Samsung has just announced the world’s first mobile camera sensor that goes beyond 100MP. The Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX is a 108MP sensor for smartphones that comes as a result of a close collaboration between Xiaomi. This partnership isn’t entirely surprising given that these two companies recently came together for Xiaomi’s 64MP smartphone that incorporates Samsung’s 64MP ISOCELL GW1 sensor inside.
Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX will still be a 0.8um image sensor as its 64MP offering but increases the sensor size to a staggering 1/1.33″, a first for a smartphone camera. This helps it churn out large 12032 x 9024-pixel resolution photos, comparable to high-end DSLRs. The large sensor size helps HMX to absorb more light in low-lit conditions. Further, Smart-ISO helps the sensor intelligently select the right ISO to match the needs of the environment. The HMX sensor is using Samsung’s Tetracell and ISOCELL Plus technologies, so it will be able to generate bright, big-pixel 27MP images. The sensor also supports 6K (6016 x 3384 pixels) video recording at 30 fps.
“Samsung is continuously pushing for innovations in pixel and logic technologies to engineer our ISOCELL image sensors to capture the world as close to how our eyes perceive them,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “Through close collaboration with Xiaomi, ISOCELL Bright HMX is the first mobile image sensor to pack over 100 million pixels and delivers unparalleled color reproduction and stunning detail with advanced Tetracell and ISOCELL Plus technology.”
Now that it’s confirmed that Xiaomi will be the first to use this sensor, it’s said that the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 will likely be the first smartphone to feature a 108MP camera sensor. Mass production will kick off later this month, which means it won’t be long until we see the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor inside smartphones.
