Samsung Unveils 200MP Camera Sensor Rumoured for the Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung has pulled the curtains back on the 200MP camera sensor that's likely to appear on the soon-to-be-launched Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Credit: Samsung

Dubbed the ISOCELL HP2, the sensor packs 200 million 0.6 micrometres (μm) pixels in a 1/1.3” optical format, a sensor size that's commonly used in 108MP smartphone cameras. The configuration, as Samsung touts, would allow the sensor to capture high-resolution images without having a large camera bump sticking out of the device.

“The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 harnesses Samsung’s high-resolution image sensor technologies and know-how at the cutting edge for epic details,” said JoonSeo Yim, Executive Vice President of Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “Our leadership comes from innovative pixel technologies that allow our sensors to go beyond the number and size of pixels."

One such technology is advanced pixel-binning, which increases light sensitivity by joining multiple pixels together. When shooting in low-light environments, the HP2 can, for instance, transform either into a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP sensor by combining four to 16 neighbouring pixels. Samsung says this allows the sensor to be more versatile, accommodating a wide range of light levels. It can also shoot up to 8K 30fps video in 50MP mode to reduce cropping while maintaining bigger pixel sizes for sharper video. The Galaxy S22's sensor is also capable of shooting 8K video but it capped the frame rate at 24fps.

S22 Ultra. Credit: Samsung

In brightly lit environments, the HP2 uses new Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology, which minimizes the chances of getting washed-out images. The technology increases the number of electrodes stored in each photodiode and makes signal transfer more efficient to prevent overexposure and enhance colour reproduction.

Samsung says it's also bringing the DSG feature for the first time in 50MP mode to improve HDR performance. It allows the camera to snap 12.5MP images and 4K at 60fps video in HDR.

The HP 2 sensor is reportedly already in mass production, further fueling the rumours that it'll appear on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung is slated to reveal the flagship Galaxy S23 line at its first Unpacked launch event this year on 1 February.

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• Samsung has pulled the curtains back on the 200MP camera sensor that's likely to appear on the soon-to-be-launched Galaxy S23 Ultra.

• Dubbed the ISOCELL HP2, the sensor packs 200 million 0.6 micrometres (μm) pixels in a 1/1.3” optical format, a sensor size that's commonly used in 108MP smartphone cameras.

• It is reportedly already in mass production, further fueling the rumours that it'll appear on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.