If you have observed the smartphone market over the last year, you may be aware of smartphone brands opting for some of the biggest camera sensors available for their high-end devices. It almost looks like a contest they are having. We have already seen brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo providing 1-inch sensors on their flagships.
To join this herd, Google will supposedly use a 1/1.12-inch sensor for their upcoming flagship, the Pixel 8 Pro, which will launch later this year.
As tipped by a reliable tipster, Ice Universe, on Twitter, the Pixel 8 Pro will sport the biggest camera sensor manufactured by Samsung, the ISOCELL GN2.
Launched two years ago, the ISOCELL GN2 is a 50MP sensor with a sensor size of 1/1.12 inch. On top of it, every pixel has a size of 1.4 μm. The sensor can even push the resolution up to 100MP using remosaic technology, as Samsung calls it.
Other features include Dual Pixel Pro technology for fast and reliable focusing and Staggered HDR and Smart-ISO Pro for adequately controlling the dynamic range. It also has 4-in-1 pixel binning, called Tetrapixel technology by Samsung, for optimal performance in low-light conditions. This merges four pixels into one, with an increased size of 2.8 μm. For photography enthusiasts who like to play around with the camera, this sensor can also produce 10-bit RAW images.
Now, speaking of videography, it can be shot in the following resolutions:
- 8K at 30 frames per second
- 4K at up to 120 frames per second
- 1080p at up to 480 frames per second
Opting for this sensor for their highest-end model is a good move by Google. It is a major upgrade over last year’s Pixel 7 Pro, which features a 50 MP 1/1.31″ sensor for its primary camera, the ISOCELL GN1.
This sensor, paired with Google’s excellent software processing, definitely has the potential to give the Pixel 8 Pro one of the top spots in smartphone photography.
