With latest shuffle, Samsung bets on cameras setting its phones apart

Galaxy S4 Zoom
Let's hope they can come up with something better than this

After creating smartphone-camera hybrid oddities such as the Samsung Galaxy NX and Galaxy S4 Zoom, it seems the Korean electronics maker is doubling down on cameras setting its cell phones apart.

Samsung has done a little deck shuffling, placing its camera division under the guiding wing of its mobile biz.

Korea IT News reported that the Galaxy-phone maker hopes the move will create synergies between the two divisions. On one end, the mobile segment can share its know-how to create better, wirelessly connected digital cameras.

The ultimate goal is apparently for Samsung to overtake the mirrorless camera market by 2015.

But like all good partnerships, the street goes both ways, and Samsung wants the mash up to help "differentiate" its smartphones by packing them with the latest and greatest camera tech.

Adapt or die

This latest internal move is a smart one for Samsung, and builds on what the company has already done with its smartphone-camera amalgamations.

Samsung need only look at Nokia for inspiration of what installing better cameras in your handsets can do. Thanks to devices like the 41MP Lumia 1020, Windows Phone has seen a surge in usage, especially in Europe.

Only time will tell if Samsung's corporate tango will dramatically improve the quality of its smartphone cameras and creates a whole new line of connected cameras.

We doubt we'll see any groundbreaking new products come out of this closer partnership until Photokina, the mega photo gear show going down next September.

But the tech industry has always held surprises before, and we'll snap up anything we see at CES 2014 and Mobile World Congress.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.