Ahead of next week's Unpacked, Samsung recently unveiled a new 200MP telephoto image sensor for smartphones with beefed-up light absorption capability.

Isocell HP9 packs 200 million, 0.56 micrometer-sized pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format. Samsung said it used a new material to make the high-refractive microlens on the sensor that boosts its light-gathering capability by directing more light precisely on the corresponding RGB color filter. 

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The sensor was developed along the trend of premium smartphones using larger wide-angle optical formats for the main camera, which means they have enough room to house larger telephoto sensors, the company said.

The South Korean tech giant said this boosted light sensitivity by 12% and autofocus contract performance by 10% compared to its predecessors.

The sensor excels in low-light conditions thanks to the company's technology that groups 16 pixels into 12MP. 2.24 micrometer-sized sensors to absorb light better for sharper portrait shots and "dramatic" out-of-focus bokeh effects, according to the company.

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The sensor also offers 12x optical zoom when its 4x in-sensor zoom modules are paired with the 3x telephoto zoom module, which should yield clearer, less grainy images when cropped in.

Along with the 200MP telephoto sensor, Samsung also unveiled two new 50MP image sensors, the Isocell GNJ and the Isocell JN5.

According to the company, Isocell GNJ is a dual-pixel sensor with 50 million, 1 micrometer-sized pixels in a 1/1.57-inch optical format. It is called dual pixel because each pixel houses two photodiodes for faster and more accurate autofocus. It also uses Samsung'snew microlens for better light absorption. Pixels are also better isolated from each other to minimize crosstalk, allowing for more precise image-taking.

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Isocell JN5 has 50 million, 0.64 micrometer-sized pixels in a 1/2.76-inch optical format, Samsung said. The sensor has a dual vertical transfer gate technology that increases charge transfer within pixels to lower noise and clearer images in low-light conditions. It has the obligatory phase detection technology and enhanced high dynamic range. It is an all-rounder sensor that can be used in main and sub cameras for wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto. 

It's worth noting that while these sensors may eventually come to mainstream smartphones, it will likely take another year or two before they do, meaning the upcoming Galaxy foldable phones won't receive the camera upgrades Samsung is promoting.

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