Samsung looks set to add a major new camera feature to its next budget phone, the Samsung Galaxy A17.
According to a new report from South Korean website ETNews, the Samsung Galaxy A17 will add optical image stabilisation – more commonly known as OIS – to its camera.
This would mark the first time that Samsung has added such a fundamentally image-enhancing feature to its sub-£200 smartphone range.
Why is OIS such a big deal?
OIS invariably proves transformational to image quality, and we’ll always pick a phone up on it when it omits the feature.
Providing proper stabilisation technology tends to give night shots a huge boost, as it means that the camera can keep the shutter open for longer without introducing shake or motion blur into the final image.
Indeed, in my own review of the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, I noted that that “Night mode shots lack any sort of clarity, with no OIS to enable properly extended shutter times.”
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Samsung first started rolling OIS out to its A-series with the Samsung Galaxy A52 in 2021, and it provided instant dividends. As I noted in my review, not all mid-range smartphones were offering OIS at the time, and it led to much improved low light shooting.
Naturally, OIS also greatly benefits video capture, as it means that your footage will remain steady and shake-free.
Stabilisation for the wider population
As things stand, the Samsung Galaxy A26 is the cheapest Samsung phone to feature OIS, but that retails for £299. Bringing the feature to the considerably cheaper Galaxy A1x series would be a huge deal.
Indeed, the difference in price between the A1 and A2 could be telling here. According to the report, an OIS camera would prove to be three times more expensive than the ‘voice coil motor (VCM) actuator’ used in the Samsung Galaxy A16.
For that reason, Samsung may need to bump the price of the Samsung Galaxy A17 if it wants to significantly upgrade its photographic capabilities.
