Unleash Your Inner Photographer: 5 Game-Changing AI Camera Features for Smartphones

We’ve made significant progress since the inception of cameras in mobile phones approximately 25 years ago. Those primitive models, by today’s benchmarks, were low-resolution, lacking essential features such as autofocus and flash, and produced gritty, inferior images that resembled a blurred splatter on any display larger than your phone.

In contrast, the current cameras found in mid-range to premium smartphones empower nearly anyone to capture professional-quality photos and videos. A crucial technology that has revolutionized the videography and photography landscape in recent years is the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) within smartphones.

From improving low-light images to diminishing blur in fast-paced shots, AI allows even novice photographers to capture high-quality images with minimal exertion.

Below are some AI camera capabilities that numerous smartphone users often overlook:

AI significantly enhances High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. Our HDR-ISP Image Signal Processors collaborate with the in-chip AI processors to improve HDR capturing through a variety of post-processing enhancements. This advancement allows smartphones to generate photos with increased clarity and detail across different lighting scenarios. Our AI camera also boasts features such as pixel-level image refinement.

Capturing images in low-light conditions can be quite challenging. AI cameras in smartphones can illuminate images, minimize noise, and enhance details, even under poor lighting circumstances. AI noise suppression techniques effectively reduce ISO noise to deliver consistently superior outcomes that preserve intricate details, especially in dim environments.

Thanks to AI-NR, users can now effortlessly record 4K HDR videos in low-light conditions, achieving faster and more precise results than ever before, without the smartphone lagging during extended use or depleting battery life. Features such as AI-auto white balance with high contrast compensation, AI-auto exposure, zero-lag AI-shutter, and AI-auto-focus ensure clear video recording with high detail and no blurriness.

NPU-ISP technologies can identify the movement of a subject in a frame and automatically select the optimal settings in real-time. The chip can capture multiple simultaneous frames at varying exposures, guaranteeing that any quick action results in a sharp and clear image of the precise moment.

• Scene and object recognition

AI-driven smartphone cameras can automatically recognize various scenes, such as landscapes, portraits, night shots, or macro images, along with identifying subjects like individuals or pets. They can then optimize exposure, contrast, and saturation to ensure the finest shot. AI can also differentiate between the subject and background to apply a natural bokeh effect.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9400 with Imagiq 1090 offers powerful tools for creators. It enables HDR video recording across the entire zoom range, simulating a professional camera zoom lens with minimal quality degradation. Moreover, the Dimensity 9400 SoC can utilize Generative-AI Super Resolution to capture clear images of distant objects. This feature allows users to achieve up to 100x magnification by filling in pixelated areas with corrective elements that yield exceptionally vivid outcomes.

The future: Enhanced computational photography and AR

We are merely scratching the surface of AI photography’s potential. Looking ahead, advanced computational photography will elevate features like multi-frame processing, noise reduction, and super-resolution to unprecedented heights. This will lead to sharper, more detailed images.

AI cameras will increasingly excel at recognizing scenes, objects, and specific subjects, automatically calibrating camera settings for optimal outcomes. Future AI cameras will continue to enhance video recording, offering features like automatic subject tracking, intelligent zoom, and stabilization.

Generative AI is soon poised to emerge prominently. As previously mentioned, super zoom with Generative AI allows for the refinement of jagged edges in pixelated images. Furthermore, generative AI may propose optimal framing and compositional strategies based on photography principles, assisting you in capturing more aesthetically pleasing shots.

The AI camera will also be integral to the upcoming generations of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). AI facilitates these technologies by seamlessly overlaying digital content onto the physical world, which is particularly advantageous for immersive experiences like virtual clothing fittings, interactive gaming, and educational applications.

Whether you’re a professional photographer, a media influencer, or simply an everyday user documenting your experiences for friends and family, your smartphone’s AI camera will empower you to capture superior, more imaginative photos and videos. Ultimately, almost anyone can achieve near-DSLR-quality results from a camera they carry with them everywhere.

By Rami Osman, Director for Business Development, MediaTek Middle East and Africa