smartphone Archives - TheAppWhisperer

Samsung Electronics Anounces High Resolution Sensors for SmartPhone Cameras

30/10/201830/10/2018 by Kevin Carter

Samsung Electronics has launched two new high-resolution image sensors that are destined for multi-camera arrays in smartphones.

The two “Isocell” sensors – a 48-megapixel and a 32-megapixel unit both feature small size 0.8 micron pixels and are crucially compact to fit the slim bodies demanded of smartphone makers.

Called GM1 and GD1 respectively, the two new sensors feature Samsung’s Isocell Plus technology which adopts an innovative pixel structure that improves both light sensitivity and color fidelity, and what Samsung are calling Tetracell technology where the output from four pixels is combined into one (oversampled) for reduced noise.

The sensors also support the gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) tech used in video capture.

It’s believed that the new sensors which start mass production in November will feature in the Samsung Galaxy S10 device, slated for release next year.

Brand New Smartphone Series from Huawei – Mate 20 Series

18/10/2018 by Joanne Carter

Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 was the worldwide launch of the new Huawei Mate 20 Series in London and of course, TheAppWhisperer was there! Held at the ExCel Centre it was the perfect location for such an incredible device. Building on the foundation of HUAWEI P20 Series’ camera system, Huawei have augmented the HUAWEI Mate 20 with a powerful addition namely the16mm Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens. This wider perspective creates a sense of spaciousness and a three dimensional effect to the images. The new camera system also supports macro distance, which produces crisp images of objects that are placed as close as 2.5cm from the lens. The added ultra-wide angle lens and macro support completes the feature set of the camera system, elevating it to a truly all-round camera that is ready to capture any and all action. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is equipped with a 40MP main camera, a 20MP ultra wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. Together, the trio of lenses supports a wide range of focal lengths (equivalent to the performance of a 16-270mm zoom lens), enabling it to mimic the results from professional cameras. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features an AI Portrait Colour video mode. Using AI, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series can isolate human subjects and desaturate the colors around them to dramatically highlight the person. AI Spotlight Reel identifies clips with a shared theme and auto-generates a montage, made entirely of highlights.

There were so many innovative features announced for the Mate 20 Pro including, ‘in-screen fingerprint’, this allows for maximum view with 10 level dynamic pressure sensing. Essentially, all you need to do is place your finger in the centre of your screen to unlock it and it now unlocks 30% faster than the previous model.

Also, this handset is the world’s first reverse charging smartphone. This means, you can charge up, for example, an iPhone X from your Mate 20 Pro. To do that, you just literally hold your iPhone X against the back of your Mate 20 Pro and it will recharge your iPhone X.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features an AI Portrait Colour video mode. Using AI, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series can isolate human subjects and desaturate the colors around them to dramatically highlight the person. AI Spotlight Reel identifies clips with a shared theme and auto-generates a montage, made entirely of highlights.

The bezel of the new Mate20 Pro is ultra narrow at only 2.1 mm compared with 4.0 to the iPhone Xs Max for example or 5.1 mm of the iPhone Xr, giving you more visual real estate!

The curved OLED screen of the Huawei Mate20 Pro measures 6.39″ (3120×1440). There’s a 19.5:9 DCI-P3 HDR display, with stunning colour saturation and contrast ratio, seriously stunning.

The Matrix Camera System includes Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens that lets users not only see wider, but also closer with its new macro distance capability. The Hyper Optical Pattern on the glass back plays with light and shadows, producing an iridescent optical effect that is immediately captivating. The Matrix Camera System adopts the iconic Four-Point Design that exudes personality, giving the device a unique visual identity that is recognisable even at a distance. We will be ‘real world’ testing this camera system soon and we include all imagery of our tests.

I am so impressed with the new Huawei Mate 20 Pro, seriously so. I loved the P20 Pro but this is another level again, as hard as that is to reach. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be putting this phone through it’s photographic paces and will publish reviews to keep you informed. Stand by for those…

Samsung Unveils the New Galaxy A9 – The World’s First Rear Quad Camera

11/10/201811/10/2018 by Joanne Carter

New smartphone device announcments are coming in thick and fast now and Samsung are not ones to lag behind. They’ve just announced their new mid range Galaxy A9 smartphone featuring the world’s first rear quad camera.

The Galaxy A9 will be available in the UK from November, at Samsung.com/uk (RRP £549), and selected partners.

“As a global leader in smartphone innovation, we understand the demand for meaningful innovation in a fast-paced world driven by visual communication,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “Building on our legacy in smartphone camera development we’re introducing next-generation technology across our entire Galaxy portfolio to give more consumers the opportunity to experience cutting-edge innovation. We’re excited to deliver on this promise and debut world leading smartphone camera technology with the Galaxy A9.”

Samsung Introduces the Galaxy A7 with Triple Lens Today

21/09/2018 by Joanne Carter

We’re delighted to announce the new Samsung Galaxy A7 featuring a powerful triple lens camera. Samsung Electronics co., Ltd. today announced the Galaxy A7, the latest addition to the Galaxy A series family. With a powerful rear triple camera, sleek design and must have everyday features, the innovative Galaxy A7 is the ultimate device for wherever life leads you.

“Samsung is committed to delivering meaningful innovation to all consumers across the Galaxy family, no matter who they are or where they are in the world” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “That’s why we’re excited to introduce innovative new features to the A series with the Galaxy A7, a practical but powerful device that is built to help make your everyday both convenient and extraordinary.”

Snap and share experiences with the Galaxy A7’s powerful triple camera;

· Never miss a moment with the Galaxy A7’s 8MP 120° Ultra Wide Lens. With the same viewing angle as the human eye, the Galaxy A7 captures the world exactly as you see it for unrestricted wide-angle photos.

· With the 24MP Lens and Depth Lens, the Galaxy A7’s Live Focus feature lets you control the depth of field by allowing you to adjust the bokeh effect to create stunning photos.

· Get crisp clear photos in both bright and low light conditions. The Galaxy A7’s 24MP Lens automatically lets more light in by combining four pixels into one pixel in low light conditions.

· The Galaxy A7 brings out the best in what it sees. Featuring Samsung’s intelligent Scene Optimiser, the Galaxy A7’s camera categorises your subject and adjusts the colour, contrast and brightness to instantly optimise image quality.

To find out more, go here

Mobile Photography – Samsung Galaxy Note 8 – ‘Best Smartphone for Zoom’

05/10/201704/10/2017 by Joanne Carter

DxOMark, is the trusted industry standard for camera and lens image quality measurements and ratings. TheAppWhisperer has as intense association with this company and they have just published their latest test results on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Paul Carroll the writer for this review explains that the “Note 8 becomes the new joint leader for smartphone image quality alongside Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus. A phenomenal photo sub-score that breaks new ground as the first smartphone to hit 100 points makes the Note 8 the current class-leader for stills, thanks to excellent zoom quality, good noise reduction and detail preservation, as well as fast and accurate autofocus. The Note 8 doesn’t quite match the same heights for video, where its sub-score of 84 is a little behind the best performers, such as the Google Pixel with 91 points, or the iPhone 8 Plus and the HTC U11, both with 89. It’s still a very capable device for video, however, with its key strengths being good exposure with fast convergence, fast and stable autofocus, as well as good noise reduction, white balance, and color rendering”. This result puts the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 on a par with the iPhone 8 Plus – very interesting, to read more, go here.

Mobile Photography – iPhone X Battery Size Larger

27/09/201727/09/2017 by Joanne Carter

Interestingly enough, news just in, confirms that the battery size of the awaited iPhone X is larger than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X will contain a 2,715mAh battery, the iPhone 8 sports a 1,821mAH and the iPhone 8 Plus a 2,675mAh cell. Random Access Memory (RAM) capacity, which is essentially memory, not to be confused with storage space, is also larger on the iPhone X, it weighs in with 3GB in total, that’s more than the iPhone 8 but is equivalent to the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7 Plus. All these issues are crucial to mobile photographers, good news.

New Apple iPhone X or iPhone 8/Plus – Which Should You Buy As An Mobile Photographer?

23/09/201713/09/2017 by Joanne Carter

Our readership here at TheAppWhisperer.com are predominately preoccupied with smartphones as photographic devices and rightly so. The artists that we represent are some of the very best mobile photographers in the world. So the question on everyone’s mind, after the Apple keynote yesterday, is should I upgrade and which model should I upgrade to? With more choice than ever, this is by no means an easy question, we consider the key points below:

Mobile Photography – The Evolution of Zoom Camera Technologies in Mobile Devices – White Paper

11/09/2017 by Joanne Carter

I have been engrossed in this white paper by Corephotonics Limited, the pioneer and worldwide market leader of dual camera technologies for mobile devices. Corephotonics’ primary mission is to perfect the mobile camera photography experience and to provide superior image quality by combining their novel optics, mechanics and computational photography technologies. Corephotonics’ comprehensive technologies excel … Read moreMobile Photography – The Evolution of Zoom Camera Technologies in Mobile Devices – White Paper

Mobile Photography & Art – My Top Five Apps by Andrew B White From New York City, US

04/09/201704/09/2017 by Andrew White

We are revitalising our Top Five Apps section to our Photo App Lounge column. This a section within TheAppWhisperer where we ask highly accomplished mobile photographers and artists to list their top five apps and to explain why they have selected them. Kicking us off today is highly accomplished mobile photographer, artist Andrew B White, … Read moreMobile Photography & Art – My Top Five Apps by Andrew B White From New York City, US

Not Just Another Photography Competition… with Huawei x Dazed

04/09/201704/09/2017 by Joanne Carter

Global smartphone manufacturer, Huawei, has joined forces with youth culture magazine, Dazed, to create an initiative that is designed to unlock the potential of future talent and celebrate creative individuals that view the world differently. ‘Reveal the Real You’; is a community-led photo project that will see three collaborators awarded a £10,000 bursary to donate to the community cause of their choice. The project is the latest partnership from Huawei that aims to inspire people to use their smartphone as a tool of self-expression.

Evidenced by its partnership with Leica, the camera brand that democratised photography by taking cameras out of the studio and onto the streets, Huawei believes in photography as the medium through which anyone can share their stories and opinions thanks to its smartphones. ‘Reveal the Real You’, harnesses the power of mobile phone photography, making it possible for anyone to shine a spotlight on communities, causes and ideologies that they feel passionately about.

The campaign officially launches at the Peckhamplex cinema on 4th September 2017 with a large-scale street exhibition which will be open for three days featuring images shot by emerging photography talent and Peckham local, Campbell Addy who has used the project as an opportunity to shine a light on social diversity within the local creative community. His ten images, include a portrait of King Owusu who featured in the historic all-black Pirelli 2017 calendar.

Commenting on his work, Campbell said: “I want to shine a light on the artists of South London, breaking down the expected view of artists as the privileged middle class. I am championing the people of Peckham who are ‘doing the most with the least”.

Campbell’s images are shot on the Huawei P10 and serve as a call to action – inspiring other young people to pick up a camera and document the causes and community that have had an impact on their lives. People interested in entering simply need to share a few sentences on their chosen community and 3 – 5 relevant images from their photography portfolio and as Reveal the Real You gathers momentum it will culminate in a shortlist of twenty photographers being given Huawei P10 smartphones to document their stories. A panel of expert, independent judges will then award three winners £10,000 each to donate to the charity of their choice as well as being an exhibition of their winning imagery to raise the profile of their cause further.

Andrew Garrihy; Huawei Europe, CMO said: “The photography capabilities on our phones allow anyone to take thought provoking images. Putting that power in people’s hands, has given everyone a platform to tell their story and help others understand more about their passions and beliefs through images. Reveal the Real You is simply an extension of what people do every day. We want to give inspired, committed people the opportunity to make a difference in their local community; give them a platform to get their voice heard and make things they never thought possible happen.”

Reveal the Real You is one element of a wider partnership Huawei has formed with Dazed, which will see Huawei smartphones act as the lens that shine a light on a variety of causes, creations and conversations that were previously hidden or hard to reach.

To learn more and submit images for this competition, please go here.