- Last week Samsung confirmed that it would be hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event on 1st February.
- The new Galaxy S23 series is expected at the event, with leaked images of the Ultra model already surfacing.
- Now Samsung has revealed a new 200MP sensor which may feature on the S23 Ultra.
We are nearing 1st February, which is when Samsung plans to host its first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2023. At the event, the South Korean company is expected to reveal its new Galaxy S23 series, with leaked images already surfacing for the devices, including the S23 Ultra.
Now Samsung has unveiled a new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor, which many believe will feature in said S23 Ultra.
This is unconfirmed at the time of writing, but reports already suggest the S23 Ultra will feature a 200MP primary sensor, and a press statement on the ISOCELL HP2 says it is already in “mass production”. Yes, Samsung could be sharing this sensor with other companies, but seeing as it is a flagship piece of technology, it will probably want first crack at it for one of its own top tier devices.
As for what the ISOCELL HP2 can do, outside of the massive amount of megapixels on offer, Samsung says it is capable of better handling different photography environments, as well as delivering sharper 8K video recording.
“With Samsung’s advanced pixel-binning technology, Tetra2pixel, the HP2 adds more versatility to the camera as it simulates different pixel sizes to accommodate varying lighting levels. When in low-lit environments, the sensor transforms either into a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP image sensor by binding four to 16 neighboring pixels,” notes Samsung.
“For fuller 8K video, approximately at 33MP, the HP2 switches to 1.2μm 50MP mode to minimize cropping and capture more of the scene. Filming 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps), a wide field of view along with bigger pixel size can produce sharp cinematic videos,” it adds.
Added to this is Super QPD, which is the system in place for auto focusing in low light environments, along with the Smart-ISO Pro. The latter, “merges different levels of ISO readouts from a single exposure, allows the camera to take 12.5MP images and 4K at 60fps video in HDR,” the company points out.
As such, it looks like Samsung has thrown everything it can at this new sensor. How this translates to actual performance will be interesting to see, especially as the S22 Ultra proved so impressive.
