Teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Its Variable-Aperture Camera

I don’t know about you, but I love a good teardown video. And if it has to do with cameras? Sign me up and hand over the popcorn.Ever since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed taking things apart in hopes of being able to put them back together, and because of that have become a go-to person for friends who need things fixed — phone screens replaced, headphone jacks swapped out, etc. I even made it into the New York Times once in college for fixing my iPod, which was kind of ridiculous. So, this video caught my eye.

Here’s a well-made teardown video showing how the variable aperture works on the new Samsung Galaxy S9’s camera. Currently, the Galaxy S9 is the only smartphone that has a camera with a variable aperture, which is a huge step forward in mobile photography and will probably change the roadmap for other phone manufacturers. Its default f/2.4 aperture can be opened up to f/1.5 for low-light conditions, paving the way for new strides in the smartphone imaging world.

Interestingly, the aperture sits on the outside of the lens, stopping down the light before it hits the lens’ glass. In this teardown, you also get to see how the lens wiggles around to fulfill its claims of OIS capability, and even get a peek at the tiny camera sensor. 

The camera part starts at about the 3:15 mark. 

Stephen Ironside's picture

Stephen Ironside is a commercial photographer with an outdoor twist based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While attempting to specialize in adventure and travel photography, you can usually find him in the woods, in another country, or oftentimes stuffing his face at an Indian buffet.

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