How the ISOCELL Bright HM1 Raises the Bar as Far as Detail and Definition

Gone are the days of low-resolution, grainy photos taken with your cellphone camera. These days, users expect to be able to use their smartphones to take ultra-high resolution photographs with vivid colors in all conditions, and Samsung ISOCELL image sensors are enabling this innovation.

The release of Samsung’s ISOCELL Bright HMX in 2019 marked the introduction of the industry’s first 108MP mobile image sensor, but the innovation didn’t stop there. In 2020, Samsung introduced the ISOCELL Bright HM1, which has set a new standard for mobile image sensors. Enabling industry-leading pixel counts, the ISOCELL Bright HM1 produces such fine detail that even zoomed-in-upon sections of pictures remain crisp and clear. The image sensor additionally includes a range of features that allow its outstanding performance to be brought to a wide range of capturing environments.

The video below illustrates how the ISOCELL Bright HM1 captures details of the natural world that would ordinarily be missed by the human eye, delivering stunningly realistic photography, all on your smartphone:

A Whole New Standard of Detail 

When it comes to taking crisp, intricately detailed pictures, pixel-count is of enormous importance. An image sensor is responsible for detecting and converting light into image information, and the ISOCELL Bright HM1 is capable of converting light information into images that are comprised of 108 million effective pixels. This means that smartphone cameras are now capable of taking pictures with a standard of resolution that would usually only be seen in photos taken with a professional-grade camera. The images produced are so intricately detailed that, even when one smaller section of the picture is enlarged due to zooming or cropping, that individual section still appears extremely sharp.

But the ISOCELL Bright HM1 doesn’t just produce a lot of pixels – it incorporates innovative pixel isolation technology to make those pixels act intelligently as well. ISOCELL Plus technology allows for individual pixels to be isolated with physical barriers, thus allowing them to gather in more light. This advanced technology also allows for pixel performance to be maximized despite the pixels’ small size, while significantly reducing crosstalk, optical loss and light reflection.

Innovative Pixel Transformation

Pixel-binning is a process that allows an image sensor to combine adjoining pixels in order to improve light absorption capabilities. This process means that the image sensor can take ultra-high resolution shots during the day, and then, in low-light environments such as at night, it can combine adjacent pixels into a single larger pixel to produce brighter, clearer images with reduced noise.

Following Samsung’s success with Tetrapixel* binning technology – which involves merging four pixels together into a two-by-two array – the ISOCELL Bright HM1 has introduced Nonapixel* technology. Nonapixel involves combining nine neighboring pixels into one to more than double the light absorption capabilities offered by Tetrapixel technology, and ensure that photos taken at night are bright, lack noise, and maintain excellent resolution.

Zoom Like Never Before

The ISOCELL Bright HM1 allows you to see up close without compromising on quality. With the use of Samsung’s innovative new image sensor, users can capture close-up images at up to 3X zoom without upscaling. Images caught at 3X zoom will maintain high-quality 12MP resolution, and zoomed in sections can additionally be previewed on-screen without upscaling.

This kind of ‘lossless zoom’ is made possible, firstly, by the image sensor’s ultra-high resolution, by which the sheer number of pixels in each individual shot allows a zoomed-in-upon section to maintain excellent resolution. The feature is additionally enabled by the image sensor’s ability to remap pixels in three-by-three arrays into RGB patterns itself, instead of having to outsource the task to a mobile processor. This direct pixel remapping is enabled by embedded hardware IP built right into the image sensor.

Intelligent ISO Selection for Each Unique Moment

Native-ISO is responsible for determining the sensitivity of the image sensor. However, simply incorporating one fixed-native-ISO into an image sensor limits the solution’s ability to adapt to a range of lighting situations. Thus, the ISOCELL Bright HM1 incorporates ‘Smart-ISO’ technology, which allows the image sensor to intelligently cater ISO selection to each unique lighting environment it is faced with.

With the use of Smart-ISO technology, optimal dynamic range and reduced noise can be brought to a vast range of shooting environments. While low ISO is effective in well-lit environments, high ISO is better suited to low-light settings. For brightly lit shots, low ISO extends a wider dynamic range towards bright sections in order to capture them in far more detail. If the camera was forced to utilize a higher native-ISO in a bright setting, the signal would be over-amplified, meaning that color information with values close to white could be lost. In low-light conditions, high native-ISO extends a greater dynamic range towards the dark sections of the shot, illuminating more detail in those areas.

Take Professional-Grade Photography into Your Hands

While delivering industry-leading pixel counts and innovative new pixel optimization technology, the ISOCELL Bright HM1 equips your smartphone camera with lossless zoom and intelligently caters its settings to ensure that you capture great photos in a wide range of settings.

Enjoy intelligent, industry-leading photography right in your pocket as the ISOCELL Bright HM1 takes smartphone photography to new heights.

* Technological terms of “Nonapixel” and “Tetrapixel” were updated in August 2022.