Samsung has its fingers in many pies, one of which is smartphones. The company makes some of the best Android phones on the market today, like the Galaxy S23 series, Z Flip 4, and Z Fold 4. Samsung uses a mix of Sony IMX sensors and its proprietary Isocell cameras on some of these high-end phones, which play a big role in their commercial success. A recent trademark request from the brand now suggests it will go all-in with Isocell cameras on upcoming hardware.

Presently, Samsung’s Galaxy S-series Ultra models use an Isocell-branded sensor in the primary camera. However, GalaxyClub recently spotted the South Korean brand’s request to trademark the terms “Isocell Zoom” and “Isocell Zoom Pro” in the UK and its home country (via SamMobile). We could interpret this as a possibility of the amazing Isocell sensors replacing Sony IMX sensors behind the telephoto lenses of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, or a subsequent flagship model.

The new trademark request is particularly odd because Samsung has never used an Isocell sensor for a telephoto zoom lens on a smartphone before. As shown in Isocell marketing campaigns, the 200MP sensor produces admirable results with high-grade optics — but we shouldn't expect similar results on even the S24 Ultra, because the aperture, or the opening for light to enter and hit the sensor, is much smaller on phones than on purpose-built cameras. This takes a toll on low-light performance, but Samsung’s computational photography compensates for it with tricks like pixel binning.

We expect a similar computation-intensive image pipeline if Isocell Zoom and Zoom Pro cameras make it to production. Nothing is set in stone, because companies frequently use trademarks as pre-emptive ways to secure branding rights before the product itself is ready. Even without these high-megapixel zoom sensors, the Galaxy S23 can hold its own against newer phones like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.