Samsung says it will begin mass production later this year on a 64-megapixel smartphone camera sensor, the most powerful salvo in the megapixel war among the smartphone companies. A megapixel-packed half-inch sensor is only as good as the accompanying software and with highly regarded sensors in its current Galaxy smartphones, Samsung’s announcement today makes some rather exciting claims. Sony began producing a 48-megapixel smartphone camera sensor last year, which was then the highest resolution in mobile photography. These are found in smartphones like Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo. Megapixels, the resolution of your camera, is the measurement of how large an image you can record. Normally the size of the sensor and the depth of each pixel matters more to the quality of an image. A thin smartphone packs a ton of other features and doesn’t have space for a large sensor, so the Samsung technology merges four pixels into one to capture as many details as possible with software adjusting for the limitations. According to Samsung, its new ISOCELL Bright GW1 will record a 64-megapixel image in bright light and a16-megapixel image in low-light, the lighting conditions where most smartphones fail. The GW1 has a power called Dual Conversion Gain, which converts the light recorded on the sensor into an electric signal based on the illumination of the environment. The new sensor boasts of a real-time dynamic range, Samsung says, provides richer hues and more closely mimics what the human eye perceives in a mixed light setting. The GW1 also included a high-performance phase detection auto-focus system and HD video recording at 480 frames-per-second for slow motion captures.<doc-sep>With global demand for DRAM and NAND modules slowing down, Samsung is increasingly turning its attention to other areas, such as camera modules. The South Korean manufacturer has seen a lot of momentum in this category in the last three years, and it is now debuting its highest-resolution modules yet. The ISOCELL Bright GW1 is Samsung's first 64MP camera module, and the brand also rolled out an updated variant of its existing 48MP solution in the ISOCELL Bright GM2. Both sensors have a 0.8μm pixel size, resulting in a 1/1.8-inch module. Samsung says that both the 64MP and 48MP modules will leverage pixel-binning to produce 16MP shots in low-light environments, and use a re-mosaic algorithm to deliver full-res shots in daylight conditions. The 64MP sensor also delivers real-time HDR with "richer hues," 1080p video recording at 480fps, and "high-performance" phase detection autofocus. From Samsung's executive vice president of sensor business Yongin Park: Over the past few years, mobile phone cameras have become the main instrument for recording and sharing our everyday moments. With more pixels and advanced pixel technologies, Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 will bring a new level of photography to today's sleekest mobile devices that will enhance and help change the way we record our daily lives. Both the 64MP and 48MP modules will be in mass production in the latter half of the year, and it's possible we'll see the 64MP sensor make its debut on the Galaxy Note 10.<doc-sep>The war for the best camera phone rages on with Samsung’s new Isocell Bright GW1 image sensor, a 64-megapixel monster that is designed to beat Huawei’s 48-megapixel P30 Pro. We will probably see this new shooter in Samsung’s 2020 flagship, the Galaxy S11. (Image credit: The Galaxy S10 has a good camera, but the S11 could leapfrog the competition with a new 64-MP sensor. Credit: Tom's Guide) Samsung announced two chips in fact: The 64MP Isocell Bright GW1and the 48MP Isocell Bright GW2. Their existing top-of-the-line camera sensor is at 20 megapixels. The Samsung Galaxy S10 biggest sensor’s pixel count is at 16 megapixels. MORE: The Most Anticipated Smartphones The new 64-MP sensor maintains the pixel size of current 20-MP sensors, 0.8-micrometers. It will also use Samsung’s tetracell technology and remosaic algorithm — basically, this means that the new sensor processing unit will be able to combine four pixels for a higher light reception surface, resulting in clear, bright 16-megapixel photos under low-light conditions. Under normal light, the camera will just capture 64-megapixel images. (Image credit: Samsung) The sensor also supports real-time high dynamic range capture, which will result in better contrast and more colors. Samsung claims that its new sensor has an HDR of “up to 100 decibels” while the human eye is rated at 120dB. On the video front, the new camera will be able to record 480 frames-per-second at 1080p Full HD resolution. In other words, let’s hope that 1-terabyte storage chips are dirt cheap when this thing comes out, because the size of the photos and videos produced by this thing will be absurd.<doc-sep>
The megapixel wars are about to kick off in a big way as Samsung has unveiled a series of new 64-megapixel and 48-megapixel ISOCELL smartphone camera sensors. These new sensors put Samsung at the top of the tree when it comes to camera megapixel count. The ISOCELL Bright GW1 as this new sensor is affectionately named, uses the very same 0.80μm-sized pixels as seen on Samsung’s 48-megapixel camera sensors. Much like the 48-megapixel option, the ISOCELL Bright GW1 will utilize pixel-binning technology to combine four pixels for 16-megapixel effective images. You will still be able to capture 64-megapixel images provided the lighting is good though. That is marked alteration from the new Samsung 48-megapixel sensors, which is unable to natively allow you to take full resolution shots. Instead, they merge down to 12-megapixels. “With more pixels and advanced pixel technologies, Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 will bring a new level of photography to today’s sleekest mobile devices that will enhance and help change the way we record our daily lives.” The ISOCELL GW1 supports real-time high dynamic range (HDR) of up to 100-decibels (dB) that is said to provide richer hues. In comparison, the dynamic range of a conventional image sensor is at around 60dB, while that of the human eye is typically considered to be around 120dB. In video, the new GW1 sensor can capture full HD video at up to 480fps for super smooth slow-motion video recording. The Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 are currently sampling and are expected to be in mass production in the second half of this year. That means we could see many late-2019 and early-2020 handsets ship with the Samsung sensor packed inside. More on Samsung: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: