Samsung unveils flagship 200MP ISOCELL HP1, 50MP ISOCELL GN5 sensors

02 September 2021
The HP1 will likely be the imager of choice for the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

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Aierlan, 02 Sep 2021Hope the shutter speed is better with these over the previo... moreCome to think about it, Sony are still yet to make a smartphone camera sensor that can rival Samsung's GN1/GN2 sensor and OmniVision's OV48C/OV50A/OV64A sensor.

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    • Anonymous
    • gBV
    • 02 Sep 2021

    Anonymous, 02 Sep 2021I guess that the 200 megapixel mode could improve digital z... more(Pixel size in micrometers)

      ...annnnnnnd all of that will be destroyed by poor processing.

      just give us 4-in-1, no questions asked, instead of the useless 16-in-1 bs, they keep on sticking to 12MP. what is this? 2015?

      it's time for them to actually make a high resolution outputting sensors, not useless binning techniques.

        Anonymous, 02 Sep 2021To continue: I prefer an smaller size sensor with lower res... moreMe too. Higher Megapixel requires more processing power, especially for modern Quad/Nona Bayer sensors since it needs a lot of computing power to do the pixel binning in the first place.

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          • Anonymous
          • gBV
          • 02 Sep 2021

          Nick Tegrataker, 02 Sep 2021What's the point of having 200 million pixels when you... moreI guess that the 200 megapixel mode could improve digital zoom a bit in comparison with a 50 megapixel Quad Bayer sensor. Maybe it is also better for combining different exposures.
          Regarding diffraction and Bayer sensors the theoretical resolution limit for a super sharp lens is achieved when f-number/pixel-size has values between approximately 5 and 10 as far as I know. For Quad Bayer sensors, etc you need even higher values in order to achieve the resolution limit. So diffraction is not necessarily an issue.

            TheLastOracle, 02 Sep 2021My bad. I checked, and it it does have Staggered HDR on not... moreGN2 is also equipped with Dual Pixel Pro AF so the focusing speed should be just as fast as on GN5. I guess the more advanced DTI tech of GN5 allows it to capture light more efficiently compared to GN2, but I don't think it will be enough to overcome the massive difference in sheer sensor size and capture a comparable amount of light (let alone more light per exposure). Samsung's naming scheme for their Isocell sensors is quite messy (e.g. HM series), so just because 5 is a larger number than 2, it doesn't necessarily mean GN5 is a better product - I would say it's quite the opposite in this case.

              walkman8, 02 Sep 2021Native 200 mp resolution will suck on s22u, guaranteed. B... moreYou may be right, but there was a person or 2 here who said it is NOT possible to make such a sensor like this, which can take both 12 MP or 50 MP photos. They where absolutely sure of what they where saying, and I tried to explain to them that there can be surprises, but they didn't believe me. Technology is advancing very fast.

                Rkm, 02 Sep 2021The next big thing should be higher quality lenses. What�... moreThat is correct. Glass lenses should be mandatory for premium flagship smartphones. That is why the old Nokia/Microsoft Lumia PureView smartphone can capture crisp detail with no oversharpening effect because of its Zeiss glass lens. Speaking of PureView, I'm yet to see anyone, including HMD Nokia themselves, replicate the built-in ND filter feature first seen on the 808. It's a totally useful feature for exposure photography.

                  Mobilemaster, 02 Sep 2021Now where are the guys who said it is not possible make a c... moreNative 200 mp resolution will suck on s22u, guaranteed.
                  But I think s23Ultra Will have a refined 200 mp sensor, that's the one to wait for

                    P C M, 02 Sep 2021That shouldn't be a problem, I don't understand... moreThe problem is that one cannot physically design a CFA that allows both 9-in-1 and 16-in-1 sensor-level binning.

                      Lol, 200MP under 4-to-1 pixel binning and the effective binned pixel size is not bigger than the native unbinned pixel size of the GN2 sensor despite the same 50MP resolution? I really see no reason to get hyped for this new 200MP sensor. Even professional photographers would tell that a high Megapixel is only suitable for poster and banner printings. I'm far more interested in the GN5 sensor, we now finally have an alternative to OmniVision's OV50A sensor.

                        Now where are the guys who said it is not possible make a camera sensor which can take both 12 MP and 50 MP images? I said guys, that companies can come up with ideas you never think of. How good is this new 200 MP sensor is I don't know, we will see it in 2, 3 months.

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                          • Rkm
                          • ypc
                          • 02 Sep 2021

                          The next big thing should be higher quality lenses. What's the point of all these binning if you can barely resolve quad bayer levels of resolution.

                            Hope the shutter speed is better with these over the previous samsung sensors. It's still a weakness of phones using sensors like the hmx, GN2 or hm2 sensors relative to Sony sensors like the IMX700 and IMX766. Curious as to why Sony has been so quite in terms of new sensors this year. No follow up to the IMX686, no follow up to the IMX700. Basically they only seemed to have released the IMX766 at the end of last year and the IMX789 this year which is more or less the same as the previous IMX689 and was only for Oneplus in any case. Hopefully they start releasing new high end sensors again soon

                              TheLastOracle, 02 Sep 2021Both the Image Sensors seem interesting. 'The ISOCE... moreMy bad. I checked, and it it does have Staggered HDR on noth sensors. I am guessing new hardware tech and algorithms should help.imorove image quality over the GN2 and other sensors with larger pixels.

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                                • Rkm
                                • ypc
                                • 02 Sep 2021

                                P C M, 02 Sep 2021That shouldn't be a problem, I don't understand... moreDifferent remosaicing techniques . The same reason why you don't have 9-1 and 4-1 on same sensor.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • StU
                                  • 02 Sep 2021

                                  Sony imx800, blows this by 2 years ahead

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                                    • AnonD-762416
                                    • Sec
                                    • 02 Sep 2021

                                    LG Superfan, 02 Sep 2021Imo 50mp is the sweet spot not to many tiny useless pixels ... moreFrom a technical point, infinite pixels is the sweet spot for this type of sensor. The more input you get pixel, the more likely it is you get the exact right color for that pixel.

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • LkB
                                      • 02 Sep 2021

                                      Nick Tegrataker, 02 Sep 2021What's the point of having 200 million pixels when you... moreCostumers get more impressed by 200 than 50 .
                                      Does not matter if both output 12.5 in the end.

                                      It is like 120Hz when almost all games do not support more than 60fps.

                                        Both the Image Sensors seem interesting.

                                        'The ISOCELL GN5 is the industry’s first 1.0μm image sensor to integrate Dual Pixel Pro, an all-directional autofocusing technology, that can substantially boost autofocusing capabilities. This technology places two photodiodes, the smallest in the industry, within each 1.0μm pixel of the sensor either horizontally or vertically to recognize pattern changes in all directions. With one million phase-detecting multi-directional photodiodes covering all areas of the sensor, the ISOCELL GN5’s autofocusing becomes instantaneous, enabling sharper images in either bright or low-lit environments.

                                        The image sensor also makes use of Samsung’s proprietary pixel technology, which applies Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI) on a Dual Pixel product for the first time in the industry. Despite the microscopic photodiode size, FDTI enables each photodiode to absorb and hold more light information, improving the photodiodes’ full-well capacity (FWC) and decreasing crosstalk within the pixel.'


                                        The GN2 has a pixel pitch of 1.4μm so this GN5 with a pixel pitch of 1.0μm, seems to have smaller pixel, and Samsung also hasn't mentioned whether it's a staggered HDR sensor or not. I am guessing this has much faster autofocus, and its photofiodes are even smaller that before (which neend the actual image pixel is comparatively larger and less hindered by the focus pixel) along with the front deep trench technology, it should help improve low light and the mage quality based on noise performance. Samsung doesn't seem to have released figures on readout speeds yet, but I am guessing this sensor has a faster readout speed, compensateling for the smaller pixels.

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