As smartphones get slimmer and slimmer, so too do the components inside of them. To keep up with the rapid decrease in thickness of smartphones going forward, Samsung has announced that it has started mass production on a new, incredibly small 16-megapixel image sensor with pixels measuring 1 micrometer — an industry first. From Samsung:
Built with 1.0μm pixels, Samsung's new 16Mp image sensor reduces the module's overall height by 20 percent, compared to current 1.12μm-pixel based 16Mp sensor modules. Enabling a module z-height that is less than 5mm, the S5K3P3 offers designers the ability to develop a mobile device with minimal camera protrusion without compromising on resolution.
Samsung says that this new image sensor uses its ISOCELL technology, which helps to increase light sensitivity and produces image quality comparable to previous sensors with 1.12 micrometer pixels. Samsung has moved into mass production on the new sensor, meaning it should start popping up in smartphones later this year.
Source: Samsung
