Picture quality is becoming a key differentiator for Android manufacturers, and many are racing to offer unique features that will make their devices stand out. Nokia is expected to launch a phone with five lenses, Google has developed an algorithm to improve low-light photography, and Samsung built a variable aperture technology into the Galaxy S9. To make its cameras even better, the Korean firm has allegedly bought Corephotonics, an Isreali company known for developing powerful lenses with optical zoom.

Samsung has reportedly acquired Corephotonics for $155 million, therefore hinting it will use the startup's lenses in its future handsets. One of its most promising products is the Hummingbird, which combines a wide and a telephoto lens into a single product. Thanks to this innovation, inputs from both lenses are digitally merged into a single picture, recreating the effect of a mechanical optical zoom.

Corephotonics was founded in 2012 and has since attracted investors such as VC OurCrowd, Magma Venture Partners, Amiti Ventures, Horizon Ventures, MediaTek, and... Samsung Ventures. The two companies already worked together in 2017 to integrate Corephotonics's zoom and bokeh algorithms into Samsung's camera modules.

Although this information seems reliable, we haven't been able to find an official source confirming the transaction. Corephotonics' official website doesn't mention the acquisition, and no official press release has been published yet.