Samsung will unveil its Galaxy S20 series next month. The phones have been massively touted for their potential camera prowess, with the S20 Ultra, in particular, set to debut a new, powerful 108 MP. That sensor will be exclusive to the S20 Ultra, which appeared to leave the S20 and S20+ in the lurch. Thankfully, there's good news.
According to popular leakster Ice Universe, while the S20 and S20+ will not sport that massive 1/1.3" 108 MP sensor, the phones will still feature new camera hardware. The S20 and S20+ will apparently have a 12 MP main sensor. That's the same resolution as the sensors on previous Galaxy flagships, but there's a major difference. The new 12 MP sensor will have a pixel size of 1.8μm.
For some perspective, the regular 12 MP sensors favored by Google, Samsung, Apple, and LG have a 1.4μm pixel size. Even the 48 MP and 64 MP sensors that became popular last year only managed to achieve a 1.6μm pixel size using quad-bayer technology. This new sensor outperforms those, without resorting to any pixel-merging technique and the disadvantage it could introduce.
It doesn't quite have the marketing impact a 108 MP sensor offers, but this new sensor outperforms most of the competition. Some quick math gives a sensor size in the region of 1/1.8", which is a lot bigger than the 1/2.55" sensors on the S10 and Note 10 phones. About twice the size, to be exact. This is a tangible improvement in hardware, regardless of the unchanged resolution.
If you think it is not powerful, it is a very stupid and naive opinion. Samsung has used 12MP 1.4μm for 4 years and it is still very powerful. Now from 1.4 to 1.8, it will only be more powerful, and it will be significantly better than Note10 +.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) January 11, 2020