It’s been well over a month since the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launched, so it’s natural that the focus is now slowly shifting towards the company’s next flagship offering, which in all likelihood will be called the Galaxy S10.

The device has already been in news for quite sometime now, and it’s expected that leaks/rumors will intensify as the year comes to an end.

We also have a piece of news for you that’s related to the Galaxy S10. It’s about a long requested camera feature being included in the flagship.

Remember the 2x optical zoom feature that was first introduced last year in the Galaxy Note 8? For those who aren’t aware, when you select 2x optical zoom, the phone’s rear camera switches to the telephoto lens, which has a closer perspective.

This is different from the regular, digital zoom functionality, as 2x optical zoom achieved through the telephoto lens doesn’t result in loss of image quality.

There are two limitations related to this feature. One, good lighting conditions are must for it. And second, this feature isn’t available in the camera’s Pro mode at all.

The second limitation is explained in detail in the first half (0:00 to 2:10) of the following video:

This limitation was there in the Note 8 and there was no change in the Galaxy S9+ as well as the recently launched Galaxy Note 9. Unsurprisingly, users aren’t happy about it, evident from the fact that they have been taking to different online forums (1,2,3) to voice the concern.

Had the same problem with the note 8 and now on the s9 plus. I don’t understand why Samsung won’t give control over the 2x lens in pro mode

Samsung are ignoring this problem. Bad ethics. The 2x zoom does not work in pro mode. Cripples the camera use. £900 camera phone and you cannot use the 2x zoom in ‘PRO MODE’, only in automatic mode. It’s insane. C’mon you suits at Samsung. Acknowledge the problem and do something about it

I have the phone for 7 days and this is the only disappointment of this phone. I’m a photographer and was expecting to use the 2x lens in PRO mode! Very disappointed!

Just got the note 9 off Amazon and discovered this issue today. Going to send it back as the camera was my primary reason for the purchase

Back in July this year, a moderator at official Samsung forum said they’ve passed on this request to the relevant development team at the company. And yesterday, they shared the response they received from the development team:

The developers have got back to us with the news that they are considering adding this feature for the next model; but no further info other than that at the moment

samsung-telephoto-pro-mode

The response suggests that users of the Note 8, S9+, and Note 9 won’t be getting this feature anytime soon, at least until the “next model” arrives, which in all likelihood is a reference to the Galaxy S10.

Please keep in mind that this info is from someone who is part of Samsung’s development team, so it’s as official as it can get at the moment. Also, things aren’t set in stone currently, given that the response says they will “consider” adding this feature.

Going by rumors, the S10 is expected to come with a triple rear camera setup, which would include a telephoto lens. Of course, there will be other variants of the phone as well, and not all of them will feature a triple camera setup.

Featured Image via Concept Creator!

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Himanshu Arora
359 Posts

My interest in technology and writing started back in 2010. Since then, I have written for many leading publications, including Computerworld, GSMArena, TechSpot, HowtoForge, LinuxJournal, and MakeTechEasier to name a few. Here at PiunikaWeb, I started with covering smartphone related breaking stories as well as some other interesting stuff, but now I have switched over to more of a leadership role. I also take care of several operational aspects of the website. Some of my current responsibilities include business development, and working with Piunika to make sure we’re progressing as envisioned. If you want to get in touch, I am active on LinkedIN, and also available on Twitter/X.

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