Samsung announces new 200MP camera sensor ahead of Galaxy S23 launch

The impending launch of the Galaxy S23 series phones on February 2nd includes a number of rumours on specs, including a 200MP camera sensor. That sensor may have just been unveiled, with Samsung taking the wraps off their new ISOCELL HP2 200MP image sensor. 

The new sensor manages to pack in more pixels in the same 1/1.3” sensor size that Samsung has used for their 108MP cameras. Samsung says the sensor now contains 200-millions pixels however the camera bump on the back of the phone won’t be larger. 

There will be improvements in low-light shots, with the full sensor capturing light at 0.6 micrometer (μm), however it can also bin images at 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP image, with the sensor able to capture more light and apply it to the final image. 

The sensor can also capture 8K video at 30fps, which is a bump from the 24fps previously offered by Samsung on the Galaxy S22 series. Samsung is also introducing their Dual Slope Gain (DSG) feature at 50MP on the HP2 sensor giving improved HDR performance thanks to the ability to capture two analogue levels at the pixel level.

While Samsung hasn’t announced that the new HP2 sensor will be included on the Galaxy S23 series, they have announced that the sensor has “entered mass production” which is usually a pretty clear indicator and lines up with 200MP camera sensor leaks for the S23 Ultra which have been cropping up.