While the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S22 is likely more than six months away, a new report has revealed something interesting leaking from its camera system.

According to South Korea's ET News, citing industry sources, the next model in Samsung's Galaxy S series will not feature a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor as part of its camera array.

An unnamed ET News industry source said this is because customers are satisfied with photos that do not use the ToF sensor: "Consumer response to the current camera system without ToF is not bad, so we decided not to add ToF to the next one.

"We don't add anything because we can meet the consumer's viewpoint with a general camera without ToF," said another industry source.

Samsung first used a ToF sensor in the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G in 2019, and then again in the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. ToF cameras are a way for a smartphone's camera system to determine the distance to a subject. It uses a combination of a light emitter and a sensor to measure the time it takes for light to be reflected from a subject.

Since then, this sensor has been discontinued from the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S21 series, and instead the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra use a laser autofocus system; the S22 also uses a laser autofocus system, although the Ultra version may also adopt the laser autofocus system, albeit only in the Ultra version.

Samsung's abandonment of the ToF sensor has not stopped rivals from adopting the technology. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max feature LiDAR sensors, a technology similar to ToF. Huawei's P40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro also use ToF sensors. With Apple's adoption of LiDAR, Samsung was apparently considering reintroducing ToF cameras in its phones. However, ET News reports that this is no longer being considered.

A long-term move away from ToF sensors is expected to affect Samsung's own sensor production. If its own smartphone division does not use ToF sensors, Samsung may scale back production of ToF cameras and lose more global demand to Sony, the world's leading supplier of camera components for cell phones.

Other reports have provided more encouraging news about the Galaxy S22's camera. Recently, Samsung was rumored to be partnering with camera maker Olympus to refine the phone's photography technology, similar to the OnePlus 9's Hasselblad-tuned camera.

ET News said the Galaxy S22 will launch in the first quarter of next year; the Galaxy S21 launched in January of this year, so the S22 could arrive early in 2022. Samsung's Galaxy S series has often appeared in our Best Android Phone Picks, including the current ToF-less Galaxy S21. As such, the Galaxy S22 is likely to remain a high-quality phone even without a ToF sensor.