Samsung Acquires Corephotonics, Developer of Zoom Technology in Mobile Cameras: Report

Samsung has reportedly acquired Corephotonics, an Israeli company that developed Oppo’s 5x lossless dual-camera zoom system. Recently it has been in the news for developing Oppo’s 10X hybrid optical zoom camera, which we expect to see more of at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. Interestingly Samsung is already one of the main investors in the Israeli tech company.

Calcalist claims the acquisition has gone through, with the deal signed on Sunday, citing the two companies’ law firms, adding that the reported value of the deal is $155 million (roughly Rs. 1,102 crores). Corephotonics is best known for developing dual-lens camera tech with zoom implementation. It recently collaborated with Oppo to develop a 10X hybrid zoom camera system, which we reported about earlier, and also the 5X dual-camera zoom module, which Oppo had first showcased at MWC 2017. Both Samsung and Corephotonics however have reportedly declined to respond to the news of acquisition.

The company also made headlines in late 2017, when it claimed that Apple had copied its dual camera technology on the iPhone. Interestingly though, the biggest investors in Corephotonics include Samsung, MediaTek, and Foxconn – an electronics manufacturing company known for producing Apple’s iPhone models.

Corephotonics was founded in 2012 by electro-optics professor at Tel Aviv University David Mendlovic, imaging expert Gal Shabtay, and entrepreneur Eran Kali. It’s yet to be seen how Samsung’s acquisition may affect the company’s collaborations with other phone makers, especially Oppo. Rest assured, if the report is accurate, Samsung may end up with a massive zoom advantage over the competition in its camera technology.