That 108MP Galaxy S11+ sensor? It could still churn 12MP photos...
To achieve this breathtaking leap, Samsung has created not one, but two 108MP sensors, it seems. The first one was developed in partnership with Xiaomi, and landed in its Mi Note 10 phone that we took for a spin, and found to be a bit underwhelming when it comes to image sharpness and camera speed.
It's a king of captured detail, though, as can be expected, but Samsung is reportedly planning to use a tailored version of the 108MP sensor for its S11 series, that will be exclusive to it, and eventually surpass the one on the Mi Note 10 in terms of quality.
S11+，108MP，9→1，12MP/2.4μm
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) 15 декември 2019 г.
Well, how do you jump from a fairly standard 1.4 μm pixel size on the S10 to the record 2.4 micron on the S11+? By pixel-binning, of course. Samsung has increased the pixel count of its main Galaxy S11 camera sensor 9x compared to what we have on the S10, and, surprisingly, that's exactly the ratio it may be using to virtually merge several adjacent pixels into one giant pool of light that would improve low-light sensitivity and color information.
We say surprisingly, as all pixel-binning efforts from 48Mp, 64MP and even 108MP sensors so far, have merged 2x2 grids of pixels, while Samsung may opt for a 3x3 set of neighboring pixels to snap photos with the S11+ that are incredibly detailed and with stellar dynamic range, while at the same time keeping the size in check, and the resolution compatible across devices. Let's not forget that the S11 and S11e may not be sporting the huge 108MP sensor, but rather use smaller resolution main cameras, again in pixel-binning mode.
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