Before we dive into this exciting, ambitious, and mind-boggling leak, get as much doubt as possible. Got it? Let’s go. According to a new leak, Samsung is working on developing a camera sensor with an amazing resolution of 324 megapixels that could appear in a flagship phone two years from now.
According to leaker Sanju Choudhary, the Galaxy S26 Ultra phone will come equipped with an internal ISOCELL HR1 sensor that produces a 324-megapixel resolution sensor. This is the largest smartphone sensor we’ve encountered, surpassing the 200-megapixel units Samsung is currently promoting.
Reportedly, the 324-megapixel camera will contain a 1/1.2-inch sensor. Now, keep in mind that Samsung has not officially confirmed any plans to manufacture sensors beyond the 200-megapixel threshold. However, this is not the first time we have heard rumors that Samsung’s ISOCELL division is aiming for something truly crazy.
Galaxy S26 Ultra might use a 324-megapixel (Hexa² Pixel) ISOCELL HR1 1/1.2-inch sensor as the primary sensor. The 3x Telephoto sensor will come with a 50-megapixel sensor.
Thoughts?? pic.twitter.com/kMjXaDjBjl
– Sanju Choudhary (@ saaaanjjjuuu) October 25, 2024
“Production has not started yet. “But development has been almost completed according to the sources,” Choudhary exclusively told Digital Trends. He also mentioned that the company is also working on a larger 432-megapixel camera sensor.
Earlier last year, another leak mentioned plans for a 320-megapixel camera unit in development at Samsung. But the leak didn’t stop there. It also mentioned a more outrageous 440-megapixel camera sensor, more than double the resolution outputs of the best that the smartphone industry currently offers.
Now, according to the latest information from the leaks, the upcoming 324-megapixel ISOCELL sensor is likely to perform two consecutive pixel binning cycles, which include six adjacent pixel units each time.
For the uninitiated, large camera sensors rely on a process called pixel binning, which combines neighboring pixel units (in formats like 2×2, 3×3, and 4×4) to create a super pixel capable of gathering more light data sequentially to produce more detailed shots. In some cases, the process is done twice.
Take for example Samsung’s ISOCELL HP2 sensor, which comes with a resolution of 200 megapixels in its original state. In the first stage of quad-cell binning, it produces 50-megapixel shots. It can also go through another round of binning to produce 12.5-megapixel resolution images.
Choudhary told me that both the 324-megapixel and 432-megapixel resolution sensors in development at Samsung will follow the Hexa pixel binning format. He also mentioned that the former offers a 0.52-micron pixel size. However, the latter will come with a larger sensor. As a side note, the 200-megapixel resolution sensor inside the Galaxy S23 Ultra phone already delivers impressive results.
These numbers may seem absurd, but it appears that Samsung is very serious about the progress being made. In 2021, at the SEMI Europe summit, a Samsung executive shed light on plans to push a 576-megapixel sensor by 2025. Assuming Samsung is serious about achieving this goal, we may be just a few months away from seeing a smartphone camera sensor with a 576-megapixel resolution (via digital imaging review).
When I expressed my doubts about Samsung’s approach to developing high pixel density camera sensors, Choudhary agreed that their adoption would indeed be a problem, especially from the perspective of the costs involved and the required improvements for such heavy sensor devices.
But how far are we from seeing a 324-megapixel camera sensor? Choudhary reiterated that “the development of 324-megapixel camera sensors is about to be ready,” adding that he is “absolutely confident” about the developments at Samsung.
At the same time, we have already seen alleged renders of the Galaxy S25 Ultra device, and some of its potential internal upgrades as well. A design refresh seems to be on the way, with a significant boost in firepower from Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite system on chip.
The next Samsung Unpacked event is likely to take place in January, and we hope to see much more than just smartphones from the Galaxy S25 series at the exciting launch event.
