Samsung just announced the new ISOCELL GN1 50MP image sensor for smartphones which is also its first sensor to feature Dual-Pixel AF technology, similar to the Sony IMX 689 seen in the OPPO Find X2 Pro.
Larger sensor size than the 108MP ISOCELL HM1
Despite having a lower megapixel capacity as compared to the 108MP ISOCELL sensor, the new ISOCELL GN1 has a larger sensor size at 1.2μm and can compete with the 1.12μm sensor found on the Find X2 Pro.
Dual-Pixel AF & Tetracell Technology
With Dual-Pixel AF, autofocus on the ISOCELL GN1 is much better as compared to the 108MP sensor on the Galaxy S20 Ultra even in low-light situations. In addition to having 100 million phase-detection AF agents, the ISOCELL GN1 also sports Tetracell technology which bins four-pixel signals together to create 12.5MP photos that are brighter and sharper under dim lighting.
Other features
The ISOCELL GN1 comes with Smart-ISO, real-time HDR and EIS. It also supports 8K video recording at 30fps — unlike the Galaxy S20 Ultra that only supports 8K recording at 24fps.
Samsung also revealed that the mass production of the ISOCELL GN1 has already started this month, but leaker Ice Universe tweeted today that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20+ will still be equipped with a 108MP ISOCELL HM1 sensor. This could either mean that the new sensor will only appear on Samsung’s flagship next year, or in Samsung’s midrange phones this year.