Samsung has announced a new ISOCELL camera sensor—ISOCELL JN1—for smartphones. The new sensor has the smallest pixel size of any 50MP smartphone sensor ever at 0.64 microns and is designed to slim down those huge camera bumps that are common on phones these days. It features the company's latest camera technologies such as ISOCELL 2.0, Smart ISO, Double Super PDAF.
The ISOCELL JN1 is a 50MP sensor with a size of 1/2.76 inches and 0.64μm pixels. Samsung claims that it has 16% improved light sensitivity, and it can use 4-in-1 pixel binning (resulting in 1.28μm pixels) to capture 12.5MP images. Combined with improved light sensitivity and pixel binning, the sensor can capture brighter images even in low-light conditions.
The new sensor features the Double Super PDAF mechanism which uses twice the density of pixels used for phase detection autofocus in the Super PDAF system. It can accurately focus on subjects even with around 60% less ambient light. The ISOCELL JN1 can record 4K 60fps videos and 1080p slow-motion videos at 240fps.
It is not a flagship camera sensor by any means. It is smaller than the usual 48MP ISOCELL camera sensors such as the ISOCELL GM1 or GM2 used in mid-range smartphones. The sensor will most probably be used in entry-level and mid-range smartphones or as a front-facing camera in high-end phones. It could be paired with a wide-angle lens, an ultrawide lens, or a telephoto lens.
Duckhyun Chang, Executive Vice President (Sensor Business) at Samsung Electronics, said, “Samsung’s advanced pixel technologies have once again pushed boundaries with the utmost precision to develop an image sensor with the industry’s smallest pixel size, yet with powerful performance. The new ISOCELL JN1 at 0.64μm will be able to equip tomorrow’s sleekest smartphones with ultra-high resolution mobile photographs. As we drive our commitment to innovation in pixel technologies, we will continue to bring a wide range of mobile image sensor offerings to the market.”
