Samsung announces 64-megapixel camera sensor for smartphones

Samsung has announced a camera sensor for smartphones with a maximum resolution of 64 megapixels. The sensor has pixels of 0.8 microns in size, the same size as current 48-megapixel cameras.

The GW1 sensor can shoot videos up to 480fps at full HD resolution, Samsung says. The manufacturer does not say anything about the physical size of the sensor, but it should be around 1/1.5″, which is larger than the 1/1.75″ sensor that Huawei uses in its high-end smartphones. That is the largest camera sensor currently in use. The sensors from Sony and Samsung with a maximum resolution of 48 megapixels are 1/2″ in size.

Focusing is done with Super PD, an implementation of phase detection. The sensor from Samsung’s Isocell Bright series can take pictures with 64 megapixels, but can also combine the information from four pixels into one and deliver a 16-megapixel photo. That’s how most high-resolution smartphone camera sensors work. Current 48-megapixel models often take 12-megapixel photos.

In addition to the GW1, Samsung also comes with the second generation of its 48-megapixel sensor, which adds Super PD as an autofocus technique. Both sensors are now for testing at smartphone makers and will probably appear in smartphones before the end of the year.