Samsung ISOCELL ALoP Camera reduces camera bump size while allowing for larger and brighter telephoto lenses

Samsung ISOCELL All Lenses on Prism (ALoP) technology is a compact telephoto camera where the lens and prism structure are rearranged to capture clearer day and night portraits.

Conventional Periscope or Folded zoom camera compared to the new Samsung ALoP

A true solution to crowded camera bumps?

Conventional folded or periscope zoom lens design

Over the years, smartphone manufacturers have employed a folded telephoto or periscope camera structure that uses a prism and places the lens set between the prism and the image sensor. The lenses stand vertically to the plane of the smartphone body, so the diameter of the lenses and prisms determines the height of the camera bump.

Samsung says that this arrangement limits the telephoto improvements that can be made in terms of image brightness because a wider diameter is required for brighter images. This would require larger sensors and lenses, which would make the camera module even larger. This would result in a bulky camera sensor that users may find 'objectionable'.

Samsung ISOCELL ALoP's compact telephoto lens and prism design

ALoP is Samsung's solution to this problem by incorporating a set of large telephoto lenses in a smartphone without incurring a larger camera bump. To achieve this, ALoP employs what Samsung says is a clever optical structure where the lenses sit horizontally upon the prism and where they remain on the plane of the smartphone's body. This approach increases the effective lens size or Effective Pupil Diameter (EPD). The increased lens diameter should bring brighter images while not affecting the camera module's shoulder height. Moreover, it provides a shorter module length because of the reduced space needed for the lenses when compared to a folded camera module.

ALoP supposedly improves aesthetics and ergonomics too

Samsung claims that the main benefits of the ALoP include improved brightness, compact size, aesthetics and ergonomics. 

In summary, the new ALoP positions the telephoto lens flat along the plane of the phone which helps smartphone manufacturers create a smaller and less pronounced camera bump while providing a brighter and more compact telephoto camera.

GSMArena expects this new camera module to arrive with the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.

What do you guys think?

Source: Samsung, Via: GSMArena, Android Authority