new teasers that confirm prior design leaks for the phones. They appear to confirm the new kind of quad rear camera hump the devices will rock, as well as their color options.

The Pixel line of smartphones has been defining itself through enhanced low-light photography since 2018. Now, a new leak hints that Google has something new to add to this Night Sight suite of features in 2021: Astro TimeLapse. It might be added through the next major update to the OEM's Camera app.

Now that the pre-order phase is over, the company has opened up its latest flagship smartphone for anyone to purchase. U.S. and European customers will have to pony up at least 749 USD or 749 Euros for just the baseline 8 GB+128 GB option.

The PowerVision S1 will add to the increasingly popular trend of automatic, motorized magnetic gimbal accessories on its impending launch via Indiegogo. However, this one also incorporates its own power bank for pass-through wireless charging on the go. It also has a tripod folds down to fit in pockets or bags easily.

Panasonic has just introduced the "evolved", Mark II form of the Micro Four Thirds GH5 camera. The new up-to-4K/60fps/10-bit unit improves on its immediate forebear in a number of ways, an upgrade to USB type-C charging at a reduced starting price compared to the Mark I included. Then again, the OEM projects that the flagship GH6 will also be there to hold out for before the end of 2021.

Nubia's Z30 Pro is a new Snapdragon 888-powered flagship smartphone with a generous amount of high-end specs, including a 144Hz 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, quad rear cameras and 120W ultra-fast charging. Then again, it has also launched with a punch-hole selfie shooter, rather than the next-gen under-display alternative hinted at in earlier leaks.

EZVIZ introduces the C8C as its inaugural outdoor wireless home security camera capable of panning and tilting within its globe-shaped exterior glass shell. Its sensor is rated for FHD recording, as well as night vision in color and AI-powered intruder detection. The new IP65 surveillance accessory is available at Walmart with a special introductory price for its launch.

The latest resurgence of Covid-19 in Taiwan is forcing many Taiwanese tech firms to strengthen the anti-pandemic measures once again. TSMC, Acer, Asustek, AUO, Adata, Team Group, Apacer and PCB makers are now forced to adopt flexible work from home schedules, team segregations, and daily disinfections of all premises.

Under-display camera technology is currently emerging as a replacement for punch-holes in smartphone displays. A blog has discovered a new Google patent for its take on this new kind of selfie camera, thereby strongly hinting that this potential upgrade is destined for the Pixel 7 or later.

The ZTE brand Nubia has confirmed that its Z series of flagship phones is back and is just about to launch in 2021. A combination of leaks and teasers appear to confirm an upgrade to an under-display selfie camera for this upcoming device. Meanwhile, rumors of a 64MP main shooter and a periscope lens might be backed up in its previews.

The prolific Huawei-focused leaker @RODENT950 has posted new images that look convincingly like genuine marketing material for the upcoming P50 flagship smartphones. They seem to confirm earlier rumors, albeit with arguably increased polish this time. Then again, they may point to a lack of periscope zoom in the devices' allegedly Leica-branded camera sensors.

Numerous leaks have painted Asus' 2021 camera-centric flagship phone as the first "Mini" variant of its kind, and the Taiwanese OEM has not let these expectations down on its launch. The new device does indeed have an unusually small 5.9-inch 20:9 display. Then again, there is also the ZenFone 8 Flip, a third-gen motor-cam phone.

The 2021 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold is a device with leaked renders that have generally hinted at triple rear cameras, not to mention an inaugural under-display selfie shooter, thus far. A leaker now claims to outline their actual resolutions, along with some other parameters for the upcoming super-flagship's photography prowess.

The emergence of Honor as an independent electronics brand has led to speculation that it will release premium Snapdragon 888-based mobile devices in 2021. The latest leak on this subject asserts that it will become available in June of the same year. Meanwhile, a render of the 50 vanilla model with a new camera hump has emerged.

GoPro has reported that it made a total of US$204 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021), or 71% more than it did in 1Q2020. Of this, 40% (or $82 million) came from its website's sales, a 224% increase year-on-year (YoY). The action-cam company also celebrated selling its first millionth subscription in this quarter.

Sony is now said to have an upgrade for the Alpha 7R IV in the works. This alleged fifth-gen model will still have a 61MP sensor and a 26MP APS-C crop; however, it is also projected to come with the BIONZ XR processor, improved PDAF and a potentially enhanced ISO range. Nevertheless, it is rumored to start at the same price as its predecessor.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is said to be succeeded by a device called the Z Flip3 in 2021. Its latest leak seems to confirm that it will still be a clamshell foldable smartphone, albeit one with a larger, potentially more useful secondary display. Its latest renders also show this putative feature alongside its main Dynamic AMOLED screen.

Lewis Hilsenteger of the famous Unbox Therapy YouTube channel has been sent what is described as an authentic dummy unit of the hotly-anticipated iPhone 13 Pro Max. Should this be the case, the purported top-end device has not changed much compared to its predecessor - except that it might be slightly thicker, have larger rear cameras and rock the rumored smaller notch.

The prolific leaker Ice Universe has made new predictions concerning the Galaxy S22 series' Ultra variant. Not only does the tipster believe that it will introduce the mythical Samsung/AMD mobile GPU, it will also debut with a potential breakthrough in optical zoom for smartphones. The putative flagship may also drop the current central punch-hole selfie shooter for one that hides under the display.

OnePlus has released the results for its business in the European region for the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021). The OEM asserts that sales in this market have increased by 388% compared to 1Q2020, leading to revenues of 286% more year-on-year (YoY). It also claims to be in the top 3 among smartphone brands in multiple countries of this zone.

Trust has announced that its latest Taxon webcam has a QHD (2560x1440) sensor. It also features auto-focus for its high-res lens, as well as dual mics and a USB plug-and-play nature. It has been released to Amazon in the UK for £69.99 (~US$97), or £48.99 (~$68) for a limited time.

The Nubia Z20 stood out among Android flagship phones thanks to the 5.1-inch display built right into its rear panel. However, its maker has now shared renders that suggest its next generation will not reprise the feature. Then again, it may get a display with a selfie camera that can be concealed under its panel instead.

Xiaomi's 2022 flagship, presumably the Mi 12, could be the world's first smartphone to run a 200MP camera sensor. The unnamed sensor could be 1" in size. Samsung is likely to unveil it sometime in September this year.

Google is projected to launch the Pixel 5a soon. A new and slightly dubious leak that may point to some of its camera features has emerged. It suggests that the phone has a possibly new ultra-wide sensor and has enhanced HDR capabilities.

Sony asserts that its latest lens is a particularly compact and versatile example of its G Master series. The new accessory has a large F1.8 aperture, and advanced optical components rated for enhanced resolution and reduced distortion. Therefore, the OEM asserts it is as suitable for ultra-wide photography as it is for low-light shots and bokeh shots.

Asus is projected to debut the successors to the ZenFone 7 series, the OEM's innovative flip-cam-enabled take on the premium Android smartphone, soon. A device with a model number that might correspond to one of these upcoming 2021 flagships has appeared on Geekbench 5, possibly confirming its processor as the Snapdragon 888.

Sony’s promotional efforts for the upcoming release of its Xperia 1 III flagship smartphone is now in full swing. The company has published a new video to YouTube depicting its Alpha camera engineers discussing how they developed its new camera system.

Tipster Ice Universe has targeted the second half of 2021 for a breakthrough of smartphones with under-display cameras (UDCs). Devices expected to feature the technology include the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range, Xiaomi MIX 4, an Oppo foldable, VIVO and ZTE.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 may be a great smartphone, but it is not up there with the camera performance of other flagship smartphones released this year, Mi 11 Ultra included. Unfortunately, the Mi 11 cannot meet Xiaomi's marketing, even with its 108 MP camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ships with an Exynos 2100 SoC in Europe and other regions, but with the Snapdragon 888 in China and North America. While the two SoCs are more or less even in terms of performance, DxOMark has shown that the Exynos 2100 model delivers worse image quality.

Motorola will launch the Moto G60 soon. This phone is the OEM's 108MP mid-ranger for 2021 that will come with the Snapdragon 732G processor and a 120Hz screen. According to its latest tip, these specs will be joined by 6GB of RAM - or 4GB in the G40 Fusion. This secondary variant has a 64MP main sensor instead, but will be very similar to the G60 otherwise.

The Air 2S is the successor to the DJI Mavic Air 2, even if it has new and snappier branding. It also has a sensor of 1 inch in size, which outdoes its forebear by a good margin. The new CMOS supports up to 5.4K recording at up to 30fps, and allows for zooming while in flight. The DJI Air 2S starts for US$999 from now.

ZTE has debuted its 2021 flagship smartphone series with a launch for the Axon 30 Pro and 30 Ultra in China. The latter is the one with the OEM's intensely-hyped "Trinity" rear camera system. It also has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and, of course, that Snapdragon 888 SoC.

According to famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 2022 iPhone line will include massive 48-megapixel sensors and will be able to record 8K video. Kuo also claims that Apple will kill off the Mini model that has so far struggled to sell.

A prolific camera-tech leaker claims that there is a new unit called the EOS R3 in the works at Canon. It will allegedly be mirrorless, yet be quite like the 1D series in terms of looks. Therefore, the putative new premium device might be best suited to high-speed, high-action subjects, which would make a rumored debut at the 2021 Olympic Games more plausible.

The ZenFone 7 series is Asus' 2020 camera-focused flagship phone series. Despite this, the 2 devices are only just now receiving the OTA to update them to Android 11. This worldwide roll-out also upgrades their security patch level to March 5, 2021.

The Samsung Galaxy A80 was a phone in which a sliding mechanism was integrated so that its main cameras could flip around to the front as needed. Recent leaks have pointed to a 2021 successor for this innovative device, even if it might be a South Korea exclusive called the Quantum 2. This device may have emerged in new live images that may confirm the swivel-cam is not making a comeback after all.

Sony remains the number one supplier of camera sensors to smartphone OEMs globally, according to Strategy Analytics. Coming in a distant second place is Samsung with Omnivision in third place followed by other vendors.

ZTE has revealed that its Axon30 line of Snapdragon 888-powered Android flagships will launch on April 15, 2021. The OEM has also strongly hinted at a rear camera hump that will contain 3 sensors of 64MP in resolution, with an extra periscope zoom lens in higher-end variants. The devices might also have a 4,500mAh battery with a 55W charging speed.

Under-display selfie camera; new 50MP Samsung main camera; up to 120W charging: the upcoming next-gen Vivo NEX is now slated to have it all. On the other hand, this phone might rock a constantly polarizing quad-curved display. It is also now said to launch in the next half of 2021.

Lenovo avoided punch-holes or notches in the display of its first-gen Android gaming phone by developing an innovative pop-up selfie camera, hidden in one of this device's sides rather than in its top edge, instead. Now, the OEM has revealed this feature is making a comeback in its upcoming Legion 2 Pro flagship, leaving its 144Hz screen free of any interruptions.

OnePlus has just launched the 9 series of flagship phones. Despite this, it has felt the need to push a software update to the 2 devices already with tweaks for their Hasselblad-branded cameras.

2021's iPhones are currently projected to turn out as more or less iterative upgrades over their predecessors; on the other hand, these changes might be significant for those with strong feelings about the notches that have dominated this series' displays for so many years. The latest leak, which might pertain to the new Pro model, reiterates existing tips that point to a smaller cut-out for the "13" variant's screen.

The Motorola Moto G60 has yet to be launched, yet is already being touted as a device in which a 108MP main camera trickles down into the middle tier of the smartphone market in 2021. A new leak appears to show this phone from all angles, possibly revealing its punch-hole display and 3.5mm headphone jack.

A select handful of mobile device OEMs design their own custom silicon, and Xiaomi has just re-joined these ranks with the new Surge C1. Unlike other first-party chipsets, this one is a new image signal processor designed specifically for the company's new flagship foldable device. It controls a cutting-edge liquid lens, as well as a multi-use sensor.

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Mi 11 Pro will ship with a new Samsung ISOCELL GN2 sensor for a main camera. It will also do so in very slim and 2021 retail packaging, as it lacks a charger as standard. Then again, the OEM will offer deals on its new, cutting-edge power accessories to the 11 Pro's Chinese audience.

Although the full review is not live yet, the final scores are public, and one thing is certain: the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is DxOMark's new king. The overall score of 143 is the result of the following areas: 148 (photo), 100 (zoom), and 117 (video), enough to grab first place from the Huawei Mate 40 Pro+.

Xiaomi has launched a new(-ish) variant of the Mi 11 series at its major international product event of today (March 29, 2021). It has a premium 6.67-inch FHD+ E4 AMOLED display, a 108MP main camera and the Snapdragon 888 processor. Then again, it also packs a 33W charging rate, which matches its mid-range starting price.