Samsung 200MP ISOCELL HPC Camera Sensor Announced With Better HDR and Low-Light Performance

Samsung has expanded its ISOCELL camera portfolio with the new 200-megapixel ISOCELL HPC, marking the debut of its DeepPix pixel architecture. The new sensor is designed to improve HDR photography, low-light performance and in-sensor zoom by capturing more light than previous generations. Samsung said the ISOCELL HPC is already in mass production and supports single-frame 16-bit HDR, HDR across multiple zoom levels, and 4K video recording at up to 180 fps.

Samsung's New ISOCELL HPC Sensor Promises Better HDR and Low-Light Photos

According to the Samsung website, ISOCELL HPC introduces DeepPix, a new pixel architecture developed for its ISOCELL image sensors to improve light capture. The technology is built on the company's Front Deep Trench Isolation design and increases the full well capacity of each pixel by 60 percent compared with the previous generation. According to Samsung, the higher light capacity allows the sensor to produce cleaner images with reduced noise, improved highlight and shadow reproduction, and a wider dynamic range.

Another notable addition is support for single-frame 16-bit HDR, which records the full dynamic range in a single exposure rather than combining multiple images. Samsung said this approach can deliver up to four times as much colour information as conventional HDR. The sensor also supports video recording at up to 8K 30fps, 4K 180fps and Full HD 360fps, although autofocus is unavailable in the Full HD recording mode.

The South Korean tech giant has also extended HDR processing across multiple in-sensor zoom levels. The ISOCELL HPC supports single-frame HDR at 1x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x and 4x zoom, while sensor downscaling is used to retain image quality and dynamic range as users zoom in.

The company has incorporated High Precision Microlens and High Transmittance ARL technologies to further improve light efficiency. Samsung said these optical enhancements help direct more incoming light towards each photodiode while minimising reflections and light scattering, resulting in better quantum efficiency, improved colour reproduction and clearer images across different lighting conditions.

The ISOCELL HPC uses a 1/1.3-inch optical format with 0.6-micrometre pixels and an effective resolution of 16,384 x 12,288 pixels. It also supports Super QPD autofocus, the Tetra-squared pixel, Smart ISO Pro HDR, and RAW10, RAW12, RAW14 and RAW16 output formats. Samsung said the sensor can capture 200-megapixel images at up to 7.5 fps, 50-megapixel images at up to 30 fps, and 12.5-megapixel images at up to 180 fps. The company has not yet confirmed which smartphones will be the first to use the ISOCELL HPC sensor.