Samsung Electronics, a provider of advanced semiconductor technology, has launched the industry's first 0.64 micrometer (μm) pixel image sensor, the 50 megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL JN1.
Equipped with the latest pixel technologies – such as enhanced ISOCELL 2.0, Smart-ISO and Double Super PDAF – the JN1 can capture more vivid images on the industry's smallest 50Mp mobile sensor.
“Samsung’s advanced pixel technologies have once again pushed boundaries with maximum precision to develop an image sensor with the industry’s smallest pixel size yet powerful performance,” said Duckhyun Chang, Executive Vice President of Sensor Business from Samsung Electronics. “The new 0.64 μm ISOCELL JN1 will be able to equip the most elegant smartphones of the future with ultra-high-resolution mobile photography,”
A new addition to Samsung's lineup of high-resolution image sensors, the JN1 employs ISOCELL 2.0 technology with additional enhancements that improve light sensitivity by approximately 16%. For low-light environments, the sensor uses Samsung's four-to-one pixel binning technology, Tetrapixel, which merges four adjacent 0.64μm pixels into one large 1.28μm pixel to quadruple light sensitivity for brighter photographs of 12.5Mp.
With such advanced technologies all packed into a small 1/2.76-inch optical form factor, the ISOCELL JN1 is Samsung's most versatile image sensor.
Through close collaboration with ecosystem partners, the JN1 is compatible with existing 1/2.8-inch products, allowing the sensor to be used for front-facing, ultra-wide or telephoto cameras in addition to standard wide camera options. This means users can take highly detailed selfies or group photos at an incredible 50Mp resolution, as well as high-resolution videos up to 4K and high zoom ratios.
The smaller sensor can also reduce the height of the camera module by around 10%, minimizing camera protrusion for thinner, more streamlined designs in next-generation smartphones.
For improved dynamic range, the ISOCELL JN1 comes with Smart-ISO, technology that changes the conversion gain based on the ambient lighting level.
Smart-ISO uses low ISO mode in bright environments to retain detail in highlights, and high ISO in dim environments to reduce read noise and deliver excellent low-light performance. Using Smart-ISO, the JN1 also offers inter-scene HDR in mixed light settings for optimal exposure levels derived from two separate readings, from low and high ISOs, which are merged to create a final image.
For faster autofocus, the ISOCELL JN1 integrates enhanced Double Super PD. Previous Super PD technology used specially designed oval-shaped microlenses over two adjacent pixels arranged side by side to detect phases.
Double Super PD features twice the pixel density (1/16) used for phase detection than Super PD (1/32), enabling the same autofocus performance even in environments with approximately 60% fewer light levels. lighting. For smooth, sharp videos, the image sensor supports video recording at up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps) or Full HD at 240fps.
