Samsung And Xiaomi Plan To Give Smartphones A 108-Megapixel Camera

Aadhya Khatri - Aug 13, 2019, 8:54 am IST

According to Samsung, the 108 megapixels mean taking photos with 27 megapixels and capturing 6K video at 30 fps without the field of view cropping

For photographers, the consensus is that megapixels do not matter and most users now are happy with the 8-megapixels on their phones. However, that does not stop Xiaomi and Samsung from trying to squeeze 108 megapixels to their upcoming smartphones.

Samsung-108mp-Xiaomi — Samsung and Xiaomi will start making their 108-megapixel sensor later this month

The Isocell Bright HMX does not mean a large number of megapixel count alone; the size of the sensor will also be huge compared to what we currently see on smartphones. This size should bring users a better performance in low light and shallower depth of field. So far, the sensors with the biggest size are on Huawei’s P30 Pro, measuring 1/1.7 inches and packing 40MP. So if this technology makes it to reality, we will have an even larger sensor than those of the P30 Pro.

Here is what Lin Bin, president and co-founder of Xiaomi, said about the collaboration with Samsung:

“For ISOCELL Bright HMX, Xiaomi and Samsung have worked closely together from the early conceptual stage to production that has resulted in a groundbreaking 108Mp image sensor. 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.”

While it is true that most people do not need more than 8-12 megapixels, high resolution on camera phones does have its advantage. On smartphones, like the P30 Pro, 40 megapixels can be translated to images with 10 megapixels. According to Samsung, the 108 megapixels mean photos with 27 megapixels.

Photos are not the only department that will benefit from higher resolution. Samsung said that its new sensor would allow users to record 6K video at 30 fps without the field of view cropping. However, the company revealed nothing about how the frame rates would be at lower resolutions.

The new sensor will be mass-produced later this month, so all we need now is an actual phone to carry it.