Hidden code reveals that Xiaomi could be first to use this sensor on a phone

Remember when you walked around, feeling like the King of the neighborhood because your Samsung Behold had a 5MP camera on back? While a bigger megapixel count doesn't necessarily translate to better pictures, today we have phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro carrying around a 48MP primary sensor. And if XDA is right, Xiaomi will be the first to release a phone with a 64MP camera sensor on the back.

Strings of code that XDA discovered on the latest version of the MIUI 10 Camera app make references to a 64MP "ultra-pixel" mode. They also allude to a 64MP Dual Camera. Right now, Samsung has the only 64MP sensor announced. That would be the ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor with a small pixel size of 0.8μm. Samsung unveiled the sensor last month noting that under bright lighting conditions it can produce 64MP photos. When lighting conditions are not as favorable, the sensor merges four pixels into one to create a better quality 16MP image. The GW1 sensor will record video in 1080p (FHD) at 480fps allowing it to support "smooth cinematic slow-motion videos." Samsung's sensor also supports real-time high dynamic range (HDR) of up to 100-decibels (dB). That compares to the 60 decibels found on many handsets and the human eye's 120 decibels.

The code discovered by XDA dovetails with a leak from tipster Ice Universe who posted on Weibo a few days ago about a "mysterious" Redmi model (made by Xiaomi) that will be the first to use Sammy's 64MP sensor. While the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 series will not feature it, we could see the 64MP GW1 sensor also employed on the upcoming Galaxy A70 mid-range handset.