“As a trendsetter in the mobile image sensor business, we are pleased to be the first to deliver the most advanced 1.0μm-pixel imager, which meets both high-resolution and slim design requirements for smartphone cameras,” said Kyushik Hong, VP and Head of S.LSI Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Starting with 16Mp sensor, Samsung plans to further expand 1.0μm-pixel product category and lead the image sensor market for high performing slim mobile devices.”
Built with 1.0μm pixels, the new 16MP image sensor reduces the module’s overall height by 20%, compared to current 1.12μm-pixel based 16MP sensor modules, enabling a module z-height that is less than 5mm.
In addition, the S5K3P3 takes advantage of Samsung’s ISOCELL technology to deliver image quality that is on par with 1.12μm-pixel based image sensors. Using ISOCELL technology reduces color crosstalk of neighboring pixels by adding physical barriers between each pixel.
Meanwhile, the newly announced OnePlus 2 smartphone goes in the opposite direction and uses larger 1.3um pixels in its 13MP sensor from Omnivision. The phone also has laser-assisted 200ms-fast AF:
"Despite being a go-to measure for smartphone cameras, megapixels fail to tell the whole story. The true test of a camera is the quality of its image sensor and optics. Our sensor contains large 1.3µm light-collecting pixels—the biggest ever in a 13MP smartphone camera—for unmatched low-light performance."
