Teardown: Samsung Galaxy S9 camera sensors have different layout

The two different camera sensors that Samsung uses in copies of its Galaxy S9 smartphone appear to have a different layout. Both have dram, but the position and type of the dram is different.

Some copies of the Galaxy S9 have the Sony IMX345 camera module, while others have the Samsung S5K3L3SX on board. The characteristics of both camera sensors are similar, but a teardown from TechInsights shows that the layout of both camera modules is different.

Where Samsung has pasted a standard dram package on the back of the isp, Sony probably used a custom dram module and placed it between the isp and the contact image sensor. To fill the space, Samsung placed a dummy next to the dram so that the space did not remain empty: the dram is smaller than the isp.

The dram in the camera module makes it possible to temporarily store images, which facilitates the Super Slow Motion function. This allows the S9 to record 0.2 seconds of video at 960fps. Sony had already made such a camera module itself for its Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1 models from last year, in the form of the IMX400. The dram has a capacity of 1GB. The differences in layout do not affect the functionality of the camera software: both support Super Slow Motion in the same way. Samsung has been using two different camera sensors in its Galaxy S models for years.