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Posts Tagged ‘108MP’

Xiaomi’s new 11T Pro offers 120W charging, 108MP camera module and more

15 Sep

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has announced the 11T and 11T Pro, the first two devices in a new lineup from the company that sits just below its Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro devices in both price and features.

Xiaomi 11T Pro

The new Xiaomi 11T Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, compared to the 888+ used in the Mi 11 Pro. The front features 6.67” flat 120Hz AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 pixels) that’s capable of 1,000 nits peak brightness and can display HDR10+ content. The device runs on MIUI 12.5, which is based on Android 11.

On the rear of the camera is a triple camera array, headlined by a 1/1.52″ 108MP sensor (0.7µm, 9–1 pixel binning) that’s likely Samsung’s ISOCELL HM2, based on the specifications. In front of that sensor is a 26mm (equiv) F1.8 lens. The other two cameras onboard are an 8MP ultrawide module with a 120-degree field of view and a 5MP telephoto/macro lens with a 50mm (equiv.) focal length. None of the cameras have optical image stabilization, unfortunately, which the more expensive Mi 11 lineup features.

Video capabilities include 8K30p recording as well as 4K60p and 1080p recording at up to 960 fps. HDR10+ recording is possible and a gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) should keep footage at least somewhat stable at 4K resolution and below (no EIS on 8K recording). The ‘punch hole’ selfie camera on the front of the device uses a 16MP 1/3.06″ sensor with 1.0µm pixels. In addition to 16MP stills, it also offers 1080p recording at 30fps.

In addition to 5G connectivity, the device features Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6), Bluetooth 5.2, GPS and NFC support. A single USB-C port on the bottom of the device supports 120W charging, which can power the device’s 5000mAh Li-Po battery to 72% in 10 minutes and 100% in 17 minutes, according to Oppo. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor can be used to unlock the device in addition to the usual passcode locks.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is expected to ship later this month in black, blue and white colorways and start at €650 (~$ 770) for the 128GB/8GB RAM model while the 256GB/12GB RAM model retails for €750 (885).

Xiaomi 11T

The Xiaomi 11T is practically identical to the more powerful 11T Pro, with the only noticeable specification difference being the chipset inside. Instead of the Snapdragon 888 5G used in the 11T Pro, the 11T uses a custom Dimensity 1200-Ultra chipset. This less powerful chipset means you won’t be getting 8K video capabilities with the 11T, as it tops out with 4K60p recording. All other camera-related specifications remain the same.

The only other difference we noted is that the fast charging on the 11T is limited to 67W instead of 120W, which means you’ll be able to get to 100% battery in 36 minutes instead of the 17 minutes on the 11T Pro. It’s worth noting though that fast charging will wear down the battery’s life span faster, so the slower charging speeds might actually be more beneficial in the end.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is available in black, blue and white colorways and starts at €650 (~$ 770) for the 128GB/8GB RAM model while the 256GB/12GB RAM model retails for €750 (885). The 11T will start at €500 (~$ 590) for the 128GB/8GB RAM model. Both models are expected to ship to much of Europe by the end of the month and are avialable to purchase through authorized Ziaomi retailers, including AliExpress, Amazon, Goboo and Mi.com.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung announces Galaxy S21 series, including 8K capable, 108MP Galaxy S21 Ultra

14 Jan

Samsung has announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The S21 and S21 Plus are essentially identical phones, save for their screen size and other minor differences. The S21 Ultra is designed to be not only the best phone in Samsung’s diverse lineup of Android smartphones, but Samsung believes it’s the best phone available.

Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus

The S21 and S21 Plus cost $ 800 and $ 1,000 respectively. This is $ 200 less than their predecessor’s launch prices last year. As The Verge points out, the 6.2″ S21 and 6.7″ S21 Plus have given something up in order to reach this lower price point. While both phones continue to deliver 120Hz refresh rates, something Apple’s latest iPhone 12 models don’t offer, the displays no longer have the subtle curved edges of the Galaxy S20. Further, resolution has decreased from 3,200 x 1,440 to 2,400 x 1,080. In terms of internal components, RAM has decreased from 12GB to 8GB.

Build quality has changed as well. Whereas the S20 had an aluminum back panel, the smaller S21 uses plastic on the back and doesn’t include an ultra-wideband radio. The larger S21 Plus does have this connectivity feature, allowing for relatively superior compatibility with Samsung’s new Galaxy SmartTag, the Korean company’s new Tile competitor.

Another cost-saving measure is that Samsung will no longer be including a charging brick or headphones in the box. Like Apple, the company says it’s for environmental reasons. It’s only been three months since Samsung poked fun at Apple for no longer including a charger with the new iPhone models.

In addition to making cuts to reduce the price of the S21 and S21 Plus, Samsung has made improvements as well. While the quality of the materials has changed, the design looks very nice. On the inside of the new models is the latest Snapdragon chipset, which promises improved performance. The fingerprint sensor has Qualcomm’s new 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2, resulting in improved speed. Both models feature 5G integration, supporting mmWave and sub-6GHz networks, so the new phones will be faster in that respect too, assuming you are in an area with support for 5G.

The two-tone design of the Galaxy S21/S21 Plus works around the camera protrusion. The camera system is basically the same on these models as it was last year. The S21 and S21 Plus each include a 12MP wide-angle camera, 12MP ultrawide camera and a 64MP telephoto lens. The front-facing camera is 10MP, although the S21 Plus has ditched the depth sensor.

While the hardware is unchanged, there have been some adjustments to software. There’s a 30x ‘Space Zoom’ mode, a ‘Director’s View’ mode for recording video allowing easier swapping between lenses, and additions to the ‘Single Take’ mode. Further, the default image processing no longer excessively smooths faces, although if that’s your style, it remains an option.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus models will be available starting January 29 and are available for preorder now. The S21 and S21 Plus include 128GB of internal storage. If you’d like 256GB of storage, it adds $ 50 to the price of each model. The S21 is available in Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet and Phantom Pink colorways, with the latter two having a rose gold two-tone design. The S21 Plus is available in violet, black, silver, gold and red, with the latter two colors being made to order and shipping in 3-4 weeks, as of writing.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the star of the show. Where the S21/S21 Plus are a mix of cost-cutting measures and improvements, the S21 Ultra is all about pushing hardware forward. The Ultra has a price to match, starting at $ 1,200.

For your money, you get a large 6.8″ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rates at full 3,200 x 1,440 resolution, something the S20 Ultra couldn’t do. The S21 Ultra includes 12GB of RAM, a 5,000mAh battery and offers storage capacity up to 512GB. The Ultra also includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. In terms of user experience, beyond promised speed improvements, the S21 Ultra is compatible with the Samsung S Pen, although it is an optional extra and many customers will likely want a compatible case with a holder for the pen as well.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers similar top-level camera specs as the S20 Ultra, including 100x zoom, a 108MP camera and 8K video recording, but there’s more to it than that and some important differences to consider. For example, the S21 Ultra includes more rear cameras than the S20 Ultra. The S21 Ultra has a 12MP ultrawide camera, 10MP camera with 3x zoom and a 10MP camera with 10x zoom. Previously, the 10x zoom was digital zoom, rather than optical.

Further, the primary image sensor is larger in the new model, although Samsung hasn’t stated by precisely how much. CNet writes that Samsung promises ‘more than three times the dynamic range of the S20 Ultra.’ Like the S21/S21 Plus, the S21 Ultra includes the same new software features for photo and video as well.

As mentioned, all these features come at a high price. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at $ 1,200 with 128GB of storage. 256GB and 512GB models are also available at $ 1,250 and $ 1,380, respectively. The S21 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy and Phantom Brown, with the lattermost three color options being available as ‘made to order’ options, which currently adds 4-5 weeks to expected shipping time. The S21 Ultra in black and silver will ship by January 27. For those interested in the Phantom Black color, Samsung published a video specifically about designing this color.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung details the 108MP camera sensor tech packed in the Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphone

15 Feb

Samsung has published technical details on the 108MP ISOCELL Bright HM1 ‘Nonacell’ image sensor found in its newly launched Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphone. The image sensor features 108-million 0.8?m pixels and a 1/1.33in size, as well as Smart-ISO and Nonacell technologies to produce what Samsung claims are ‘crystal-clear’ and ‘vivid’ 8K videos and high-resolution images.

Nonacell builds upon the Tetracell technology Samsung unveiled in 2017; rather than featuring a 2×2 array like the older tech, the Nonacell features a 3×3 arrays of the same color filter. This allows chunks of nine 0.8?m pixels to be merged into what is essentially a single 2.4?m pixel. This results in more than double the light absorption offered by the Tetracell tech, according to the company.

The downside is that there is a larger gap between pixels recording different colors, meaning that the ‘re-mosaic’ algorithm, that tries to reconstruct what a conventional 1×1 Bayer sensor would have captured, faces a more difficult challenge. So you won’t ever get the lever of color resolution that a conventional 108MP sensor would give.

Other ‘advanced pixel technologies’ like Smart-ISO help produce what Samsung calls ‘ultimate results under any lighting condition,’ including particularly challenging mixed-light environments. The camera’s HDR tech involves assigning exposure lengths to each and every pixel for multiple simultaneous exposures, enabling real-time HDR previews.

Rather than using a mobile processor, Samsung says its sensor directly converts pixels via ‘an embedded hardware IP.’ Other features include electronic image stabilization that uses gyroscope hardware, Super-PD phase-detection tech and up to 3x lossless 12MP zoom that doesn’t require upscaling.

The use of ISOCELL Plus tech, meanwhile, deals with the color interference that would otherwise arise from the Nonacell system, according to Samsung:

As the number of adjoined cells increase, so does color interference, making pixel-binning technologies more challenging, While such difficulties had limited Nonacell to a theory, the HM1 was able to realize the method by adopting Samsung’s ISOCELL Plus technology, which dramatically reduces crosstalk and minimizes optical loss as well as light reflection.

In addition to the 108MP sensor, the Galaxy S20 Ultra model features a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 48MP telephoto camera, 10x Hybrid Optic Zoom and ‘Super Resolution Zoom’ that uses AI for up to 100x zoom. The model’s ‘selfie’ camera, meanwhile, features a 40MP sensor with the ability to ‘shift’ to 10MP with larger pixels for higher quality images captured in low-light settings.

The S20 and S20+ models feature lesser specs with 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras, as well as a 64MP telephoto camera. A full breakdown of the camera hardware found in these three smartphone models is available on Samsung’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung files trademark for its ‘Nonacell’ technology destined for its 108MP sensor

09 Feb

Back in December, a rumor went around that Samsung’s Galaxy S11+ smartphone will use a new 108-megapixel sensor with ‘Nonacell’ technology. Not much is known about the sensor still, but it seems the rumor holds a little more clout now that Samsung has officially trademarked the ‘Nonacell’ nomenclature.

As first discovered by Dutch technology site LetsGoDigital, Samsung has filed a trademark in the United Kingdom for the ‘Nonacell’ name. As addressed in our initial coverage, ‘nona’ is Latin for ‘nine.’ As such, it’s expected that Samsung’s ‘Nonacell’ technology will use a three-by-three color filter array to merge nine pixels into a single, larger one. If combined with the much-anticipated 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor, the ‘Nonacell’ technology would yield a 12MP still.

Plenty of details remain about the rumored S11+ smartphone from Samsung, but we shouldn’t have to wait much longer with the series expected to launch sometime this month.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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This is how the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX 108MP mobile image sensor works

18 Dec

More recently we have seen a significant increase of resolution in high-end mobile image sensors, with market leaders Sony and Samsung launching sensors with pixel counts that are firmly in medium format camera territory.

However, in the mobile world, the high resolutions aren’t so much about an increase in detail. Instead, they allow for improved digital zooming with only a small loss in detail, and the option to use pixel-binning methods in difficult light conditions in order to improve noise levels.

Samsung has now published a video and blog post detailing the technology and improvements in its ISOCELL Bright HMX 108MP sensor that is deployed in the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro and will likely also be used in the upcoming Galaxy S11 series.

The sensor’s large 1/1.33″ surface combined with 0.8?m-sized pixels allows for the massive pixel count and increased light gathering capability compared to smaller variants. It uses Samsung’s ISOCELL Plus technology which minimizes optical loss and pixel crosstalk by installing a barrier around each pixel.

Previously this barrier was made from metal. In this latest generation of ISOCELL sensors, it is now made from an ‘innovative new material that minimizes optical loss and light reflection’. Samsung says the material also allows the photodiode to absorb more light, allowing for much better performance than you would usually get from such small pixels.

In addition, Samsung has implemented its Smart-ISO technology which lets the sensor pick the best level of signal amplification for a given lighting situation, reducing highlight clipping and noise levels.

Samsung’s Tetracell Technology helps increase performance in low light by merging clusters of four pixels into single pixels, combining the native 0.8?m pixels into larger 1.6?m ones. Even in this mode, the ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor can still deliver 27MP image output which should be more than enough for any mobile application. The complete article is available on the Samsung website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with dual-tele and 108MP primary camera is official

06 Nov

Last week Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi teased the penta-camera setup in its Mi Note 10 flagship device. Now the smartphone has been officially released and more detailed specifications have become available.

As previously teased, the new device comes with five cameras on its back. The centerpiece is a large 1/1.33″ Quad-Bayer Samsung ISOCELL BRIGHT HMX sensor with 108MP nominal resolution that produces 27MP output files. It’s accompanied by not one but two tele-cameras for optimal performance along the zoom range. There are 2x 12MP tele and a 5x variant with 5MP sensor.

At the other end of the zoom spectrum a 20MP ultra-wide camera with a 16mm equivalent field of view is deployed and there is also a 2MP dedicated macro camera that can get as close to the subject as 15mm. A 32MP front camera with F2 aperture is hidden in a waterdrop cutout in the display.

On the software side of things the Mi Note 10 features a new version of Xiaomi’s Night mode that now stacks frames at Raw level rather then JPG for better results. Xiaomi also says this feature will be made available on the ultra-wide camera via a software update soon.

Other specifications include a 6.47-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a Snapdragon 730G chipset, 6 GB RAM and a non-expandable 128GB internal storage. The large 5,260 mAh battery features 30W fast-charging support.

In Europe the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 will set you back 549 Euros (approximately $ 608). There will also be a Pro version with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and an 8-element lens on the primary camera (vs 7 elements on the non-Pro) which will cost €649 (approximately $ 718).

The Mi Note 10 and Note 10 Pro are the international version of the China-only Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro and CC9 Pro Premium Edition which were announced yesterday. The China-market versions don’t come with Google services but everything else should be the same.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi teases Mi Note 10 penta-camera smartphone with Samsung’s new 108MP sensor

02 Nov

Xiaomi has officially teased its new Mi Note 10, an upcoming handset, first teased in early August, that packs Samsung’s 108MP camera sensor inside.

The Mi Note 10 is the first smartphone to offer a ‘penta camera,’ according to Xiaomi, which has also included a 12MP portrait camera and 5MP 50x zoom camera in the same module. The model also features two other cameras on the phone’s rear that are isolated from the other three sensors: a 20MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a tiny 2MP macro camera.

Xiaomi published an image (above) of the Mi Note 10 and its five cameras on Twitter this week, teasing the handset that will be detailed at an event later this month. The company has shared a couple of sample images captured with the 108MP camera on its Twitter account, as well:

Xiaomi also tweeted a brief video clip, indicating that it demonstrates the 5MP 50x zoom camera’s capabilities:

A pair of dual-LED flash modules are expected to accompany the five cameras. GMS Arena notes that the Mi Note 10 is a global version of the China-only Mi CC9 Pro model set to launch on November 5, which packs optical image stabilization for two of the cameras, as well as a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

Other official details about the handset are lacking at this time, but based on a previous leak, the Mi Note 10 may feature a 6.47in Full HD+ OLED display. Xiaomi will fully detail the CC9 Pro variant on November 5 and the Mi Note 10 will be fully introduced on November 14.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Samsung Galaxy S11 to come with 5x telescopic zoom and 108MP main camera

26 Sep

Huawei with the P30 Pro and OPPO with the Reno are still the only manufacturers to offer folded-tele-optics in their respective smartphone camera systems. According to South Korean technology publication The Elec they might soon be joined by Samsung, though.

The company started mass production of a 5x optical zoom camera module back in May. In in its report, The Elec claims the new tele camera will debut in the next generation Galaxy S11 device and will be accompanied by a 108MP main camera.

Like other recent high-resolution smartphone sensors, the 108MP juggernaut will likely not be designed to output full resolution images but instead deliver image data that can be subjected to all sorts of computational imaging trickery, resulting in better detail, lower noise, a wider dynamic range and better zoom performance among others.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has released a video which shows the new lens design and how it works in detail. The module is only 5mm tall which means it fits even in thin smartphone bodies without protruding too much. Light is diverted onto the sensor via a prism. The latter is tilting to provide image stabilization which makes a lot of sense for the lens long maximum focal length.

Samsung launched the Note 10 flagship series with a more conventional camera not too long ago but we should be able to see the new design in the S11 models which are expected to launch sometime next spring.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G will pack a 108MP camera and wrap-around ‘Surround Screen’

25 Sep

Xiaomi has officially introduced its Mi Mix Alpha, a 5G concept phone featuring a ‘true’ bezel-free experience. The phone has a massive 180.6% screen-to-body ratio, meaning the display wraps around the edges of the phone and covers the majority of the device’s rear panel. Similarly impressive is the device’s 108MP camera with its 12032 x 9024 pixel resolution.

Xiaomi teased the Mi Mix Alpha’s existence in early August at its Future Image Technology Communications Conference in Beijing. At the time, the company said it would be the first company to pack Samsung’s 108MP ISOCELL sensor into a smartphone, though it didn’t provide any other details at the time.

During its latest event today, Xiaomi introduced the camera that packs that sensor, its new Mix Mix Alpha with Surround Screen. This phone features aerospace titanium, a single power button on the top, pressure-sensitive sides, and a fingerprint sensor hidden underneath the display.

The Mi Mix Alpha is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset alongside 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Joining the 108MP sensor is a secondary rear 12MP telephoto camera with dual PD focus and 2x optical zoom. The phone doesn’t feature a traditional front ‘selfie’ camera due also having a display on the back of the handset — the rear camera is, technically speaking, a front camera as well.

Xiaomi describes the Mi Mix Alpha as a ‘5G concept smartphone.’ According to Engadget, the company plans to produce a small number of units for sale in China at 19,999 yuan (approx. $ 2800 / €2,550) starting in December, but the company’s broader plans for the model, including international availability, are unclear at this time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung Exynos 980 chipset supports 108MP images, 4K video at 120 fps

06 Sep

Samsung has launched its latest top-end chipset for mobile devices which will likely make an appearance in the brand’s next-generation Galaxy S and Note series smartphones. The Exynos 980’s headline features are a built-in 5G modem and plenty of processing power, but the new chip also has lots on offer for mobile photographers and creators.

The chipset supports image resolutions up to 108MP which means it’s ready for use with the next generation of high-resolution Quad-Bayer-like sensors. The image signal processor supports up to five sensors and can simultaneously process the output from three, allowing for advanced image-merging and other computational imaging methods.

There is also a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) which is specially designed to run artificial intelligence tasks. On the camera side of things, this is used for scene and object detection and subsequent optimization of camera parameters.

Exynos 980 powered mobile devices will also be able to encode and decode 4K video at 120 frames per second (fps). Support for HDR10+ with dynamic mapping should result in better color rendering in video clips.

There’s no definitive timeline for when this chipset will be released, but it’s safe to say Samsung’s future smartphones will likely be the first to showcase it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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