14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most appealing features Samsung’s new Galaxy S5 smartphone will arrive on the market with is a 16-megapixel ISOCELL camera, but it appears that this might also be one of its weakest spots.
According to the latest reports on the matter, Samsung is having some hard times with the production of the camera, which could result in massive delays of the smartphone itself.
The camera module on Galaxy S5 was designed with a six-lens setup, and a recent article on ETNews claims that Samsung is seeing lens production yields of only 20 to 30 percent.
Unless it manages to increase the yields, the company might not have enough camera modules available to meet the demand for Galaxy S5 worldwide, said report notes.
In fact, same news site claims that industry sources are already saying that Samsung Electronics’ Wireless Business Division hasn’t managed to kick off the mass production of Galaxy S5 due to the unstable supply of camera modules.
Apparently, the company was planning to start the mass production of said 16MP ISOCELL camera last month, but it was forced to delay such plans due to the low production yields.
The main issue here is reportedly related to the thickness of the lens. The new camera module comes with six plastic lenses, one extra when compared to 13-megapixel cameras, and Samsung needs to maintain the same thickness as before.
This means that the lenses are thinner than on 13MP camera modules, which should result in an overall thinner smartphone design, despite a larger camera.
“On a thin lens, even the slightest flaw results in a considerable optical distortion. To make plastic lens thinner, a more accurate mold technology is necessary,” an industry source reportedly said.
Apparently, the crisis might be entirely Samsung’s fault, as the company, together with Samsung Electro-Mechanics, has been providing lens makers with its own mold technologies.
What producers need to make sure when adding a sixth lens to the package is that optical defects don’t appear, something that usually happens when the six lens parts are not joined together accurately on the optical axis.
“The camera module for Galaxy S5 is an integration of ultra-compact and ultra-thin technologies. There may be difficulties in the earlier phase of production. However, we will be able to increase the yield within a short period of time,” a source from Samsung reportedly said.
In the end, Samsung might be forced to postpone the release of Galaxy S5 in some markets around the world, though others are still expected to receive the device on April 11, as the company officially announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.