Samsung just built the world’s highest resolution 200MP camera sensor
Why settle for photo-real images when they can be better than life itself?!
Key takeaways
- In this case though Megapixels don't matter - what matters way more for image quality is the size of each pixel, as bigger pixels, and bigger sensors, capture more light.
- The GN2 is only a 50MP sensor, but with quad-pixel binning, it would go to a 2.8 μm pixel size.
- The GN2 is a bigger overall sensor with bigger pixels, so on paper, it should still be capable of better photography.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Samsung just built the world’s highest resolution 200MP camera sensor', 311 Institute, 17 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/samsung-just-built-the-worlds-highest-resolution-200mp-camera-sensor/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Samsung's latest super-sized camera sensor is the "Isocell HP1” and it has a whopping 200 MP sensor which makes it the highest resolution smartphone camera sensor ever made. Ever. Just to put this into perspective if you saved an image from it at full resolution you'd end up with a truly massive 16,384 × 12,288 pixel image - or to put it another way an image 433cm by 325cm.
In this case though Megapixels don't matter - what matters way more for image quality is the size of each pixel, as bigger pixels, and bigger sensors, capture more light. And with their new sensor Samsung is trying to cover both bases by using pixel binning which merges several pixels into a bigger pixel for low-light situations.
The HP1 has an "all-new" variable pixel-binning technology called "ChameleonCell," which lets the sensor bin at 2×2 pixels or 4×4 pixels, depending on the amount of light.
At 4×4, you're ratcheting the 200 MP sensor all the way down to 12.5 MP by merging sets of 16 pixels. This will turn the full-resolution 0.64 μm pixels into a respectable 2.56 μm pixel, which Samsung says "is capable of more light absorption and sensitivity, producing brighter and clearer photos indoors or in the evening."
Samsung's other super-sized sensor on the market is the GN2, which showed up in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and one or two other phones. The GN2 is only a 50MP sensor, but with quad-pixel binning, it would go to a 2.8 μm pixel size. The GN2 is a bigger overall sensor with bigger pixels, so on paper, it should still be capable of better photography.
Samsung says its 200 MP sensor is sampling now and I’m sure that there‘s a big line of OEM’s who are lining it up to put it in your next smartphone … so send me a picture when you get your hands one!
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Why settle for photo-real images when they can be better than life itself?!
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
- Samsung research.samsung.com
- Binning hamamatsu.magnet.fsu.edu
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra mi.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 17 September 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Samsung just built the world’s highest resolution 200MP camera sensor. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/samsung-just-built-the-worlds-highest-resolution-200mp-camera-sensor/
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