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Samsung has announced the ISOCELL HP5, a 200MP smartphone image sensor that packs industry-first 0.5µm pixels into a 1/1.56-inch module. The company says the new sensor keeps low-light performance strong while enabling higher zoom and improved HDR — a combination aimed squarely at flagship and upper-midrange phones.
Small pixels, big improvements
On paper, 0.5µm pixels sound tiny — and they are. Samsung counteracts the usual trade-offs with several pixel-level technologies designed to boost light capture and reduce noise. Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI) and Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) help each pixel harvest more detail, while an improved DTI Center Cut (DCC) assists in producing brighter, clearer shots despite the compact pixel pitch.
What that means for photos
Samsung claims the HP5 delivers up to a 150% boost in conversion gain and reduces random noise between 3% and 40%, depending on shooting conditions. Practically speaking, that should translate to cleaner night photos and smoother mid-ISO performance — all from a sensor that keeps very high resolution for cropping or detail recovery.
Zoom, HDR and video — modern mobile needs covered
The ISOCELL HP5 offers in-sensor 2x zoom and, when paired with a 3x optical telephoto lens, can reach up to 6x lossless zoom. For high-dynamic-range scenes, Samsung supports Smart ISO Pro and staggered HDR to stitch multiple exposures with less artifacting and better highlight retention.
- Video: 8K at 30 fps / 4K at 120 fps / 1080p at 240 fps
- RAW: 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit and 14-bit capture supported
- Sensor size: 1/1.56-inch
Those frame rates make the HP5 versatile for creators who want both ultra-high-res stills and capable slow-motion and 8K footage — and the flexible RAW depth lets OEMs tune image pipelines for different use cases.
Where you might see it next
Samsung says the HP5 is already in mass production and will ship in several upcoming phones. One confirmed device is the vivo Y500 Pro, but expect additional mid-to-high-end devices from other manufacturers to adopt the sensor as they chase better zoom, resolution, and low-light performance without increasing module size.
Imagine a future phone that crops aggressively while keeping usable detail, records 8K clips for editing, and still produces respectable night shots — Samsung's ISOCELL HP5 is built to make that scenario more common.
Source: gsmarena
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