Electronics giant Samsung has unveiled the world’s first 108MP mobile camera sensor. The Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX is a 108MP smartphone sensor developed in collaboration with Xiaomi. The announcement comes after Xiaomi teased an upcoming quad-camera smartphone with the Samsung 64MP ISOCELL GW1 sensor.
The Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX will have 0.8 micron pixels, which is the same as existing 48MP and 64MP cameras. However, the sensor will have a sensor size of 1/1.33″, larger than those in 48MP cameras (1/2″) and 64MP cameras (1/1.72″). This enables the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX to produce photos with 12032 x 9024 pixels resolution, which is comparable to high-end DSLR cameras. The larger sensor size allows the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX to absorb more light in low-light conditions.
The 108MP sensor uses pixel binning to produce photos that are comparable to a 27MP 1.6 micron pixel camera. On the other hand, the 48MP and 64MP sensors use pixel binning to deliver shots that are comparable to 12MP and 16MP 1.6 micron pixel cameras, respectively.
The Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor also uses Smart-ISO technology to automatically adjust the ISO level depending on the lighting condition. The sensor is capable of shooting 6K videos (6,016 x 3,384 pixels) at 30 frames per second.
“Samsung is continuously pushing for innovations in pixel and logic technologies to engineer our ISOCELL image sensors to capture the world as close to how our eyes perceive them,” said Yongin Park, Executive Vice President of Samsung’s sensor business. “Through close collaboration with Xiaomi, ISOCELL Bright HMX is the first mobile image sensor to pack over 100 million pixels and delivers unparalleled color reproduction and stunning detail with advanced Tetracell and ISOCELL Plus technology.”
Mass production of the 108MP sensor is expected to begin later this month, according to Samsung. It’s rumored that the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 will be the first smartphone to feature the 108MP sensor. So expect 108MP smartphones to be available before the end of the year or early next year.
