Samsung has unveiled a new 200 MP sensor, the ISOCELL HP3. At 0.56 μm, it has the “industry’s smallest pixel” and is 12% smaller than its predecessor. New algorithms for stacking images promise quicker auto-focusing and clearer HDR.
Although no phones with the new sensor have been seen yet, it is technically the first 200MP camera sensor for smartphones after the ISOCELL HP1. Samsung had managed to reduce the pixel size from 0.64 μm, creating a sensor of 1/1.4” – about 20% smaller than its predecessor.
In order for 50MP photos to have 1.12 μm pixels, 4-to-1 binning must be employed. It also supports 16-to-1 binning for huge 2.24 μm pixels and 12.5 MP photos in ultra-dark areas.
Samsung also boasted about its Super-QPD auto-focusing solution. Every pixel has an automatic focus, and every cluster of four has one lens that recognizes phase differences horizontally and vertically. Additionally, the sensor is capable of shooting 8K videos at 30 frames per second and 4K at 120 frames per second with “minimal field of view loss”.
To enhance HDR performance, Smart-ISO Pro merges information from three stages – low, mid, and high ISO. The HP3, with its 4 trillion colors (14-bit depth), is 64 times more advanced than the HP1, which had 68 billion colors.
The ISOCELL HP3 is ready for sampling, and Samsung expects to start mass production this year.
