Samsung Galaxy S11 will get a Huawei P40-beating video camera upgrade

Get ready to record in incredible 8K with Samsung's next-generation flagships

Samsung Galaxy S11
(Image credit: Phone Arena)

Samsung Galaxy S11 is on its way very soon. The hugely-anticipated phone is due to be unveiled at the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on 11 February. Just when you thought no more details about the phone could leak before its launch, we get one more tidbit of information from a well-known Samsung fansite. If true, it's yet another addition to an already impressive-sounding camera setup. 

Leaked information heard at CES 2020, this year's Consumer Electronics Show, was passed on to Samsung news outlet SamMobile. The source claims both the Samsung Galaxy S11 (or, as it might be known, the Samsung Galaxy S20) and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Bloom clamshell foldable will be able to record video footage in 8K resolution. 

Soon after these products launch, the tech giant is said to be enabling 8K streaming, reportedly working with Google to make it happen for YouTube. 

With 8K TVs and monitors making their way into the market, there is a current lack of 8K content to make use of the new technology. By democratising 8K and putting that power in people's pockets, Samsung is hoping to rectify this. 

Samsung Galaxy S11

A cross-section of what the Samsung Galaxy S11's camera could look like

(Image credit: Concept Creator)

What is 8K?

With 8K still very much in its infancy, that's the number-letter combo you'll be looking for when purchasing the next generation of TVs. An 8K TV will pack 7680 x 4320 pixels on the screen, four times as crisp a picture as standard 1080p hi-res. It might not be hugely different on your phone, but stream it to a smart TV (with your phone's 5G connection, obviously) for a resolution better than cinema. 

With Samsung's next flagship already said to possess a 108mp camera, an ultra-wide angle lens and a time-of-flight lens to improve the quality of depth in images, it sounds like the Samsung S11's camera setup will be world-class. 

The big surprise is the same capability coming to Samsung's new foldable, as its chief rival the folding Motorola Razr tried to make up for mediocre specs and a high price point with its nostalgic design. If Motorola cut down on specs to keep its experimental folding phone at a reasonable price, what will Samsung's top-of-the-line, 8K recording foldable cost? 

We'll know for sure if Samsung is bringing 8K to the masses when Samsung Galaxy Unpacked finally arrives next month. We can't wait.

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Matt Evans

Matt Evans now works for T3.com sister brand TechRadar, covering all things relating to fitness and wellness. He came to T3.com as staff writer before moving on, and was previously on Men's Health, and slightly counterintuitively, a website devoted to the consumption of Scotch whiskey. In his free time, he could often be found with his nose in a book until he discovered the Kindle.