Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Could Get 200MP Camera Lens With “Tetra2pixel” Pixel-Binning Technology

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra could be the first smartphone to feature Samsung's 200MP camera lens. Images captured from the flagship Android smartphone would benefit from "Tetra2pixel", a new pixel-binning technology from Samsung. Although Samsung has just announced the new lens, it has already entered active production and should be embedded in an upcoming flagship Android smartphone from Samsung.

Samsung Has Announced New 200MP Lens And Tetra2pixel Technology

Samsung Electronics has unveiled a new camera sensor for premium smartphones. The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 has 200MP 0.6-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.3-inch optical format. Incidentally, this sensor size is common in the 108MP main cameras. However, Samsung has managed to incorporate "Tetra2pixel", a new pixel-binning technology within the new lens.

The Tetra2pixel essentially allows the HP2 sensor to simulate different pixel sizes to accommodate varying lighting levels, claimed Samsung:

"When in low-lit environments, the sensor transforms either into a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP image sensor by binding four to 16 neighboring pixels. For fuller 8K video, approximately at 33MP, the HP2 switches to 1.2μm 50MP mode to minimize cropping and capture more of the scene. Filming 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps), a wide field of view along with bigger pixel size can produce sharp cinematic videos."

The HP2 can do 15FPS bursts at its native 200MP resolution, which is reportedly twice as high as the HP3 and 50 percent better than the 100MP HM3 sensor.

Technical jargon aside, the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor comes with new technology for expanding the dynamic range and enhancing color reproduction under less-than-ideal conditions for photography and videography.

Apart from the 200MP lens and the Tetra2pixel pixel-binning technology, Samsung has also deployed Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) to avoid blown highlights. There's Super QPD technology which significantly reduces the time to recognize both horizontal and vertical patterns for near-instant Auto-Focus (AF) even in low-light conditions.

Samsung's DSG (Dual Slope Gain) feature allows smartphones to capture and apply two separate conversion values to the analog signal received at the pixel level. The feature promises "super HDR performance". It also allows recording 4K HDR videos at 60FPS.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra To Feature 200MP Camera Lens

The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event is just a few weeks away. Expected to launch at the event, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra includes a high-definition camera.

It is possible the Galaxy S23 Ultra would be the first smartphone to feature Samsung's new 200MP lens. It is important to note that Samsung seems open to sharing this technology with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Hence, upcoming premium, flagship Android smartphones could also get the new 200MP lens and even benefit from the Tetra2pixel pixel-binning technology.