Samsung unveils 108MP mobile camera: Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 snapper could be ‘DSLR-level’
Samsung has revealed a wealth of fresh info on its hotly anticipated 108-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor ahead of its commercial launch on Xiaomi’s “next” phone.
Samsung revealed the details in a press release on Monday, following a soft unveiling by Xiaomi last week. The camera sensor was developed in partnership with Xiaomi, which claims it is the first mobile camera to offer “a resolution equivalent to” a high-end DSLR camera.
“We are very pleased that picture resolutions previously available only in a few top-tier DSLR cameras can now be designed into smartphones. As we continue our partnership, we anticipate bringing not only new mobile camera experiences but also a platform through which our users can create unique content,” said Xiaomi co-founder and president Lin Bin.
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Samsung executive vice president of sensor business Yongin Park added that the high resolution and advanced image processing tech will let it capture significantly more realistic photos than competing camera phones.
“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,” he said.
This will largely be informed by how phone makers setup the sensor, but it would be a positive move if Samsung took the approach with its own phones, which tend to over process photos in our humble opinion.
Samsung claims the 1/1.33-inch sensor is the largest seen in a phone and be capable of shooting lossless 6K video in 30fps (frames per second).
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In low light the sensor won’t capture 108-megapixel shots. Instead it will use pixel-merging Tetracell technology to create “brighter” 27-megapixel images.
Samsung’s existing 64-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HMX uses the same process. We haven’t tested the 64-megapixel sensor yet but Xiaomi and Redme are both confirmed to be working on phones with it.
Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed which phone will use the sensor, though rumours suggest it could appear in the Xiaomi Mi Mix 4. The 108-megapixel sensor enters production later this month.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
