Taking photos or selfies can be a chore — especially if you have smaller hands. Many of us struggle to tap the right part of the screen to snap the photo, let alone to adjust things like zoom and brightness. Fortunately, it seems that Samsung might be working on a fix. A new leaked patent shows that the company is toying with the idea of a camera control sensor. This sounds like a similar concept to the camera control button introduced in the iPhone 16.
As spotted by leaker xleaks7 on X and shared by SeasonalityChart, the new patent is a pretty exciting development. It seems that instead of adding a dedicated button, Samsung wants to integrate sensors into the existing side buttons.
The idea is simple: Samsung wants you to be able to control many aspects of the camera without needing to look at the screen (or losing focus by randomly tapping and hoping for the best). Instead, the company is working on introducing touch-sensitive side sensors that will let you do more than just snap a picture. It all comes down to swipe gestures.
The patent explains the type of gestures you might have to use, and it’s all easy enough to learn, including simple presses, long presses, and double presses. The rest comes down to touch and swiping all around. Vertical swipes will adjust one camera function; horizontal swipes will handle something else, such as zoom or brightness. Samsung added some haptic feedback to let you know that your desired action went through without needing to look at the screen.
The best part is that all of this will only become activated when the camera app is in use. (Can you imagine what a disaster it’d be otherwise?) SeasonalityChart also teases that these sensors might be used for navigating the Gallery app, editing photos, or switching between apps.
It’s good to see Samsung following in Apple’s footsteps with this patent — now, the question is when or if this will actually appear in upcoming smartphones.
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Hey Samsung — I wish you had copied this OnePlus 13 feature
Samsung’s latest smartphones are finally here and with a few tweaks to the build size and weight — plus the addition of a new ultrawide camera in the Galaxy S25 Ultra — they represent some of the most polished smartphones that Samsung has ever made.
Yet, they also follow the same mold of Samsung’s previous smartphones and have launched amid a backdrop of intense competition in the U.S. and abroad. The latest competitor for the Galaxy S25 series in the US was launched by OnePlus just a few weeks ago, and having used the OnePlus 13 series for several weeks, there’s one key feature that I wish Samsung had copied.
The first OnePlus 13 feature that Samsung needs to copy
Read more
This is the best Samsung Galaxy S25 color you should buy
The new Galaxy S25 series is here and Samsung’s latest flagships come in various colors. Some of these colors are muted and designed for those who want a more traditional experience, while others are more vibrant and designed to help your new phone stand out.
Although most people use a case — and I recommend picking up one of the best Galaxy S25 cases for this year’s phones, you may want a colorful telephone that you can look at, especially if you plan to use a transparent case. However, with seven choices for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus including the online exclusive colors, and six for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which color is the best?
Read more
Samsung may be about to score a double victory over Apple — here’s how
The latest Power On newsletter from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman asserts that Samsung is ahead of Apple in both artificial intelligence (AI) and with its ultra-thin phone efforts. Does that actually matter, though?
Well, yes and no. While I think being first is an empty accolade if it’s not backed up by quality, Apple can’t afford to be too late to the party — particularly in the case of AI.
Read more