Samsung unveils the first 200 Mpx photo sensor for smartphones – Frandroid

Always more. After several months of rumors, Samsung has revealed a new sensor with a record definition of 200 megapixels. The Isocell HP1 should quickly be offered in smartphones.

Since 2019, it is the race for megapixels in our smartphones. Going from 12 to 48, to reach today definitions greater than 108 megapixels, smartphone manufacturers want to be able to place a big number on the photo module and impress the barge. In this regard, it is Samsung which has become the master of high-definition photo sensor manufacturing with its Isocell range.

200 million pixels

The Samsung Isocell HP1 is the industry’s first photo sensor to offer 200 megapixels on a sensor intended for smartphones. Remember that here we are talking about Samsung as a supplier of components. We can easily imagine that this sensor will be integrated into the next flagship of Xiaomi or Oppo for example. The sensor offers 0.64 µm photosites and promises to handle Dual Pixel Pro technology in all directions.

200 megapixels, that means 200 million pixels on a single photo sensor, a definition much higher than 16K (132.7 megapixels). Obviously, it will be possible for the sensor to make pixel-binning, that is, combine the information of several pixels. Thus in low light conditions, Samsung specifies that its sensor will behave like a 12.5 megapixel sensor with photosites of 2.56 µm by combining 16 pixels into one.

With such a sensor, it should be possible to offer convincing digital zooms, cutting into the photo to make an enlargement.

Videos in 8K

The video capture capabilities of the sensor are different. In this scenario, it will merge 4 pixels into one to become a 50 megapixel sensor with a resolution of 8192 x 6144 pixels, sufficient to shoot in 8K (7680 x 4320 pixels) at 30 frames per second.

Still, it will probably take a very powerful SoC to process the 200 megapixels of the main sensor in addition to any secondary sensors of the smartphone. Let’s wait and see which manufacturers will integrate this new photo sensor, and the associated functions they will offer.