Expect smartphones equipped with 200-megapixel camera sensors to launch in the coming months.
Samsung has unveiled the Isocell HP1, the world’s first smartphone camera sensor to support a high, 200-megapixel resolution. It measures 1/1.22 inches and is based on the Korean technology giant’s most advanced 0.64μm-sized pixels.
What’s more, the Samsung Isocell HP1 features a new pixel-binning technology called ChameleonCell that uses a 2 x 2 or 4 x 4 pixel binning or full-pixel rendering layout, depending on the lighting condition. When you are in a dimly lit environment, the HP1 will turn into a 12.5-megapixel image sensor with big, 2.56μm pixels — which allows for more light absorption and sensitivity — by merging 16 neighboring pixels. When it’s bright, you will then rely on the 200 million pixels to capture ultra-high-definition, 16,384 x 12,288 photography on mobile devices.
SEE ALSO: Back on top: Huawei P50 Pro gets highest camera score ever
And then there’s video. With the Isocell HP1, you can shoot 8K videos at 30 frames per second without losing much of the field of view. According to Samsung, “The HP1 merges four neighboring pixels to bring the resolution down to 50 megapixels or 8,192 x 6,144 to take 8K (7,680 x 4,320) videos without the need to crop or scale down the full image resolution.”
We wonder which smartphone brand will offer a handset using Isocell HP1 first. Remember that just because Samsung develops a certain technology doesn’t mean that it makes its way to a Samsung product first. An example: The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was the first to get the company’s 50-megapixel Isocell GN2 sensor. Here’s another: The 108-megapixel Samsung Isocell Bright HMX debuted on the Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro.
Share this Post
Learn About This Author
