More details about Samsung‘s 200MP camera for the Galaxy S23 Ultra have emerged and you may not like it. The upcoming flagship will reportedly lack 50MP mode. If the full 200MP resolution is overkill for you, or you don’t want huge image files eating up your storage, you will only have the option to capture 12.5MP resolution images. There will be no middle ground, noted tipster Ice Universe claims.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera may lack a 50MP mode
The Galaxy S23 is long rumored to feature an unannounced ISOCELL HP2 200MP image sensor from Samsung. It will be the company’s third 200MP solution. The first-gen sensor (ISOCELL HP1) has already appeared in a couple of smartphones from Motorola and Xiaomi. The second-gen solution (ISOCELL HP3) is yet to make its debut. These two 200MP cameras vary in pixel size, and effectively, sensor size. The former has 0.64μm pixels and measures 1/1.22-inch diagonally, whereas the latter has 0.56μm pixels and measures 1/1.4-inch.
Rumors are that the HP2 will slot in between the two with 0.60μm pixels and a footprint of about 1/1.3 inches. Of course, it will be Samsung’s most advanced 200MP camera sensor, so we should be getting improved picture quality. However, the latest rumor suggests a massive letdown. The Korean firm will reportedly only offer 4×4 pixel binning (merging 16 neighboring pixels) to convert it into a 12.5MP sensor. The other two solutions also offer 2×2 pixel binning to produce 50MP images.
It’s pertinent to mention here that megapixels don’t necessarily define image quality. A 12MP camera can produce better images than a 200MP solution if the camera software, processing, and algorithms are right. 200MP is likely overkill anyways. The pixels are too small and struggle in low-light conditions, forcing you to use pixel binning and fall back to lower resolutions. And, then there’s the problem of huge image files. Of course, there are some benefits too, such as less pixelation on zooming in. But, Samsung would have done well to offer a 50MP mode on the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP sensor. It gives users options to play around.
There’s still time to fix this if Samsung wants
Samsung is likely in the early stages of Galaxy S23 development. The company is expected to unveil its next-gen flagships in late January or early February next year. That’s plenty of time to make changes and enable 2×2 pixel binning on the ISOCELL HP2 for 50MP shots. We should come across more leaks and rumors about the upcoming Samsung smartphones in the build-up to their launch. We will keep you posted.