Samsung Introduces New Image Sensors to Improve Smartphone Photography

Samsung Electronics has unveiled three new mobile image sensors, the ISOCELL HP9, ISOCELL GNJ, and ISOCELL JN5, which are tailored for smartphones' primary and secondary cameras.

Samsung's latest sensors promise to address the escalating demands for enhanced smartphone camera capabilities and redefine mobile photography standards across diverse scenarios.

Jesuk Lee, Executive Vice President and CTO of Samsung Electronics' System LSI Sensor Business Team, highlighted the industry's pivot towards seamlessly integrating main and sub cameras to ensure a cohesive photography experience. Samsung aims to pioneer these advancements through its new sensor lineup.

The ISOCELL HP9 of Samsung

The ISOCELL HP9 boasts the industry's first 200MP telephoto sensor for smartphones, incorporating 200 million 0.56-micrometer pixels within a 1/1.4-inch optical format.

Samsung claimed that its advanced microlens technology significantly improves light absorption, resulting in vibrant color reproduction and enhanced focus.

With a focus on low-light performance, the HP9 employs Tetrapixel technology to merge 16 pixels into a larger sensor, facilitating sharp portrait photography and pronounced bokeh effects.

Samsung further noted that the HP9's expansive optical format positions it ideally for telephoto modules, delivering comparable image quality, autofocus capabilities, HDR, and frame rates in response to the growing size of main cameras in premium smartphones.

All About The ISOCELL GNJ

On the other hand, the ISOCELL GNJ is a dual-pixel sensor equipped with 50 million 1.0-micrometer pixels. Samsung designed the sensor to excel in fast and precise autofocus akin to human eye capabilities.

Enhanced by an in-sensor zoom feature, the GNJ ensures clear video footage and artifact-free high-resolution images. Its upgraded anti-refractive and pixel isolation technologies further improve light transmission, reduce unwanted reflections, and minimize pixel interference for detailed image capture.

The ISOCELL JN5 of Samsung

Finally, the ISOCELL JN5 integrates 50 million 0.64-micrometer pixels within a 1/2.76-inch optical format, incorporating Dual VTG technology for improved charge transfer and reduced noise in low-light conditions.

By utilizing Super QPD for phase detection, the JN5 achieves accurate focus even when capturing fast-moving subjects. Additionally, the JN5 integrates dual slope gain (DSG) technology to enhance its HDR capabilities.

This approach enhances analog light information by entering the pixels into two separate signals, which are then converted into digital format and combined into a single dataset. According to Samsung, this process effectively broadens the range of colors that the sensor can reproduce.

Samsung noted that by implementing hardware remosaic algorithms, the camera achieves faster shooting speeds and enables real-time zoom functionality in both preview and capture modes, ensuring minimal delay.

Furthermore, the JN5's slim optical format enhances its versatility, enabling seamless integration across main and sub-cameras, such as wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, front-facing, and telephoto lenses.

"Enhancing image sensor performance and bridging the gap between main and sub cameras to offer a consistent photography experience across all angles is the new direction of the industry," Lee said in a press release.