Samsung Acquires Corephotonics As Apple Court Case Continues
Usable features in a smartphone component are important – and nowhere more universally important to consumers than in the device's camera. The camera hardware and software must work together to bring the magic – at all points, in all conditions. As such, Samsung's acquired the company called Corephotonics, a company that suggests it's able to create in-focus and sharp photos no matter the amount of zoom.
The group Corephotonics was first founded in the year 2012 – so it's not particularly old, but most certainly at the point at which it's needing to produce some real-world results. Over the past 7 years, the company's raised a large amount of money from investors of all sorts. One of these major investors was Samsung Ventures. Now, Samsung proper will acquire the business.
Much like several dual-lens camera systems suggest they're able, the Corephotonics setup takes high-quality photos in a wide variety of environments. They suggest that they're able to take two photos with two lenses at different focal lengths, then combine the resulting two photos. One final image is presented with more quality than either of the original images.
Back in April of 2018, OPPO signed a "strategic license" with Corephotonics to bring on "next generation mobile handset cameras." We've already likely seen the results on the market over the last several quarters. Watch the video below to learn about Corephotonics action.
Check back to January of 2015 to see an ASUS phone that might've used Corephotonics tech. In November of 2017, the company attempted to sue Apple for iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 dual camera patents. This case was still in play as of October 1st, 2018, at which point Judge Lucy H Coh dismissed the defendant's motion to dismiss. (Having considered the parties' briefs, the record in the case, and the relevant law, the Court DENIES Apple's motions to dismiss Corephotonics' willful infringement claims.)
On December 14th, 2018, Koh ordered a stay in the case until further notice. It's possible, however unlikely, that Samsung's acquisition of Corephotonics had something to do with the order as such. No mention of Samsung was made in the most recent court filings proper.