Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is either in advanced talks to acquire or has acquired Israeli mobile camera technology startup Corephotonics Ltd., according to multiple reports.

Reports of the possible acquisition first came Jan. 7 from Globes, with some sites saying the deal has now been sealed. The acquisition price is claimed to be in the vicinity of $150 million to $160 million.

Founded in 2012, Corephotonics claims to be the pioneer and worldwide market leader of multi-aperture technologies for mobile devices. While not a household name, Corephotonics has licensed its technology to multiple smartphone makers, notable among them Chinese smartphone maker Oppo Electronics Corp.

The company said it aims to “perfect the mobile camera photography experience and to provide superior image quality by combining our novel optics, mechanics and computational photography technologies.”

Corephotonics has raised $35 million over several rounds from Glory Ventures, Foxconn Interconnect Technology, MediaTek, MizMaa Ventures, Magma Venture Partners, Heliant Ventures, BetaAngels Management, Amiti Ventures, OurCrowd and, most notably, Samsung Ventures.

More notable, however, is that Samsung is buying a company that’s in the middle of a lawsuit with Apple Inc. Corephotonics sued Apple in May, claiming that the dual-lens cameras in the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X infringe on its patents.

The patent in question, awarded to Corephotonics in January 2018, describes how components inside a telephoto lens come together. The patent, according to a report from the time, is “extremely technical and describes air gaps between lens elements.”

Apple and Samsung have been in a battle over various patents dating back as far as 2012, but both companies had seemingly come to an agreement in July that, at the time, seemed to be an end to the lawsuits. Through the entire time, Samsung has been a supplier to Apple, though the company Steve Jobs built has slowly attempted to remove itself from requiring Samsung technology.

Whether this is a new chapter in Apple v. Samsung is yet to be seen. But presuming the Corephotonics deal goes through, Samsung will once again be facing Apple in court over patents.

Given that both companies are battling a downturn in smartphone sales, coupled with the rise of multiple Chinese companies that in some cases now offer superior products, a continuing battle royal is something neither companies would likely want.

Image: Corephotonics