Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced three new mobile image sensors designed for both main and sub cameras in smartphones: the ISOCELL HP9, the ISOCELL GNJ and the ISOCELL JN5.

As user expectations for smartphone camera quality and performance continue to rise, Samsung’s latest image sensors deliver stunning results from every angle, setting a new standard for mobile photography.

“Enhancing image sensor performance and bridging the gap between main and sub cameras to offer a consistent photography experience across all angles is the new direction of the industry,” said Jesuk Lee, Executive Vice President and CTO of the System LSI Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to set industry standards and push technological boundaries with our new lineup of mobile sensors that integrate the latest advancements.”

ISOCELL HP9: The Industry’s First 200MP Telephoto Sensor for Smartphones

The ISOCELL HP9 features 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format.

With its proprietary high-refractive microlens featuring a new material, the HP9 significantly enhances light-gathering capability by directing more light accurately to the corresponding RGB color filter. This results in more vivid color reproduction and improved focus with 12% better light sensitivity (based on signal-to-noise ratio 10) and 10% improved autofocus contrast performance compared to the previous product.

Notably, the HP9 excels in low-light conditions, addressing a common challenge for traditional telephoto cameras. Its Tetra²pixel technology merges 16 pixels (4×4) into a large, 12MP 2.24μm-sized sensor, enabling sharper portrait shots — even in dark settings — and creating dramatic out-of-focus bokeh¹ effects.

As main cameras in premium smartphones grow in size, the room for telephoto cameras is also increasing. The HP9’s large optical format makes it suitable for telephoto modules, delivering performance that matches premium main cameras in image quality, autofocus, high dynamic range (HDR) and frames per second (fps).

Powered by a remosaic algorithm, the HP9 offers 2x or 4x in-sensor zoom modes, achieving up to 12x zoom when paired with a 3x zoom telephoto module, all while maintaining crisp image quality.

ISOCELL GNJ: Integrating Cutting-Edge Pixel Technology Innovations

The ISOCELL GNJ is a dual pixel sensor with 50 million 1.0μm pixels in a 1/1.57-inch optical format.

Each pixel houses two photodiodes, enabling fast and accurate autofocus, similar to the way human eyes focus. The image sensor also simultaneously captures full color information for quick focusing with sustained image quality.

The GNJ combines dual pixel technology with an in-sensor zoom function to deliver clearer footage in video mode and higher-resolution images free from artifacts or moiré² patterns in photo mode.

The newly improved high-transmittance anti-refractive layer (ARL), coupled with Samsung’s proprietary high-refractive microlense, not only boosts light transmission and reduces unwanted reflections but also ensures that dark areas are not overly brightened for more accurate photos with well-preserved image details.

In addition, the GNJ includes an upgraded pixel isolation material in deep trench isolation (DTI) from polysilicon to silicon oxide, minimizing crosstalk between adjacent pixels. This allows the sensor to capture more detailed and precise images.

All of these innovations have been achieved with less power consumption, featuring a 29% improvement in preview mode and 34% in video mode at 4K 60fps.

ISOCELL JN5: Consistent Camera Experience From Every Angle With Broad Color Range and Excellent Autofocus

The ISOCELL JN5 features 50 million 0.64μm pixels in a 1/2.76-inch optical format.

Dual vertical transfer gate (Dual VTG) technology increases charge transfer within pixels, substantially reducing noise in extreme low light conditions for clearer image quality.

Leveraging Super Quad Phase Detection (Super QPD), the JN5 adjusts focus by comparing phase differences both vertically and horizontally, catching even the smallest details of rapidly moving objects with minimal shake.

Additionally, the JN5 incorporates dual slope gain (DSG) technology to enhance its HDR. This technology amplifies the analog light information entering the pixels into two signals, converts them into digital, and then combines them into one data, expanding the range of colors that the sensor can produce.

Implementing hardware remosaic algorithms improves camera shooting speed while enabling real-time zoom in both preview and capture modes without any delay.

The JN5’s slim optical format makes it highly versatile, allowing it to be used across main and sub cameras — including wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, front and telephoto — promising a consistent camera experience from various angles.

¹ Bokeh refers to the blur produced in out-of-focus objects in a photo, generally to an aesthetically pleasing degree.
² The moiré effect is an undesirable visual phenomenon that occurs when repetitive details (usually lines) are photographed.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced two new 0.8-micrometer (μm) pixel image sensors – the 64-megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and 48Mp ISOCELL Bright GM2. With the addition, Samsung expands its 0.8μm image sensor lineup, the smallest pixel size currently available in the market, from existing 20Mp to ultra-high 64Mp resolutions.

“Over the past few years, mobile phone cameras have become the main instrument for recording and sharing our everyday moments,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “With more pixels and advanced pixel technologies, Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 will bring a new level of photography to today’s sleekest mobile devices that will enhance and help change the way we record our daily lives.”

ISOCELL Bright GW1 is a 64Mp image sensor that features the highest resolution in Samsung’s 0.8μm-pixel image sensor lineup. With pixel-merging Tetrapixel technology^** and remosaic algorithm^***, GW1 can produce bright 16Mp images in low-light environments and highly-detailed 64Mp shots in brighter settings. To take pictures resembling the way the human eye perceives its surroundings in a mixed light environment, GW1 supports real-time high dynamic range (HDR) of up to 100-decibels (dB) that provides richer hues. In comparison, the dynamic range of a conventional image sensor is at around 60dB, while that of the human eye is typically considered to be around 120dB.

GW1 is equipped with a Dual Conversion Gain (DCG) that converts the received light into an electric signal according to the illumination of the environment. This allows the sensor to optimize its full well capacity (FWC), utilizing the collected light more efficiently especially in bright environments. Sharper results can be delivered through Super PD, a high-performance phase detection auto-focus technology, and full HD recording at 480 frames-per-second (fps) is supported for smooth cinematic slow motion videos.

ISOCELL Bright GM2 is a 48Mp image sensor that also adopts Tetrapixeltechnology in low-light environments and a remosaic algorithm in well-lit settings, bringing highly-detailed pictures with natural and vivid colors. GM2, like GW1, adopts DCG as well for added performance and Super PD for fast autofocus.

Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 and GM2 are currently sampling and are expected to be in mass production in the second half of this year.

^*Samsung first announced its ISOCELL technology in 2013, which reduces color-cross talk between pixels by placing a physical barrier, allowing small-sized pixels to achieve higher color fidelity. Based on this technology, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 1.0um-pixel image sensor in 2015 and 0.9-pixel sensor in 2017. In June 2018, Samsung introduced an upgraded pixel isolation technology, the ISOCELL Plus.

^**Tetrapixel technology merges four pixels into one so that users can achieve high quality images in all light conditions.

^***In bright environments, Tetrapixel uses a re-mosaic algorithm to produce full resolution images.

* Technological term of “Tetrapixel” was updated in July 2022

“Demand for ultra-small, high-resolution image sensors are growing as smartphones evolve to deliver new and more exciting camera experiences for users,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With the introduction of our cutting-edge 0.8μm-pixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 image sensors, we are committed to continue driving innovation in image sensor technologies.”

As cameras are becoming a key distinguishing feature in today’s mobile devices, smartphone makers are faced with the challenge to fit multiple cameras into the sleek designs of their latest flagships. At a reduced pixel size, the new sensors provide greater design flexibility, enabling camera module manufacturers to build smaller modules or pack more pixels into existing designs, and consequently allowing smartphone makers to maximize space utilization in slim, bezel-less smartphones.

The GM1 and the GD1 sensors are based on the company’s latest pixel isolation technology – the ISOCELL Plus* – which optimizes performance especially for smaller-dimension pixels, making them the ideal solution for today’s super-resolution cameras. In addition, thanks to Tetrapixel** technology, where four pixels are merged to work as one to increase light sensitivity, the GM1 and GD1 can deliver light sensitivity equivalent to that of a 1.6μm-pixel image sensor at 12Mp and 8Mp resolution, respectively. The sensors also support Gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) for fast and accurate image capture.

A real-time high dynamic range (HDR) feature is added to the GD1 to deliver more balanced exposure, richer color and detail when filming selfie-videos or streaming live video content even in low-light, high-contrast environments.

The Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 are expected to be in mass production in the fourth quarter of this year.

* Samsung first announced its ISOCELL technology in 2013, which reduces color-cross talk between pixels by placing a physical barrier, allowing small-sized pixels to achieve higher color fidelity. Based on this technology, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 1.0um-pixel image sensor in 2015 and 0.9-pixel sensor in 2017. In June 2018, Samsung introduced an upgraded pixel isolation technology, the ISOCELL Plus.

** Technological term of “Tetrapixel” was updated in July 2022

Samsung ISOCELL image sensors fall into four categories—Fast, Slim, Bright and Dual—depending on their key attributes. As market demand for sleeker smartphones with advanced features increases, ISOCELL Fast 2L9 and Slim 2X7 both offer high resolution image sensors in small chip packages, delivering detailed pictures in low-light environments without a camera bump.

ISOCELL Fast 2L9

With Dual Pixel technology, the ISOCELL Fast 2L9 delivers ultra-fast auto-focus at a reduced pixel size from the previous Dual Pixel sensor’s 1.4μm to 1.28μm. Dual Pixel technology employs two photodiodes in each and every pixel of the sensor instead of only one. With 12 million focus detecting pixels, the sensor is able to not only quickly focus on small still objects, but also lock on and track moving objects without losing focus, even in low-light environments. With smaller pixel size, the ISOCELL Fast 2L9 can fit into slimmer camera modules, enabling bump-less designs for smartphones. Dual Pixel technology especially allows depth-of-field effect for taking bokeh, or aesthetically out-of-focused photographs, through a traditional single lens camera.

ISOCELL Slim 2X7

At 0.9μm, the ISOCELL Slim 2X7 is the first sensor in the industry to have the pixel size below 1.0μm. Even with such a small pixel size, the Slim 2X7 is able to provide high color fidelity with less noise due to the improved ISOCELL technology’s deeper DTI (deep trench isolation) that reduces color crosstalk and expands the full-well capacity to hold more light information. In addition, the small 0.9μm pixel size enables a 24Mp image sensor to be fitted in a thinner camera module, allowing premium smartphones to offer high resolution cameras in a very slim and elegant design.

The ISOCELL Slim 2X7 is also packed with Tetrapixel technology, which lets the sensor take brighter photographs in the dark and more detailed ones in well-lit environments. Tetrapixel improves performance in low-light situations by merging four neighboring pixels to work as one to increase light sensitivity. In bright environments, Tetrapixel uses a re-mosaic algorithm to produce full resolution images. This enables consumers to use the same front camera to take photos in various lighting conditions.

“Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L9 and ISOCELL Slim 2X7 are new image sensors that fully utilize Samsung’s advanced pixel technology, and are highly versatile as they can be placed in both front and rear of a smartphone,” said Ben K. Hur, Vice President of System LSI Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung plans to further develop the Dual Pixel and 0.9μm-pixel product categories, and expand applicable devices for ISOCELL image sensors that can enhance photographing experiences for consumers.”

* Technological term of “Tetrapixel” was updated in July 2022