Samsung unveils the 200 MP ISOCELL HP1 and the 50 MP ISOCELL GN5 cameras for flagships

A few hours ago, Samsung debuted its most impressive smartphone cameras sensors yet. The South Korean company unveiled the 200 MP ISOCELL HP1 and the 50 MP ISOCELL GN5, two new flagship CMOS sensors that will see wide use on the very most premium smartphones on the market.

The ISOCELL HP1 is the world's first 200 MP CMOS sensor. It features a native 0.64 μm pixel size thanks to a huge 1/1.22-inch sensor size but can use either 4-in-1 or 16-in-1 pixel binning for merging pixels thanks to Samsung's all-new ChameleonCell technology. According to Samsung, this technology allows the HP1 to output 12.5 MP images with a 2.56 μm pixel size in low light, a 50 MP image with a 1.28 μm pixel size in brighter-lit conditions, or a 200 MP 0.64 μm image in very bright environments.

The ISOCELL GN5 is a 50 MP sensor with a 1.0 μm native pixel size and a 1/1.57-inch sensor size. It succeeds the ISOCELL GN2 that debuted last year, skipping the GN3 and GN4 entirely. Like its predecessor, it's able to use two-by-two binning to output 12.5 MP 2.0 μm images. The GN5 uses "one million phase-detecting multi-directional photodiodes" for better autofocus and sharper images in challenging shooting conditions. The GN5 also uses Samsung's proprietary Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI) for better light absorption and reduced pixel crosstalk.

Both sensors offer 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps, and FHD@240fps video recording. We expect these two new sensors to debut on the next generation of premium phones, with the Xiaomi 12 tipped to get the 200 MP HP1, while the Xiaomi 12 Ultra could get the 50 MP GN5. 

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