Less than a year ago, Samsung announced the ISOCELL HP1, a photo sensor for mobile devices with a resolution of 200 megapixels. The same sensor has not yet been seen in any device, including those of Samsung itself, but the company is already announcing an upgraded version of it called ISOCELL HP3, currently available for demos only but is expected to go into mass production later this year.
The ISOCELL HP3 is 20 percent smaller than the HP1, thanks in part to the “smallest pixels in the industry” – 0.56 micrometers per pixel, compared to 0.64 micrometers in the previous sensor. Of course in most shooting conditions, the sensor will provide an image consisting of a combination of several pixels together to absorb a greater amount of light. In reasonable lighting conditions the end result will be an image with a resolution of 50 megapixels, but in particularly difficult lighting conditions it is also possible to take a picture with a resolution of 12.5 megapixels.
Samsung also boasts an advanced auto-focus mechanism called Super QPD, which is supposed to provide faster and higher quality results. Another technology, Smart-ISO Pro, captures 3 images at different exposure levels for a single image with great dynamic richness, and also allows 14-bit shooting, ie up to 4 trillion different shades, compared to 12-bit or 68 billion shades in HP1. As for video recording capabilities, the sensor supports recording in 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second, and 8K resolution at up to 30 frames per second.
Samsung is not yet ready to announce any device with the new sensor installed, although rumors have been circulating in the past that the Galaxy S23 will be the first to arrive with a 200-megapixel sensor early next year.