Sony has unveiled the technical specifications of its IMX800. This new sensor for premium smartphones is limited to a definition of 54 Mpx, but is relatively imposing thanks to its 1/1.49” format.
Mentioned by more or less precise rumors in recent months, the IMX800 is finally coming to fruition at Sony. This new premium smartphone photo sensor may be a little less impressive than expected, but it’s still sturdy enough to fit on mid-range and high-end smartphones that rely heavily on photography. The IMX800 will thus make its debut on the Honor 70, 70 Pro and 70 Pro+ announced yesterday and expected next week in China.
This sensor relies on an ultimately fairly banal definition of 54 Mpx to natively capture shots of 8,768 x 6,144 pixels. This definition will mainly serve the interests of the pixel binning, with a 4 to 1 ratio in this case, notes GSMArena. As the site specifies, most smartphones that will ship an IMX800 will be satisfied ultimately of 13.5 or 12 MP shots.
A big sensor… but maybe not as big as expected
Still, the rumors wanted it big. It is, but slightly less than expected. For the IMX800, Sony nevertheless adopts a 1/1.49” format which remains generous, enough to dethrone – at least in size – the sensors added to the Honor Magic4 Pro, Galaxy S22 or Oppo Find X5 Pro. And for good reason, these three devices are equipped with smaller 1/1.56” format sensors.
No bad surprise either with the size of the pixels captured by the IMX800: it is established at 1.0 µm, while rising to 2.0 µm when the pixel binning is employed. As GSMArena points out, this data is important since sensors with very high definition pass more and more frequently below the micrometer bar. The photo quality may then be degraded.
If it debuts on the market on board the Honor 70, the IMX800 is positioned as a versatile premium sensor. We should therefore find it on many smartphones expected during the second half of 2022.
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