Samsung continues its ‘more pixels, the better’ mantra with the launch of its latest 200 megapixel (MP) sensor. The ISOCELL HP2 is a relatively large (for a smartphone) type 1/1.3 sensor (about 12mm diagonal) with a 0.6 micrometer (µm) pixel pitch, between the 200 megapixel HP1 and HP3 sensors. It offers more light collection than previous sensors as well as new HDR features and will likely be used in Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone.
The HP2 uses something Samsung calls Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology. This essentially doubles the number of electrons available from each photodiode, “enhancing the pixel’s full power by more than 33 percent,” the company wrote. That means the pixel can hold more charge before saturation, reducing overfilling and improving color reproduction in bright light conditions.
As before, it can be converted to either a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP sensor, linking four or 16 neighboring pixels, allowing for better low-light performance. It can shoot up to 8K 30fps video in 50MP mode (up from the Galaxy S22’s 24fps) to minimize cropping while still allowing for crisp videos. It also uses Smart-ISO Pro to capture 12.5MP HDR images and 4K HDR at up to 60fps. And as before, each pixel acts as a focus aid, enabling fast autofocus, even in low-light conditions.
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra “only” had a 108MP sensor, while the 200MP HP1 chip was used in other devices such as the Motorola 30 Edge Ultra and the Xiaomi 12T Pro. However, the S23 Ultra is rumored to have a 200MP sensor, and the HP2 fits the bill as it’s already in mass production, Samsung said. The Galaxy S23 will be unveiled in just two weeks, on February 1, 2023.
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