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Samsung does not make significant camera hardware changes every year. They pick a sensor and stick to it for years. We saw this happen with the HM1 sensor. We saw it first on the S20 Ultra, but it was just a large sensor with little optimization. There were problems with focus, slow shutter speed, aggressive sharpness, and more.
To fix some of these problems, the S21 Ultra upgraded it to the HM3 sensor. The HM1 and HM3 are not really different sensors; the HM3 supports 12-bit RAW capture and can shoot videos slightly better. They measure the same at 1/1.33″ and have the exact 108MP resolution.
The S21 Ultra has better autofocus thanks to a dedicated module for it on the rear. It also addresses several other issues and is finally not a waste of good hardware. The successor, the S22 Ultra, got the most optimized version of the HM3 sensor yet.
It has reasonable noise control and sharp, low-light images; the only remaining concern was the shutter time. Despite the issues with capturing moving subjects, Samsung’s S22 Ultra was one of the best camera systems at the time.
Now, in 2023, we have the Galaxy S23 Ultra. While other companies focused on big lenses and large sensors, Samsung decided to bump up the resolution/ megapixel count instead. This was an intentional move, and it preserves the rear design and thickness of the phone. Using 1″ sensors results in thick phones, and Samsung would’ve lost its understated design language.
Since Samsung probably wants to keep the rear design minimal and prevent table wobble and the generic camera circular ring design, they chose not to use large 1″ sensors. They’re trying to replicate the effect with 200MP resolution and software processing.
A key benefit of 200MP sensors is the detail when you zoom into an image. Finer texts and textures will appear sharp despite a lot of cropping in. We can’t say the same for low-resolution sensors. However, we assume anything over 48MP can achieve similar results with good processing.
Whether Samsung’s choice of using a higher resolution sensor instead of a large size is correct remains heavily debatable. Fortunately, a new report from leaker Ice Universe suggests that Samsung is focusing on heavily optimizing the HP2 sensor.
We saw the same thing with the HM1, and the HP2 will perform much better next year. The sensor’s name is apparently the ISOCELL HP2SX, which has the exact specifications of the HP2. It has a 1/1.3″ sensor size, a 200MP resolution, and 0.6μm individual pixel size. We can expect better noise control, detail retrieval, and probably better videography.
The new ISP on the 8 Gen 3 will also massively assist the new sensor. With the new sensor, Samsung could also improve the 50mm (2X) digital zoom range. In other news, the S24 Ultra is also getting a massive upgrade to the telephoto camera. The reports mention a new 50MP 1/2.52″ 3X telephoto, which can perform well with good optimization. This will massively improve the quality of photos between 3X and 10X zoom.
Samsung is apparently shipping the S24 Ultra with the 8 Gen 3 SOC globally, and the notable upgrade is to the 3X telephoto and the tuning of the primary sensor. We’ll probably get a titanium frame and better display materials, too.
