Did Samsung just unveil Galaxy S27 Ultra's new 200MP camera sensor?

Samsung has unveiled a new 200MP camera sensor called the ISOCELL HPC. It introduces several new technologies designed to reduce noise, expand dynamic range, and deliver superior in-sensor zoom performance.

It is already in mass production and could debut in high-end phones in the coming months.

The ISOCELL HPC is a 1/1.3-inch sensor with 0.6 μm pixels, similar in size to several existing 200MP sensors from Samsung. However, it features a new technology called DeepPix, which is an improved pixel structure that enables each photodiode to capture significantly more light.

A photodiode's light-gathering capacity is measured by its Full Well Capacity (FWC), where a higher FWC translates to brighter images and lower noise. Building on Samsung's Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI), DeepPix boosts the photodiode FWC by 60%, resulting in cleaner photos and videos with richer detail in both highlights and shadows.

Additionally, the sensor supports single-frame HDR across 1x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x, and 4x in-sensor zoom levels. This provides improved image and video quality across intermediate crop zoom levels. It is particularly beneficial for phones that jump from a primary wide camera directly to a 5x telephoto lens without a dedicated 3x telephoto module, such as the rumored Galaxy S27 Ultra.

The ISOCELL HPC can record 4K video at up to 180 frames per second (fps)—a notable upgrade over the 120fps limit of previous-generation sensors. It can also capture 8K video at 30fps.

In terms of burst shooting, the sensor can capture 7.5 full-resolution 200MP images per second. Dropping the resolution to 50MP increases capture speeds to 30fps, while at 12.5MP, it can shoot up to 180fps.

The sensor features Super QPD (PDAF) autofocus and supports RAW output in RAW10, RAW12, RAW14, and native 16-bit RAW formats.

Although the ISOCELL HPC matches the 1/1.3-inch size of the ISOCELL HP2 used in recent Ultra models, it may not be destined for the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Leaks suggest Samsung could equip the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra with an exclusive 1/1.3-inch ISOCELL HP6 sensor instead. The HP6 is rumored to feature newer tech, including Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (LOFIC) technology, which dramatically improves dynamic range, color accuracy, and noise reduction.

Expect the ISOCELL HPC to be used in high-end smartphones from Chinese brands like OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi.