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Samsung announces a 200 megapixel sensor

Samsung Electronics' Isocell HP1, the world's first 200 megapixel image sensor for mobile phones. [Samsung Electronics]

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday the release of an advanced image sensor for smartphones capable of delivering 200 megapixel images, the first mobile sensor with that level of resolution.

Current high-end smartphones are equipped with 108 megapixel cameras.

The release of the Isocell HP1 comes after speculation that both Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi will use the 200-megapixel sensors in upcoming phones.

The chipmaker employed a technique called pixel binning technology, which is designed to combine adjacent pixels to forma a larger unit, an effort to reduce noise and readout speed in different conditions. The product can also take 8K videos.

8K is the highest display resolution currently available for retail television products, with a width of roughly 8,000 pixels.

“Samsung has been pioneering ultrafine pixel technologies that are taking high-resolution image sensors to the next level,” said Chang Duck-hyun, executive vice president of the sensor business at Samsung Electronics.

The manufacturer also introduced a new 50-megapixel sensor called Isocell GN5.

The lower-end sensor comes with improved autofocusing capabilities and a smaller size at 1 micrometer.
“With the ISOCELL HP1 that is breaking barriers and ISOCELL GN5 bringing ultrafast auto focus, Samsung will continue to lead the trend for next-generation mobile imaging technologies.”

Samsung Electronics is the world’s second largest image sensor maker after Sony. Its market share stood at 19.6 percent last year compared to Sony's 47.9 percent, according to market tracker Omdia.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]