Samsung Galaxy S11+ camera might come with serious optical zoom

The leaks for Samsung's Galaxy S11 keep dripping out. We've already seem some renders of the upcoming Android phone courtesy of @OnLeaks, but another notable leaker @UniverseIce claims it'll come with a periscope optical zoom camera module. Such a component would allow for zoom beyond the typical 2x optical zoom found on current Samsung phones and iPhones.

Playing catch-up to China — Periscope zoom camera modules allow lens elements to be laid flat inside of the phone instead of sticking out like a real camera lens. It's cool stuff, but Chinese phones from brands like Oppo and Huawei have had phones with these extraordinary optical zooms for years. Samsung would be merely catching up.

Below, you can see the alleged periscope zoom:

Not first, but better (hopefully) — While Chinese phones have had 5x and 10x optical zoom lenses, they don't sell as many phones globally as Samsung does. Like Apple, Samsung doesn't need to be first to include new technology. Samsung can leverage its global scale — something companies like Huawei who are banned in the U.S. don't have — to help popularize features. Ultimately, Samsung just needs to show how its periscope zoom lens is better than the ones in Chinese phones; its superior software processing paired with the hardware module could give it the imaging edge.