Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge can feature Samsung and Sony camera sensors
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are out and about now, but those who purchased a Samsung device in 2015 (Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge Plus, Galaxy Note 5) discovered that some devices had Sony camera sensors (IMX or Exmor sensors) for the back camera while some had Samsung sensors (ISOCELL) for the back camera. Samsung has been experimenting with its own homegrown camera sensors and Sony’s sensors since the Galaxy Note 4, which was a few months after Samsung released the Galaxy S5 that featured a Samsung ISOCELL, 16MP camera.
We’ve been fortunate enough to get our hands on a Galaxy S7 edge on Verizon’s network, in order to test out the claim being made here about Samsung and Sony camera sensors. We can verify that the claim being made is true: while the front camera is made by Samsung and features an SLSI sensor (which is Samsung’s camera division), the back camera sensor chip is manufactured by Sony and features the IMX260 camera chip we’ve told you about before.You can check out our results in the featured image above.
It seemed to be the case that Samsung would implement only Sony camera sensors this time around, but, as usual, Samsung has gone and done the unexpected by using its own cameras in select devices. As for which devices feature Samsung back cameras, those are likely versions outside of the US (such as those in the UK), though, even there, many back cameras in the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge still feature Samsung back cameras (though we have no word on Britecell for these devices).
To find out whether or not your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge has a Sony/Samsung camera chip combo or either one or the other, you need only download an app called “AIDA64” from the Google Play Store and look under the “devices” category. If you have multiple Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge models, you may find that you have 2 cameras made by one or the other (Samsung or Sony).
Let us know: do you have multiple devices, with some camera setups being a Sony/Samsung combo, all Samsung, or all Sony? Can you tell a difference in the camera quality when you use these devices to take pictures? If so, feel free to let us know.