According to The Elec, Samsung has removed its compatriot Partron from its camera supply chain for the upcoming foldables. The latter was a major supplier of camera modules for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 this year. It was second only to Samsung’s Electro-Mechanics division in terms of total supply volume. But the Korean firm no longer plans to use cameras from Partron in its 2023 foldables. The reason behind this change is not known. The new report adds that Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Mcnex, and Cammsys (all South Korean firms) will be the primary camera suppliers for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5. The latter will also use cameras from Chinese vendor Sunny Optical, though in a small proportion. Samsung also recently signed up Sunny Optical as a supplier for the 10MP folded zoom (10X) and 12MP ultra-wide cameras for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Partron, meanwhile, is getting lesser flagship camera orders from Samsung. While it has completely lost orders for next-gen Galaxy foldables, its share in the Galaxy S23 series also reportedly decreased. The same source last week reported that Partron will supply a small portion of the 10MP telephoto zoom camera (3X) for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The vanilla Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ will also use some camera modules from the Korean firm. But Samsung has diversified its supply chain with Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Sunny Optical, Mcnex, Powerlogics, and Cammsys all supplying cameras for the next-gen Galaxy flagships. Partron remains a major camera supplier for Samsung’s low-cost Galaxy A series and Galaxy M series smartphones, though.
Samsung begins preparations for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 & Flip 5
Samsung’s chopping and changing its supply chain suggests the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are about to enter the development stage. The company is likely looking to finalize components for the phones before proceeding with their development. If history is any indication, the new foldables should be official something in Q3 2023, probably in August. That’s still a lot of time more leaks and rumors about the devices. Perhaps we may not hear much about them until the Galaxy S23 series is out of the way. The next-gen conventional flagships from Samsung will arrive in early 2023. We will keep you posted on those.
