The challenge to the last cameraphone no longer passes through the muscular MegaPixels: now smartphone manufacturers want bigger and bigger photo sensors.
Also in 2021 the challenge between top of the range smartphones will be above all a challenge between photo sensors. After the announcement of the Samsung ISOCELL GN2, which should equip the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, now come rumors about the Sony IMX800, which should instead be the main sensor of Huawei P50.
While the former has a size of 1/1.12 inches and 50 MP resolution, the latter should be the world’s first 1-inch, also at 50 MP. On the Sony IMX800, however, at the moment we are only leaks and not yet official statements. Leak according to which the new photo sensor will arrive in April, more or less when the release of the new P50 range of Huawei is expected. The only thing that’s certain is that Huawei has always been among the most photo-conscious smartphone manufacturers, so much so that all of its previous P-series models have been considered excellent cameraphones over the years.
What’s the point of a big sensor
As with SLR and mirrorless digital cameras, the bigger the sensor on smartphones the better (all other factors being equal, of course). A very large sensor, in fact, can be hit by a lot of light and that means it will take better photos.
Not just in low light or at night, but all the time. It also happens with the zoom and wide-angle lenses of cameras: the former restrict the area from which light can enter, and make photos less rich, while the latter are bright.
Why the new sensors have less MP
The resolution of a camera is measured in MegaPixels (MP), which tell us how many pixels the image taken consists of: 1 MegaPixel is 1 million pixels. Net of artificial intelligence wizardry, however, every pixel in the photo must correspond to a pixel in the sensor: pixels can’t be invented, either they’re there or they’re not.
The new large sensors from Sony and Samsung, however, have about half the pixels of the 108 MP Samsung HMX integrated into many top of the range 2021 not expressly dedicated to photography. But why is a less MegaPixel sensor better on a cameraphone?
For two reasons: the first is that the sensors are bigger because the pixels are also bigger (again, to capture more light), and the second is because, really, you don’t need that many MPs to take great photos. A larger, brighter 50 MP sensor accompanied by better optics than a 108 MP one will certainly take better photos.