TL;DR Samsung Semiconductor has announced the ISOCELL HP5 200MP camera sensor. The company says this is the world’s first image sensor with ultra-tiny 0.5-micron pixels. Smaller pixels are typically not a good thing, as it means reduced light intake and potentially worse images. Samsung is still the only major camera sensor manufacturer offering 200MP sensors in the smartphone industry. These 200MP sensors are used by everyone from vivo and HONOR to Xiaomi and Samsung itself. Now, the company has announced a brand-new 200MP sensor, but I’m not sure if it’s actually better than or on par with current 200MP cameras. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below. Samsung Semiconductor (spotted via SammyGuru) quietly announced the ISOCELL HP5 200MP camera sensor, which has a 1/1.56-inch sensor size. And the company makes quite a song and dance about how this is the “world’s first image sensor to feature pixels as small as 0.5 microns.” That’s not really something you want to brag about in the first place. The size of a camera sensor’s pixels is a key factor when it comes to picture quality. Larger pixels can capture more light, and more light equals brighter, cleaner photos with less noise. So boasting that you’re the first to offer such super-tiny pixels seems like a strange claim at first glance. To use a crude analogy, it’s like a car manufacturer saying it has the world’s smallest sun roof. No such thing as a free lunch? Samsung claims the ISOCELL HP5 has several technologies to help mitigate the move to smaller pixels and a smaller sensor size. The company says the sensor uses front deep trench isolation (FDTI) and dual vertical transfer gate (D-VTG) technologies to maximize the captured light. These aren’t new technologies, though; D-VTG has been used on previous 200MP sensors, while FDTI dates back years. However, the camera sensor maker also says it’s using DTI Center Cut (DCC) technology. This tech “opens part of the trench among four photodiodes,” resulting in a claimed 150% increase in conversion gain and as much as 40% improvement in random noise. DCC tech should also improve autofocus performance, in conjunction with the existing super QPD autofocus. Other notable additions to offset the smaller pixel size include a High Transmittance Anti-Reflective Layer (High-T), High Sensitivity DTI, and a High Precision Microlens. All of these additions should reduce interference and light loss. Will this result in a camera sensor that takes photos on par with current 200MP sensors? It’s hard to say, but existing sensors already offer many of these technologies, along with larger pixels (e.g., 0.64-micron pixels). What else to know about ISOCELL HP5? Samsung’s new camera sensor delivers solid in-sensor zoom capabilities, as you might expect from a 200MP shooter. The company says you can access 2x in-sensor zoom when the HP5 is used as the main camera on a phone. However, you can expect 6x in-sensor zoom when the sensor is used as a 3x telephoto camera. The Korean brand also says full-resolution 200MP photos will take just two seconds to process, while staggered HDR and Smart-ISO Pro technologies are available to improve HDR shots. Otherwise, you can expect up to 14-bit RAW output, 8K/30fps video, 4K/120fps capture, and 480fps video at 1080p (albeit without autofocus). The jury is clearly out on whether this smaller sensor can deliver photos on par with other, larger 200MP cameras. However, the size makes it ideal for phone brands that want a 200MP camera but are worried about space constraints. This could also be a handy solution when paired with something like Samsung’s ALoP periscope module, delivering a smaller telephoto camera system for pocket-friendly phones and thin phones. You won’t have to wait long for the first phones with the Samsung ISOCELL HP5 camera sensor, though. Realme has confirmed that its upcoming GT8 Pro phone has a 200MP 1/1.56-inch telephoto camera, and the HP5 is indeed the only commercially announced sensor that matches this description. The OPPO Find X9 Pro is also tipped to offer this camera sensor. Follow