Samsung Set to Buy Camera Company That Sued Apple for Patent Infringement

Samsung is close to completing a deal that will see it purchasing Israeli smartphone camera company Corephotonics for $150 million, reports Israeli news site Globes (via Android Authority).

The Corephotonics name may sound familiar to those who follow iPhone news because in 2017, Corephotonics levied a lawsuit against Apple accusing the Cupertino company of infringing on several Corephotonics camera patents with the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus and ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus.

iphonexsrearcamera
The patents in question relate to dual-lens camera technologies such as optical zoom and mini telephoto lens assembly techniques. The ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus and the ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus both use a dual-lens camera setup with 2x optical zoom and a wide-angle lens paired with a telephoto lens.

Dual-lens camera technology was first introduced with the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus in 2016 and it has subsequently been used in the ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XS, and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max. Corephotonics' original lawsuit covered just the 7 Plus and 8 Plus, but in 2018, the company filed a new patent infringement lawsuit that also covers the ‌iPhone‌ X.

According to Corephotonics, Apple's iPhones with dual-lens cameras use patented telephoto lens designs, optical zoom techniques, and a method for fusing images from the wide-angle and telephoto lenses to create a better quality photograph.

When the lawsuit was filed, Corephotonics said that it contacted Apple, but after "positive feedback" and "encouraging reports," the two companies were unable to reach a licensing agreement. Corephotonics accused Apple of releasing the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus anyway, complete with infringing technology.

The legal matter between Corephotonics and Apple has yet to be resolved, so Samsung could inherit the dispute should it move forward with the Corephotonics purchase. Apple and Samsung in June 2018 reached a settlement for a design infringement lawsuit that spanned seven years.

Corephotonics developed the 5x optical zoom camera demonstrated by in an Oppo smartphone prototype in 2017, and it has detailed work [PDF] on a triple-lens camera setup that could allow for 5x optical zoom and a 25x total zoom feature that lets in 5x more light than traditional setups. Should Samsung purchase Corephotonics, these technologies could make their way to future Samsung devices.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iphone air concept weis

iPhone 17 Air Could Look Like This in Real Life

Friday February 14, 2025 3:41 am PST by
There have been several alleged leaked details of the iPhone 17 Air, Apple's rumored new slim iPhone, but images have been limited to grainy shots taken in component factories. However, this hyper-realistic concept created by WEIS Studio gives us the best idea yet of what Apple's thin device might actually look like. The concept design is inspired by recent leaks indicating that the device...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...

Top Rated Comments

LordVic Avatar
79 months ago
this reminds me back in the day when both Sony and Microsoft were found to be violating a patent regarding rumble in their controllers.

Sony took a hard stance to defend against the lawsuit no matter what.

Microsoft bought the company instead, kept using the patents sine they then owned them and continued the lawsuit against Sony till Sony finally relented.

Wonder if this had similar undertones where Samsung knew they'd be next and instead of waiting for a lawsuit, just bought the company anyways.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andiwm2003 Avatar
79 months ago
The XR was rated as having the best single-lens camera of all current smartphones. It's a great camera! Not a compromise in any way.
[doublepost=1548705542][/doublepost]

So, flatten the hump and reduce the camera quality, or get a case to "hide" the bump and have a better camera. Pick your evil.
Or make the phone 3 mm more thick and have a a better look and feel, a flat back, no camera bump and lots of space for additional battery.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
79 months ago
man the more you read about Apple's legal problems time and time again from stealing the IP of soooo many companies to put into an iPhone, the more it makes you wonder, what's really going on behind closed doors in Cupertino.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
79 months ago
Is that why the XR has only one lens?
The XR was rated as having the best single-lens camera of all current smartphones. It's a great camera! Not a compromise in any way.
[doublepost=1548705542][/doublepost]
Interesting move, maybe Apple should have thought of this.

P.S. I still hate the camera "bump".
So, flatten the hump and reduce the camera quality, or get a case to "hide" the bump and have a better camera. Pick your evil.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calzon65 Avatar
79 months ago
Interesting move, maybe Apple should have thought of this.

P.S. I still hate the camera "bump".
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GuruZac Avatar
79 months ago
Camera hardware obviously matters but it seems like great software is the real game changer. Look no further than what Google has been able to achieve with their computational software in the Pixel. And to credit Apple, what they’ve done with the XR since it’s relying on similar software for the Portrait mode feature and the Smart HDR.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)