Sony reveals world's highest-resolution phone-camera image sensor

SPAIN-TELECOM-MOBILE-WORLD-CONGRESS — Sony is pushing the envelope when it comes to phone camera sensors.
Josep Lago / AFP/Getty Images

Sony announced Monday that it's designed the highest-resolution image sensor for phone cameras, offering 48 effective megapixels.

This increased pixel count allows for 8,000 x 6,000 photos and high-definition imaging even when an image is zoomed in, the company says.

Its 0.8 micron pixel size will work with a Quad Bayer color filter array to match the colors of the adjacent 2 x 2 pixels and avoid noisy, dim image quality when taking photos in low-light conditions.

unnamed — The images on the left shows a shot from a conventional phone camera image (with 12 effective megapixels), while the right side shows photos from a camera with the IMX586 sensor (with 48 effective megapixels).
Sony

"Original Sony exposure control technology and signal processing functionality are built into the image sensor, enabling real-time output and a superior dynamic range that is four times greater than conventional products," the company notes.

Sony plans to start shipping the sensors in September, at a price of 3,000 yen ($27).

If you're curious about Sony's recent phone offerings, CNET's Andrew Hoyle called its Xperia XZ2 Compact "the best small phone around" last month.

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