Samsung touts faster autofocus in new image sensor
Samsung has launched a new 50-megapixel image sensor with phase detection auto-focus (PDAF), the company said.
The Isocell GN1 comes with 1.2 micrometre-sized pixels, with each pixel having two photodiodes that receive light from different angles for phase detection -- a process it has dubbed dual pixel technology.
According to Samsung, this allows for faster autofocus and image resolution comparable to a 100-megapixel sensor.
The new sensor also comes with the company's Tetracell technology, in which four pixel signals are combined as one to absorb light better to take brighter pictures in dark environments.
The combination of these two technologies will allow for faster autofocusing in extreme low-light environment for smartphones to take brighter and sharper pictures, the South Korean tech giant said.
Isocell GN1 also supports 8K resolution video recording at 30 frames per second and comes with image stabilisation and real-time HDR.
Samsung previously said it would invest 133 trillion won into its logic chip businesses by 2030, which includes its image sensor business.
Samsung has also been increasing its ties with Chinese tech giants, having launched a 108-megapixel image sensor with Xiaomi last year.
The South Korean tech giant is currently second in the global image sensor market, which is dominated by Japanese giant Sony who supplies sensors for Apple's iPhone lineup.
Sony last week introduced its new image sensor, equipped with artificial intelligence processing. The company then announced on Tuesday that Microsoft Azure AI would be embedded on the sensor for enterprise clients to perform video analytics.
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