Samsung is not out of the ToF (Time of Flight) sensor segment. Because it has now revealed a new ISOCELL Vizion 33D ToF camera sensor for smartphones.
Earlier, it looked like Samsung was completely out of the ToF sensor game. And the major player that remained in the segment was Sony. However, things change with the new Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 33D sensor.
The name itself signifies the powerful depth-sensing capabilities. Moreover, the company claims that this ISOCELL Vizion 33D ToF sensor has been optimized and built to provide best-in-class photography and AR/VR experiences.
On top of all this, 3D scanning and video bokeh effect, which is now a popular trend among new smartphones, will also be taken up to a new level with this new Samsung ToF sensor.
Talking about the new features of this ToF sensor, the ISOCELL Vizion 33D ToF sensor has the capability of tracking moving objects. The latency is pretty low due to the 4-tap demodulation system and 120fps support.
For the unaware, the 4-tap demodulation allows each pixel on the sensor to grab four-phase signals simultaneously at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees. Ultimately, this will improve the depth-sensing capabilities.
Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 33D ToF sensor has low power requirements and brilliant autofocus
As this new Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 33D ToF sensor has low power requirements. But that does not mean that the capabilities of the ToF sensor have been compromised.
In fact, the new sensor has brilliant autofocus. Although it is unclear whether the upcoming Galaxy S21 will be equipped with this ISOCELL Vizion 33D or not, it has been developed for multiple applications.
And one of them is usage in mobile phones. Since it requires low power, it could be a great fit for the mobile camera sensor. To give you some numbers, it has a total power consumption of 400mW.
Notably, this includes both IR illumination and the ToF sensor. The brilliant autofocus capabilities could also be used to enhance the main or primary sensor’s autofocus.
The ISOCELL Vizion 33D has a high-resolution sensor of 640 by 480, 7um pixels, and a distance range of 0.2-5.0 meters. Some other technical terms include the usage of Deep Trench Isolation (DTI) and Backside Scattering Technology (BST).
These are meant to reduce pixel crosstalk, and enhance the ToF sensor’s quantum efficiency, respectively. Besides, this ToF sensor would help in an accurate and fast 3D face recognition system.
This drops a major bomb on Samsung’s thought process. Because it suggests that Samsung may be considering putting this ISOCELL Vision 33D as a face authentication sensor on its future Galaxy phones. And here comes into the picture, the Galaxy S21.
