Samsung building its own 1000 fps camera sensor, likely to challenge Sony

Samsung building its own 1000 fps camera sensor, likely to challenge Sony
HIGHLIGHTS

The new camera sensor is built upon a basic two-chip design and makes use of an additional DRAM chip. The sensor will be able to click faster photos and record slow-motion videos at 1000 fps.

Samsung is reportedly working on its own 1000 fps camera sensor which can be used to capture photos really fast or for recording slow motion videos at nearly 1000 fps. Sony was the first to build a mobile camera which is able to capture 1000fps videos. It was able to do so by integrating an on-chip memory with its camera sensor. The Motion Eye camera featured on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ and the recently launched Xperia XZ1 sported Sony’s 1000 fps sensor. According to a report by Korean website ETnews, Samsung Semiconductors is working on building a similar sensor by this November. It plans to use it in its next generation of Galaxy S smartphones.   

Samsung is reportedly employing a design which uses a traditional two-layer CMOS sensor along with an additional DRAM chip joined externally. The report also said that Samsung is using this design to avoid certain patent infringements. Sony has also designed its camera with an on-chip memory which enables users to shoot consecutive photos in 1/120th of a second. Sony says its new camera is four times faster than other chips. This was possible as Sony built a three-layer CMOS sensor which follows the pixels, control logic, and memory architecture. 

Samsung may be using a simpler two-chip design, however, the report states that the company has an advantage over Sony. The 1 Gigabit DRAM chip used by Sony for its image sensor is supplied by Micron, however, Samsung has in-house factories to produce both the image and camera sensors. At present, Samsung uses both, its own and Sony-made sensors and this development could mean that the company may be moving towards housing its own complete camera system aboard its future smartphones.

Shubham Sharma

Shubham Sharma

Interested in tech, gaming, cyber-security, anime, and more View Full Profile

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