Rumor | Samsung may launch 150 MP mobile sensors by Q4 2020

The 108 MP sensors have barely hit the market, yet Samsung is rumored to already be working on improved versions with even more pixels. Korean insider sources report that smartphone OEMs like Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo are looking to include more sophisticated cameras in their upcoming flagship models, and have asked Samsung to develop 200 MP sensors. Due to current production limitations that lead to poor yields, Samsung is apparently unable to deliver the 200 MP sensors in the time-frame desired by the Chinese OEMs and will instead supply 150 MP sensors by Q4 2020.

Since these new sensors are specifically designed for handheld devices, Samsung will continue to implement its proprietary nonacell technology that allows for better image quality in low light conditions. To help prevent possible brightness problems, the upcoming sensors will also get a wider effective area of 1 inch. The pixel binning factor will be maintained at 1:9 so the final resolution will be close to 16 MP.

Xiaomi is rumored to be the first to implement the 150 MP sensors on a few flagships in late 2020, while OPPO and Vivo may wait a bit longer so they can combine the new sensors with the power of the upcoming Snapdragon 875 SoC in early 2021. Even though Samsung is the company producing the sensors, it usually does not come up with early implementations. However, this year, we may actually see the new 150 MP sensors up and running on the Note 20 phablets, even before Xiaomi’s flagships that are supposed to launch in November. Provided that the coronavirus does not further mess with the launch schedules, that is.