If you want a smartphone with a great camera phone, the choices are wide and varied. But if you want the truly best-of-the-best, the options are a bit narrower. Samsung ruled that roost for quite some time, but now there’s some extra hot competition from Google’s Pixel 2 range. Samsung – clearly unimpressed with being knocked off – are back to impress, with new technology announced today.
In particular, Samsung has announced a new camera sensor based on their ISOCELL technology via their website, and it’s likely it will reach the Galaxy S9 range, giving Samsung the chance to reclaim the “best mobile camera” crown.
The new ISOCELL sensor allows for “slimmer mobile devices to offer ultimate camera performance with rich detail, vivid colour and accurate focus”. It does this with a new dual pixel, Super PD (phase detection) sensor which has a 3-stack FRS (fast readout sensor) which enables high-speed captures at full HD (1080P) video and super slow motion recording at 480 frames per second.
The new sensor is just 0.9um thick — human hair, at its minimum, is usually around 17um. This means we can expect really, really slim devices with this technology built in. The ISOCELL sensor offers “the highest quality images ever built on a smaller camera module”. The new dual sensor provides for optical zoom, low light shooting, and depth sensing for out-focusing effects (ie. portrait mode or bokeh effect), all with a greater light sensitivity according to Samsung.
In a nutshell, its a better sensor in a smaller package. It gives better low light performance, better fast moving subject image resolution, better auto-focusing as swell as out of focusing (portrait mode) and yet can be placed in a phone which is thinner than before.
It would be very strange timing for Samsung to release this now and not include this in the new Galaxy S9 series. We are all looking forward to seeing what Samsung bring to the table with the new Galaxy S9, especially after the rave reviews we all gave the Note 8 (yes, even me).
We will be on the ground in Barcelona at MWC getting up close and personal with the new Samsung flagship in just a few weeks time so stay tuned to Ausdroid for all the latest on Samsung’s new phone.
