The Galaxy Note 8 by Samsung is having a lot of interest pull these days. However, all of the camera improvement info leaks point to the same Slow Motion performance as the regular S8 which means it will have 240fps 720p but only up to 60p 1080p recording. 4k capped at 30fps as well. Below is the teaser video from Samsung:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIJ45mImgqc
Now that the OnePlus 5 Phone has been shipping to customers for a few weeks it is time to re-visit the phone and the slow motion footage it can record. We were disappointed by the 120fps 720p limitation on the phone since most new flagship handsets aim at the 120fps 1080p and 240fps 720p spec as a competitive plateau. Still, the OnePlus phones are very popular worldwide with the mix of great optics, lack of software bloatware and true performance unencumbered by ROMs that slow the phone down.
It is true that the phone slow motion will not win any prizes due to slight compression artifacts and aliasing that shows the sensor is skipping lines and applying a lower bitrate at the end. Slow motion seems to be an afterthought in the OnePlus 5 while stills and 4k recording are solid. We are sharing new examples for you to judge.
This week has brought a flurry of new rumors when it comes to smartphones that do slow motion. Now is the turn for Apple and the rumored iPhone 8 that will now according to a supposed software leak will be able to shoot 4k at 60fps on both the front and back cameras in order to allow for new features that need more resolution and frame rates in order to function as intended.
There is also a slight delay on the Chronos camera production second round due to PCBs being bumped at the factory for a different order. This should push the delivery to end of August but not much more as the camera is not only proven but with all of round 1 out there in client’s hands it is a near certainty that the camera is not only on solid footing but will be a contender for camera of the year at HSC!
Two new handsets from Samsung should be released pretty soon. One is the overly leaked Galaxy S8 Active which will be an AT&T exclusive in the USA and the other is the long awaited Galaxy Note 8 which should be a clean slate for the company after the battery fire debacle last year which had the Note 7 removed from production.
The Galaxy S8 was kind of a let down in slow-motion specs with just the 720p 240fps as the really important metric. Absent was the 120fps 1080p mode of other competitive phones which is now becoming a must have for the video format. The Note phones have always pushed the specs forward in Samsung phones and we were waiting for the Note 8 to increase frame rate specs.
There were a lot of expectations for the phone that would replace the One Plus 3T which was a mighty seller for the performance hungry crowd without the high price tag that typically goes along with the best phones. The new One Plus 5 is a good upgrade from the One Plus 3 and 3T in that the performance goes neck and neck with the best of the best out there and tied with the Samsung Galaxy S8 in benchmarks.
The tale, however, is not completely rosy as the camera module taking a page from the iPhone 7 Plus includes two camera sensor modules, one for wide-angle at 16MP and the other for telephoto with 20MP resolution. We say it falls short because the slow motion frame rates are pegged to a 720p resolution and only at 120fps. This is not flagship performance for video even when it ticks off all the other boxes like 4k 30p and 1080 60p.
The newly released iPad Pro 2017 refresh in both 10.5 and 12.9 inches share a new camera module that really is a direct transfer from the iPhone 7. It makes sense for Apple to offer their best camera yet in the best iPad they have ever built when it comes to performance. However, you will not get anything in the camera department that makes the iPad Pro a leap forward in frame rates or other imaging specs.
The dual camera setup of the iPhone 7 Plus is not included in the iPad Pro so that is one aspect where the iPhone is still ahead. The new tablets are for all intents and purposes a refinement with speed and software productivity capabilities as the two main goals for the line. They want to be a laptop replacement and they are aiming at the crowd who is fed up with the weight and bulk of traditional laptops.