Last year, Samsung released a new 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN1 camera sensor for smartphones, promising camera output of up to 100-megapixel. While we are yet to see a smartphone in India using this sensor, the company has now released an updated version of this sensor. The new version is called the ISOCELL GN2 and it still has a pixel-binned rated output of 50-megapixel. Samsung says the new sensor is already in mass production.
The ISOCELL GN2 employs a Dual Pixel Pro technology that allows for improved autofocus performance. There’s improved HDR performance with a staggered-HDR feature while Smart ISO helps with improved dynamic ranges. The sensor itself measures 1/1.12-inches with 1.4um pixels onboard. Samsung’s party trick of 100-megapixel rated output is present as well from the previous GN1 sensor.
Samsung ISOCELL GN2 sensor announced
“ISOCELL image sensors and its technologies have made vast improvements to deliver the quality and performance one would expect from top-tier prograde cameras,” said Duckhyun Chang, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “Our new ISOCELL GN2 features Dual Pixel Pro, an innovative all-direction auto-focusing solution that elevates the agility to capture moments as they unfold. Adding on Smart ISO Pro and a variety of advanced pixel technologies, pictures from GN2 are more true-to-life than ever.”
Representative Image: Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
The staggered-HDR feature is said to help during mixed-light environments, i.e., during sunsets or indoor lighting. In Samsung’s words, it is basically “time-multiplexed HDR technology that uses rolling shutters over the same pixel arrays to capture multiple frames in short, middle, and long exposures.” This system allows for power efficiency improvements up to 24 percent compared to the previous generation sensor.
The GN2 sensor also gets Smart ISO and Smart ISO Pro. The Smart ISO feature is all about taking photos in optimal ISO while the Smart ISO Pro takes readouts from both high and low ISO to create high dynamic range images with fewer motion-artifacts. The latter also allows for high light sensitivity close to one-million ISOs, which means we could see improved nighttime photography performance. For videos, the GN2 sensor supports 1080p videos at 480 fps and 4K at 120fps.
Samsung is yet to announce its partners employing the GN2 sensor. Given the higher performance promises, we could expect many Samsung midrange as well as high-end smartphones to rely on the new sensor. The image sensor is already in mass production.
from Samsung 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN2 camera sensor announced with 4K at 120fps video recording
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