Samsung announces 200-megapixel sensor with 1/1.3″ format for smartphones

Samsung has announced the Isocell HP2, a 200-megapixel sensor with 0.6 micrometer pixels. The sensor is 1/1.3″ in size and can therefore replace the current 108-megapixel sensors without taking up more space, Samsung says. The sensor is now in mass production.

The manufacturer previously announced the Isocell HP1 and HP3 camera sensors, both 200-megapixel sensors. The HP2 falls right in between with its pixel size of 0.6µm. Samsung says that the camera with the 1/1.3″ format could be a replacement for the 108-megapixel sensor and therefore a successor to, for example, Samsung’s own Isocell Bright HM3. That sensor was in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Presumably the Isocell HP2 is also the main camera in the S23 Ultra, which Samsung will probably announce on February 1.

Like other HP sensors, the HP2 supports two pixel binning modes. Four to sixteen pixels can be bundled for 50 or 12.5 megapixel photos in low light. That 50-megapixel mode is also used for 8k videos.

The Isocell HP3 gets Samsung’s new Dual Vertical Transfer Gate technology, which adds an extra transfer gate to the pixels. This means that a pixel can absorb 33 percent more light, which should provide better images in situations with a lot of light. In such photos, colors should be displayed better and overexposure should be less.

Samsung’s new sensor should also be able to autofocus faster, even in low light. For this purpose, the sensor has what Samsung calls Super QPD, in which all pixels are used to focus and five pixels can be bundled to better use horizontal and vertical differences when focusing. The new sensor should also be able to shoot better HDR images in 50-megapixel mode and HDR should now also be possible with 12.5-megapixel photos and 4k/60 fps videos.