New Samsung patents hint at phone with interchangeable camera module

We’ve been hearing about Google’s ambitious modular design for phones , and now new Samsung patents spotted on KIPRIS, the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service website (first pointed out by GalaxyClub ) hint at phones with modular cameras.

Samsung has patented a new technology that shows several modular design options such as a regular looking camera and another showing a slight bump preferably housing an optical zoom. One option also comes with an exchangeable lens. The patent shows the phone in different designs hinting at the possibility to give users detachable camera option so that they can change the lenses.

Another patent shows a larger camera sensor on the back panel just like the  that was launched in 2014 sporting a 20.7-megapixel BSI camera.There there’s one that shows a big camera module and a thick grip on one end along with a hardware shutter key, but the phone looks thin on the upper side. However, we still don’t know much about these patents. Moreover, companies have numerous patents and not necessarily all make it to the final product.

Google is also working on modular phones that have been delayed until 2016. For those not in the know-how, Project Ara comes with a structural frame that holds smartphone modules of the owner’s choice, such as a display, keyboard or say the battery. The approach allows users to swap out malfunctioning modules or upgrade as new innovations emerge. This also means that the handset can potentially last much longer than normal smartphones do. Undoubtedly, it is an interesting project that has the potential to revolutionise the mobile world.