Some interesting news out of Sony today that the above headline doesn’t properly convey, due to size limitations. The better headline (which is directly from Sony) should read as:

 Sony Announces a New Type 1/2.6 22.5 Megapixel Exmor RS, the Industry’s First Stacked CMOS Image Sensor with Built-in Hybrid Autofocus and 3-Axis Electronic Image Stabilization 

So what’s all the hoopla about?

According to Sony, their new IMX318 image sensor is designed for “smartphones and other devices” which increasingly call for better cameras and thinner form factors.

 The IMX318 is a type 1/2.6 stacked CMOS image sensor with 22.5 effective megapixels, and it boasts a more compact size, greater image quality, and higher performance. This new Exmor RS is the industry’s first to be equipped with built-in high-speed hybrid autofocus (“AF”), as fast as 0.03 seconds, and built-in 3-axis electronic image stabilization technology for video. 

For an overview, the IMX318 boasts a

stacked structure and the industry’s smallest unit pixels, which measure 1.0μm (micrometers) in size. With this, the image sensor achieves a compact, type 1/2.6 size suitable for inclusion into smartphones, while still realizing a high resolution of 22.5 effective megapixels, among the top in the industry. This new image sensor not only boasts enhanced resolution, but it also matches its predecessor in image quality despite the IMX318’s smaller size and unit pixels (IMX230 predecessor model: type 1/2.4 sensor with 1.12μm unit pixel size). Additionally, Sony has succeeded in equipping the IMX318 with cutting-edge digital imaging features, namely high speed built-in hybrid AF and 3-axis electronic image stabilization for video, a first*1 for the industry. With this image sensor, the user can capture image stills of those decisive moments reliably in high quality, as well as high resolution video without fear of blur.

An interesting tidbit from all of this is that the new sensor is capable of recording 4K all be it at 30fps. I’d be interested to know what it will take for 4K video in mobile to achieve 60fps. Now the big question is what new devices will be getting the new image sensors. Perhaps the iPhone 7 or the rumored Sony Xperia X Premium?

Discuss:

What devices do you think will get the honors of having this new sensor?

[Via Sony]