The new lineup has industry-leading 200MP and 50MP sensors, seamlessly bridging the gap between main and sub cameras for superior imaging from every angle.
Samsung Electronics has introduced three innovative mobile image sensors designed to enhance smartphones’ main and subcameras: the ISOCELL HP9, the ISOCELL GNJ, and the ISOCELL JN5. In response to rising user expectations for superior smartphone camera quality, Samsung’s latest image sensors aim to revolutionize mobile photography by delivering exceptional performance from every angle.
The ISOCELL HP9 has 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format. Its proprietary high-refractive microlens, made from a novel material, significantly boosts light-gathering capability, directing more light precisely to the corresponding RGB color filter. This results in more vivid color reproduction and enhanced focus, offering 12% better light sensitivity (based on signal-to-noise ratio 10) and 10% improved autofocus contrast performance compared to previous models. The HP9 excels in low-light conditions, a typical challenge for traditional telephoto cameras.
The key features include:
- Tetra²pixel technology combines 16 pixels (4×4) into a single large sensor.
- The resulting sensor is 12MP with a 2.24μm pixel size.
- This technology enhances portrait shots, even in low light conditions.
- It creates dramatic out-of-focus bokeh effects for a more artistic look.
As premium smartphones’ main cameras increase in size, the space for telephoto cameras also expands. The HP9’s large optical format makes it ideal for telephoto modules, offering image quality, autofocus, high dynamic range (HDR), and frames per second (fps) that rival premium main cameras. It features a remosaic algorithm, enabling 2x or 4x in-sensor zoom modes. When combined with a 3x zoom telephoto module, it achieves up to 12x zoom while maintaining sharp image quality. The latest sensors promise to redefine mobile photography, setting new benchmarks for camera performance and user experience.
“Improving image sensor capabilities and ensuring consistent photography experiences across all camera angles is the industry’s future direction,” stated Jesuk Lee, Executive Vice President and CTO of the System LSI Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “Our new sensor lineup integrates cutting-edge advancements, setting new industry standards and pushing the technological envelope.”