The 108 MP sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S11+ won't be the same one on the Mi Note 10

Samsung is billed to launch the Galaxy S11 phones in February. They're looking like they'll be one of the most radical Galaxy S releases in recent times, and a big reason for that is the camera hardware Samsung plans on debuting on the phones. 

According to popular leakster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S11+ will feature a massive 108 MP sensor. The sensor will have a physical size of 1/1.3", which makes much bigger than most other sensors in the market. Huawei's smartphone cameras truly became competitive when the company adopted the huge Sony IMX600 (1/1.7"), but this sensor is a lot bigger than that one.

We've already seen a 108 MP Samsung sensor on the Mi Note 10. It performs excellently and has played no small part in the Xiaomi device being rated as one of the best camera phones out there right now. However, the 108 MP sensor on the Galaxy S11+ will not be the same ISOCELL Bright HMX on the Mi Note 10.

We're inclined to believe that the new 108 MP sensor is pixel-binned differently, perhaps with some DRAM improvements? The ISOCELL Bright on the Mi Note 10 uses Tetracell technology to combine pixels in a 2x2 quadrant, yielding 27 MP images on a real-world pixel size of 1.6μm. There's a chance the 108 MP sensor on the S11+ uses 3x3 merging to yield 12 MP images with a real-world pixel seize of 2.4 μm, as that would significantly improve low-light performance.

It's interesting that the source specifies the Galaxy S11+. It's looking more and more like it'll be the only one of the phones to feature the 108 MP sensor, and that's a shame.