Sony introduces IMX586 smartphone camera with 48 MP Quad Bayer sensor

23 July 2018
The module has pixel size of 0.8 um and supports 4K videos at 90 fps.

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Tango., 24 Jul 2018They did also sell the patent of the 'accoustic surface' to... moreYes I saw that, it was reported then later on at SID Display week, Samsung showed S9 with the acoustic surface audio and it that Sony is so stupid like when I read the news I was angry because Sony giving a good tech that they can compete in the market and doesn't want to do it, in addition, they're selling it to a company who was doing OLED for 10 years and couldn't even think of or made that kinda technology because they didn't care enough to innovate.
Sony is a very good company who knows what they're doing but sometimes and at times like this, the executives are taking stupid choices and destroying a good company that still is able to be NO. 1 in the world.

    KamAbdi, 23 Jul 2018I don't know if it is true or not but I heard the ISOCELL w... moreThey did also sell the patent of the 'accoustic surface' to Samsung...

    Maybe we'll see that tech on an upcoming Galaxy S series instead of an Xperia; moreover if well implemented, it will be marketed as hell even when you lift up your toilet table... on that, Sony should learn from them as they've ridicously announced great stuff way quietly and like in a hermetically-sealed environment

      Anonymous, 24 Jul 2018Yep.. I still held on to my Nokia 808 because nothing can b... moreI saw the scores in DXO and... you know... it was just What????… I took a few thousand pictures with my 808 (until my little son decided it was a submarine), and still today I look the faces when I show them some 41mpx pictures and then zoom... it's just amazing. No other phone can manage to do that (I haven't tested the P20 Pro). The best pictures I have that are not taken with the 808 came from a N8.

      After that I bought a Sony (thought it was the nearest camera around)… and if the pictures were better than those taken by most phones… never got near my 808.

      Surprisingly, I had an Asus Zenfone 2. It's 13Mp camera was just average, but some of my best pictures were taken with that phone (even better than most I took with the sony)…


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        • ohmy
        • 2Am
        • 24 Jul 2018

        i will buy this when it will be released. 48mp with sony sensor. i have my 808 and 1020 with and this would be my next phone to buy when it will be released. my hopes is up sony make sure that it you will release it. if nokia will also release their penta lens i will buy also both of them. i've been with so much already because i am a developer of apps and games. nokia and sony is the one for me for development and also my daily drive.

          • H
          • H-1
          • aXK
          • 24 Jul 2018

          Stan, 23 Jul 2018I'd take a 12mp 1/2" over a 48mp pixel-binned 1/2" any day.... moreExactly
          You just made my day :)
          my English isn't that good to put it that simple, thanks

            Anonymous, 24 Jul 2018Yep.. I still held on to my Nokia 808 because nothing can b... moreThe last 2: yes. The first one: no.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • Js}
              • 24 Jul 2018

              This is not for XZ3, nor XZ2 Premium successor. Maybe Mate 20 or Pixel 3

              Xperia 4K 2019 will use 50MP /1 inch RGB sensor... 1 inch like RX100 cybershot series

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • Js}
                • 24 Jul 2018

                Dave, 24 Jul 2018Just in time for the 2018 iPhones. And no, no one cares ... moreSony has never been near top. Their best year was z2/z3/z3c and 40 million units sold.

                Sony Ericson was on top with Nokia before smartphones

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • XNk
                  • 24 Jul 2018

                  Stan, 23 Jul 2018I'd have to disagree about ISOCELL. In all the tests i've s... moreYou can't detect sarcasm?

                    Stan, 23 Jul 2018I'd take a 12mp 1/2" over a 48mp pixel-binned 1/2" any day.... moreThe sensor uses quad bayer layout, so the native resolution of the sensor is 12MP. So in low light the result will be identical as 4 subpixels of the same color are gathered into 1 and act as 1 huge subpixel. Artifacts only emerges when it creates 48MP image which involves different signal processing.

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                      • Dave
                      • IWN
                      • 24 Jul 2018

                      Just in time for the 2018 iPhones.

                      And no, no one cares about the Xperia phones. That's why Xperia phones are no longer top 10 in market share; ten years ago Xperia phones were easily top 10 in marketshare.

                      Sony - great in Playstation, DSLR cameras, camera sensors. Terrible in smartphones.

                        Hmm, Sony is playing catch with huaway..
                        The megapixel race is long dead though. 20mp is more than enough for everything. 48mp is clearly Sony saying "hey huawai.. bet you want to have this shiny new sensor"

                        Well meeh, I want to see it in real life 1st

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • wce
                          • 24 Jul 2018

                          Mate 20 will use this too?

                            Anonymous, 23 Jul 2018Sony XZ2 camera and Samsung S9 camera quality can't be even... moreAs a matter of fact, IMX345 produces sharper images than ISOCELL XXXXL3 inside the S9. Other things being nearly same or just slightely better on sony. And remember, IMX345 was not even their flagship mobile imaging sensor. Samsung quietly slips a few isocell gere and there but its the sony that takes the cake.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • IV8
                              • 24 Jul 2018

                              Vitaliano G., 23 Jul 2018Finally innovation on the camera field has restarted!. S... moreYep.. I still held on to my Nokia 808 because nothing can beat it still..

                              P20 Pro came and tried to claim the throne from Nokia 808 and it managed to come close but fell short. Now this Sony.. We will see whether Nokia 808 will finally be beaten..

                              DxO refuses to admit and give the 808 a proper score even though the sample they themselves took clearly shows 808 superiority.. Check the below and see for yourself.

                              DxO marks: 808-49 vs Note 8-65
                              http://imgur.com/a/CWw46

                              DxO marks: 808-49 vs XZ Premium-68
                              http://pp.userapi.com/c841527/v841527666/24fee/r7n-g432s-A.jpg

                              DxO marks 808-49 vs iPhone 8-64
                              http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b00a913743263399623a95803e902b12d9660a0e68eed94a4e54e67e9588feef.png

                              Clearly in all these samples Nokia 808 had better details and should be scored higher.

                                r33fd, 23 Jul 2018I don't get it ! Why put 48 MP on a camera, if you are goi... moreThen you have to read the link provided by gsmarena on the article

                                  Anonymous, 23 Jul 2018They could have kept 1.4um pixel size and put a bigger sens... moreThen you really need to know how quad bayer sensor works, it can take hdr photo with a single frame. Quad bayer sensor has many megapixel, but it's advantage is the lower megapixel, let say 10mp on p20 pro.

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                                    • Ultra Fans
                                    • y$f
                                    • 24 Jul 2018

                                    But unfortunately the brand that will maximize the use of this new sensors will be others,
                                    just like the old days,.....sony make the sensors ....others will use maximize the potential....either the hardware itself or the software, or both.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • qJ}
                                      • 24 Jul 2018

                                      looks like xz4 premium next year to me.. sadly

                                        • S
                                        • Stan
                                        • red
                                        • 24 Jul 2018

                                        Shanti Dope, 24 Jul 2018Except in this case, the pixels would have 2 different expo... moreI have no doubt about Sony knowledge of different bayer structures.
                                        However, to your point, for an HDR photo, a 12mp camera can take 2 successive images, like it was done for quite a while now, instead of breaking down the sensor into a short and a long exposure. My main worry is the pixel size smaller than 1 micron and how it will react in low light. There will be alot of electric noise due to a low pixel well capacity.
                                        The P20 Pro does produce horrendous amounts of noise in low light, and the noise reduction is pretty heavy handed. The resulting image from a huge 1/1.7" sensor is no better than from any other 1/2.55".
                                        Their advertised ISO of 102k is just that, a number... In reality usable ISO peaks at around 1600

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