I can't stop watching the Galaxy S9's dual-aperture camera
Like a guillotine.
Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
It's mesmerizing, no?
What you're seeing here is how the twin aperture blades work in the Samsung Galaxy S9's brand-new dual-aperture camera.
They can open to let more light in, or close to let less light through. That way, they can create brighter pictures or ones with more of the scene in focus. (For more on how variable aperture cameras work, and just how rare they are in phones, click here.)
We clipped this animated GIF from JerryRigEverything's latest video, which you'll want to watch if you enjoy this stuff -- you'll see how both the aperture blades and optical image stabilizers are controlled by tiny electromagnets. Check it out:
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