The day is finally here as Samsung has just announced the ISOCELL HP2, its third 200-megapixel sensor. The same sensor will power the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra, and if Samsung's claims are anything to go by, we are looking at a much better image and video quality.
Sadly, the ISOCELL HP2 is still not a 1-inch sensor. You are looking at a 1/1.3-inch sensor with 0.6-micro pixels. This means the sensor is smaller than the ISOCELL HP1 launched two years ago.
Samsung's latest ISOCELL HP2 is a powerhouse sensor despite being smaller than its predecessor
However, Samsung is still a proponent that the ISOCELL HP2 will do a lot of stuff that the previous generation camera cannot. For starters, you are getting D-VTG (Dual Vertical Transfer Gate) technology which will allow every pixel to have a boosted capacity by over 33%. What does this mean for the user? This will result in enhanced colors and mitigation in case of overexposure in images and videos, and the brighter scenes will look much better.
Moving on, the new ISOCELL HP2 also brings Samsung's TetraPixel binning technology, allowing the sensor to take 50-megapixel pictures with 1.2μm pixels and 12.5-megapixel images with 2.4μm pixels. As expected, the sensor is also capable of 8K/30FPS video recording, but this time, you will get a wider field of view if you shoot in the 50-megapixel mode.
Moreover, the ISOCELL HP2 by Samsung also brings better autofocus, especially in low-light conditions. This is done because of brand-new autofocusing technology called Super QPD. This technology manages to use all 200 million pixels for focusing.
In addition to that, four adjacent pixels on the sensor are combined. This allows an easier time recognizing horizontal and vertical pattern changes in dimmer conditions. Furthermore, the new ISOCELL HP2 is also capable of taking fifteen 200-megapixel images in just one second, becoming one of the fastest sensors in the market.
Moving on to HDR, the Samsung ISOCELL HP2 brings DSG technology. For those familiar with photography, this technique allows the sensor to capture short and long exposures at the same time. You are also getting Smart ISO Pro, which will let Galaxy S23 Ultra users capture 12.5 images along with 4K/60FPS HDR videos together.
This is what JoonSeo Yim, Executive Vice President of the Sensor Business Team at Samsung, had to say:
“The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 harnesses Samsung’s high-resolution image sensor technologies and know-how at the cutting edge for epic details. Our leadership comes from innovative pixel technologies that allow our sensors to go beyond the number and size of pixels. We will continue to open new horizons and solidify our presence in the expanding ultra-high-resolution sensor market.”
Samsung has also claimed that the ISOCELL HP2 is now being mass-produced, which means that when the Galaxy S23 Ultra launches next month, it will be packing this latest sensor.
You can read the full press release here.
