New 64Mp sensor for mobiles

Isocell Bright GW1. © Samsung.

Last July, Sony introduced its 48-megapixel sensor for smartphones, the IMX586, which was already pretty impressive. On Thursday, Samsung responded with its 64-megapixel sensor, the Isocell Bright GW1. This means that it is more powerful than the highest-quality traditional cameras, like the Nikon D850 (45.7Mp), the Sony a7R III (42.4Mp) or the Canon EOS 5DS (50.6Mp). But it comes with a technological trick similar to Sony’s: in bright settings, you’ll get a 64Mp image, whereas in low-light conditions, the technology merges 4 pixels into one, producing a 16Mp image (which is still better than Sony’s 12Mp). Samsung’s Isocell Bright GW1 sensor should start being mass-produced in the second half of 2019. We don’t know when we’ll start seeing it in our phones, but Samsung will probably feature it in its next-generation Galaxy devices (the Note 10, in August or September 2019, and the S11, in February or March 2020).

⇨ Samsung Newsroom, “Samsung to Bring Industry’s Highest Resolution for Mobile Cameras with New 64Mp ISOCELL Image Sensor.”

⇨ Engadget, “Samsung sensor paves the way for 64-megapixel smartphone cameras.”