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Samsung Will Launch A New Camera Sensor Later This Week

Samsung Will Launch A New Camera Sensor Later This Week

By Sumit Adhikari
June 08, 2021

Samsung is preparing to launch a new ISOCELL camera sensor later this week, on June 10th. The company has posted a teaser for the new camera hardware on Twitter.

“ISOCELL for everyone. You deserve an awesome camera,” the caption reads, suggesting that the new sensor is meant for lower-cost phones. Samsung, of course, doesn’t go into details but rumors have it that we will see a new <0.7μm 50-megapixel camera from the company.

Samsung has already launched a 50-megapixel camera this year, the  ISOCELL GN2. It’s a big 1/1.12-inch sensor that features large 1.4μm-sized pixels. It also boasts tons of improvements over its predecessor, the ISOCELL GN1. Samsung is claiming improved auto-focusing through Dual Pixel Pro technology, powerful staggered HDR, improved dynamic range through Smart ISO Pro, 4K slo-mo video recording at 120fps, and much more. The ISOCELL GN2 can also take up to 100-megapixel images.

It appears the company is now looking to introduce a smaller version of this camera sensor (remember, the ISOCELL GN2 has 1.4μm-sized pixels while the upcoming hardware is said to have 0.7μm-sized pixels). But that’s surely not it. Or, is it? We’ll know soon.

Smaller pixel sizes would allow for higher megapixel cameras on thin and light phones. But Samsung’s primary aim here is likely to introduce better-performing cameras for lower-cost phones. The new sensor should build on the ISOCELL GN2 to bring improved autofocus, better low-light photography, enhanced ISO gains, and several other improvements to the table, so entry-level and mid-range smartphones could also deliver a superior camera performance.

Samsung continues to make big strides in camera hardware development

Smartphone cameras have come a long way over the past few years. It’s now one of the major points of differentiation between two devices. While the megapixel count still matters, there has been a growing focus on image quality as well.

Samsung, which is one of the biggest names in this industry, has made significant improvements to its camera hardware in recent years. The Korean firm has been the first to many camera hardware milestones over the past couple of years. In May 2019, the company introduced the world’s first 64-megapixel camera for smartphones and then followed it with an even larger 108-megapixel sensor later that year.

These advancements mean Samsung has closed the gap on Sony in the smartphone camera sensor market. The Japanese company still captures a lion’s share but the Korean behemoth is slowly eating out of it, thanks to the improved performance of its camera. It is now preparing to introduce one more smartphone camera later this week. It will be interesting to see what the company has in store this time around.