The ISOCELL HP3 sensor from Samsung has a resolution of 200 MP. In terms of pixel size, it’s “the industry’s tiniest” at 0.56 m, a reduction of 13% compared to the previous model. With a new algorithm for stacking photos, it promises faster auto-focusing and even sharper HDR.
Since the ISOCELL HP1 is a 200MP sensor, even though we haven’t seen a smartphone using it yet, the new sensor has arrived nine months later. When Samsung first introduced the 1/1.4″ sensor, it had a pixel size of 0.64 m, which was 20% smaller than its predecessor.
For 50MP images, the 4-to-1 binning results in 1.12m pixels of additional resolution. When shooting in low light, the new sensor’s massive 2.24m pixels and 12.5 MP resolution make 16-to-1 binning a viable option.
It was also a point of pride for Samsung to boast about its Super-QPD autofocus technology. AF is available on all pixels, and a single lens in each of four clusters of four recognizes phase deviations in horizontal and vertical directions. “Minimum loss in the field of view” can be achieved with the sensor’s 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps capabilities.
To increase HDR performance, the new Smart-ISO Pro function combines data from three stages – low, medium, and high ISO mode. A 64-fold improvement over ISOCELL HP1’s 68-billion color output is possible with ISOCELL HP3’s 4 trillion color (14-bit) output.
Currently, Samsung is ready to supply smartphone makers with samples of the ISOCELL HP3, which is expected to go into production in the first half of 2013.