Samsung has developed a new image sensor for mobile camera modules. The ISOCELL GN1 of type 1/1.31" features both dual pixel focus and Tetracell technology, in which four sensor pixels are combined into one to achieve a higher light yield. From the effective sensor resolution of 50MP with a native pixel size of 1.2μm photos with 12.5MP are then calculated (with 2.4μm pixels). The principle is not new (even for Samsung), but is already widely used in mobile phone cameras.
For the dual pixel autofocus, 100 million phase detection units, two per pixel, are integrated. According to Samsung, the automatic focus should be correspondingly fast and sensitive, even in poor lighting conditions.
The ISOCELL GN1 supports video recording in 8K at up to 30fps, and according to the specifications, slow motion at up to 240fps is possible in FullHD. Other features include Smart ISO, which determines the optimum ISO for a shooting situation, HDR and electronic image stabilisation based on gyro data.
The sensor is already in mass production and will probably appear in the first smartphones soon.
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