Samsung unveils new high-end image sensor for smartphones

Samsung Electronics unveiled Tuesday its latest 200-megapixel image sensor, the Isocell HP2, with significantly improved resolution and upgraded picture quality for premium smartphones.

The new image sensor packs 200 million 0.6-micrometer pixels in a 1/1.3-inch optical format, a sensor size that is widely used in 108MP main smartphone cameras, according to Samsung. This enables the latest high-end smartphones to create higher resolutions, while minimizing the camera bumps on the devices.

“The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 harnesses Samsung’s high-resolution image sensor technologies and know-how at the cutting edge for epic details,” said Yim Joon-seo, executive vice president of Samsung's sensor business team.

“Our leadership comes from innovative pixel technologies that allow our sensors to go beyond the number and size of pixels. We will continue to open new horizons and solidify our presence in the expanding ultra-high-resolution sensor market.”

The new product facilitates Samsung’s latest Dual Vertical Transfer Gate technology -- the industry’s first -- which significantly reduces the washing out effect in pictures taken in brightly lit environments, Samsung said.

In a photo diode within each pixel, a voltage transfer gate is placed on the bottom to transport electrons from the pixels to the logic layer. With high precision, D-VTG adds a second transfer gate in the pixel, boosting the pixel’s full-well capacity by more than 33 percent, Samsung explained.

With more electrons stored and efficient signal transfers, this method can reduce overexposure and enhance color reproduction, especially in bright light conditions, Samsung said.

Advanced pixel-binning technology, Tetra2pixel, has also been applied in HP2 to add more versatility to the camera as it simulates different pixel sizes to accommodate varying lighting levels, the tech giant said.

With the technology, it enhances the image quality when taken in low-lit environments, and also when filming high-resolution 8K videos, the company added.

For superb HDR performance, Samsung is introducing the DSG feature for the first time in 50MP mode, which applies two separate conversion values to the analog signal received at the pixel level.

In addition, the Smart-ISO Pro, an HDR solution that merges different levels of ISO readouts from a single exposure, is used to allow the camera to take 12.5MP images and 4K at 60 frames-per-second video in HDR.

The company has kicked off mass production of the ISOCELL HP2, Samsung said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)