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Nine months after unveiling the first 200-megapixel photo sensor, the HP1, Samsung is back with a second version, the HP3. Promising increased possibilities, it could officiate in a smartphone by the end of 2022.
While we are still waiting for the first smartphones equipped with a 200 megapixel photo sensor, Samsung is continuing its progress in the field by unveiling its Isocell HP3, the logical successor to… the Isocell HP1, unveiled in September 2021 .
Samsung’s new sensor has smaller pixels than the HP1. The HP3 goes to 0.56 μm against 0.64 μm on the previous model – a reduction of 12%. For the size, the firm announces a sensor measuring 1/1.4 inch, which should allow manufacturers to offer ever thinner smartphones and thus limit photo islands that are too thick, as is often the case on certain models. . Compared to the Isocell HP1, Samsung promises a 20% reduction in size.
The Isocell HP3 can capture 8K video at 30 frames per second or 4K at 120 fps with minimal loss of definition in the background. With the addition of Super-QPD technology, which enables faster and more precise focusing, your videos should look even better.
The Isocell HP3 is the second sensor from Samsung to offer a definition of 200 megapixels. © Samsung
A unique pixel binning
With the arrival of its new sensor, Samsung is launching the “Tetra²pixel” technology. A new kind of pixel binning which comes as far as merging 16 pixels into one to deliver 12.5 megapixel definition and a combined pixel size of 2.24μm. At 50 megapixels, the pixel size drops to 1.12 μm.
According to the South Korean firm, this new technology would offer an even better low-light experience than usual. The automatic increase in sensitivity will be better managed thanks to the Smart-ISO functionality. In addition, it allows the sensor to manage 4 trillion colors, for an ever more faithful rendering of images.