Sony unveils 48MP camera sensor for smartphones

Sony has been one of the go-to options for camera sensors in smartphones for years, and the company looks to continue that trend into 2019 with the latest sensor built specifically for mobile devices.

On Monday, Sony unveiled the IMX586 camera sensor, which has an effective megapixel count of 48 (8000 x 6000). This marks the largest pixel count to date as far as smartphones are concerned. The pixels measure in at just 0.8 microns, which will be the smallest on the market when the sensor begins sampling this September.

As we all know, just increasing the pixel count doesn’t automatically mean the image quality is going to be better. In an effort to address any noise and potential artifacts in photos, Sony will be utilizing a Quad Bayer color filter array, and it has designed the camera to allow each pixel to use the four adjacent pixels to increase light sensitivity. That means photos will be captured with the equivalent of a 12-megapixel camera with 1.6-micron pixels, which should increase detail when a photo is zoomed in on.

Sony will begin shipping out samples this September, and these new IMX586 sensors should find their way into new phones beginning in 2019.

source: androidandme