Samsung is close to releasing a cellphone with a camera that's both high-resolution and with real optical zoom, according to a report by Telecoms Korea. The combined package would include an eight-megapixel sensor like those in shipping Samsung camera phones but would also have a 3X zoom system to deliver longer-ranged and more accurately focused shots than most cellphones, which normally rely on digital zoom that simply scales pixels upwards.

The hardware is also more technically advanced than a previous, five-megapixel camera developed by Samsung. While slightly bigger, the eight-megapixel unit autofocuses about 57 percent faster and so is better suited to action shots.

In contrast to some technology demonstrations, Samsung is near putting the new camera into a production phone and should have a finished model on the market in early 2009. Devices using the camera are likely to be relatively thick but should be aided by a 12-megapixel model sometime in the future that occupies less physical space. [via Unwired View]