Samsung's next flagship smartphone may feature an Olympus camera.

According to multiple leaks from usually reliable sources, first reported by Tom's Guide France, the two companies will partner on camera technology for upcoming smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 The two companies are said to be working together on camera technology for upcoming smartphones including the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Nothing official about this partnership yet, but the evidence is starting to pile up.

Industry leaker Yogesh first tweeted about the potential partnership yesterday, claiming that "Samsung may be bucking the latest trend of partnering with camera brands. Samsung may be on board with the latest trend of partnering with camera brands.

He then said it would not be "Zeiss, Leica, Hasselblad" before announcing that Samsung had held talks with Olympus.

This claim was given further weight by Ice Universe on the Chinese social media platform Weibo (as reported by Gizmochina), where he responded, "My source told me this is reliable news Samsung x Olympus I posted that it was."

According to Yogesh, the first fruits of this partnership could be seen in either a special edition of the Z Fold 3, which is expected to launch this year, or the S22 Ultra, which will almost certainly arrive in early 2022.

If true, Samsung would be the latest in a line of smartphone makers to seek special assistance from the photographic giant in the production of camera modules.

Last month, the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, with their Hasselblad-tuned cameras, went from average performance in terms of photography to genuine contenders for the best camera phone list. Huawei, on the other hand, has partnered with Leica for several years.

For Olympus, a partnership certainly makes sense: in February, Olympus announced its intention to collaborate with other companies, with the company's chief technology officer stating, "We will not do things on our own, but will work with other partners as needed."

Nevertheless, it is possible that these rumors are nothing more than a misunderstanding. Samsung is said to be working on a new Exynos processor codenamed "Olympus," so it is possible that the leakers jumped to the wrong conclusion based on details they found somewhere.

It is also questionable whether Samsung needs much help regarding cameras. For example, in our review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, we were impressed with its overall quality and ability to zoom in close to the action, putting it instantly in second place on our best camera phone list. However, Samsung is a step behind the iPhone 12 Pro in terms of computational photography and image processing.

Recent Z Fold 3 camera rumors point to it being the first Samsung phone with an under-display camera on the front, but we have yet to hear anything about the rear sensor that would contradict the possibility of using Olympus technology.

Given that Samsung's next flagship foldable is expected to arrive later this year -- perhaps even next month -- we may not have to wait long to find out either way.