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The largest ever 50MP phone camera sensor from Sony is landing in a handset this year

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Apr 20, 2022, 5:25 AM

Sony

Back in 2014, with the DMC-CM1 Panasonic released the phone with the largest ever camera sensor at the time, a 20MP one-inch affair that was attached to something more akin to a point-and-shoot camera with Android than a phone.

Today's largest phone camera sensors are no less impressive, such as the 1/1.12-inch Samsung GN2 in the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, or the one-incher in the Sony Xperia PRO-I whose usable area is, however, clipped to a lesser size.

Leave it to Sony to again come up with a huge 1" phone camera sensor that credible leaker Digital Chat Station claims will be released in a phone under the model number IMX989 as soon as this year.

If we have to guess, the new 1" Sony sensor could make a cameo in the heir of the Xperia PRO-I or another Xiaomi flagship, but, whichever phone gets it first, will be able to brag with the largest 50MP camera sensor on a phone, since the PRO-I's main camera is just 12MP in resolution.

In any case, the direct jump to a new IMX900-series of Sony sensors will be big, and we can't wait to see what this new sensor brings to the already impressive phone camera photography experience.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.