Galaxy S23 Might Come With A Whopping 200MP Camera

A key tenet in digital photography is that pixel count doesn't always count because it isn't the sole basis of how good a photo will be. There are other factors at play as well, including the lens aperture, ISO settings, white balance, and more. That said, it definitely doesn't hurt to have more pixels on a sensor, especially if there aren't any big drawbacks other than the component's size. That's why manufacturers keep cramming cameras with insane megapixel figures into their smartphones. That naturally includes Samsung, one of the most prolific manufacturers of imaging sensors for smartphones, which might put a mind-blowing camera on the Galaxy S23 next year.

Having more pixels in a sensor definitely helps improve image quality by allowing it to absorb more light and record more information per frame. In theory, this means the sensor can perform better when there's very little light to work with, like in night or dark scenes. This doesn't come without a cost, including the literal price of components and manufacturing processes. More pixels require a large die area to fit those receptors, so you either need a larger sensor or you shrink and squeeze as many as you can in the same small space. Given how little space is available inside smartphones, the challenge has been to pack as many pixels as physically possible without enlarging the camera.

However, packing pixels too close to one another does also have its risks, especially when it comes to interference and light bleeding from adjacent cells. Samsung's ISOCELL technology has long addressed that problem, but every new sensor challenges the company's victories. Things are definitely coming to a head with Samsung's most insane sensor that boasts 200 million pixels yet can still fit inside a smartphone.

Industry reports claim that Samsung has just finished developing its newest 200MP imaging sensor, the ISOCELL HP3. The name alone should clue you in that this isn't the company's first 200MP sensor — that's actually the ISOCELL HP1, which was announced last year. What makes this new sensor significant is the possibility, or rather the expectations, that it would be used on the Samsung Galaxy S23 that will be coming in early 2023 (via etnews).

Not much is known about this improved version of the 200MP sensor, but it will most likely share a lot of common traits with its predecessor. The ISOCELL HP1 uses Samsung's 0.64μm pixel design to fit those 200 megapixels. At the same time, it utilizes 4x4 hybrid pixel-binning technology to merge 16 adjacent pixels into a giant 2.56μm-sized pixel, producing a bright and detailed 12.5MP photo. It's also capable of shooting 8K videos at 30fps by combining 2x2 pixels into a single 1.28μm-sized pixel, while 4K videos can be recorded at a faster 120 fps rate.

Even if all the speculation is true, the Galaxy S23 won't be the first smartphone to get a 200MP camera. That honor might be bestowed on the leaked Motorola Frontier that is expected to be launched later this year with the 200MP ISOCELL HP1. By then, we will finally see what all the megapixel fuss is about and could set expectations for the ISOCELL HP3 next year.