ISOCELL GN1, 50-megapixel 1.2μm product
Equipped with two photodiodes per pixel
Outputs 100 million pixel images with dual pixel technology


On the 19th, Samsung Electronics launched the 'ISOCELL GN1', a 50-megapixel mobile image sensor based on 1.2μm pixels that supports ultra-high-speed autofocus.

The ISOCELL GN1 simultaneously applies 'Dual Pixel' technology, which places two photodiodes in one pixel, and 'Tetracell' technology, which combines four adjacent pixels into one.

Just as humans use both eyes to focus on a subject, the ISOCELL GN1 is equipped with Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF) technology that calculates the phase difference between the images detected by two photodiodes located on the left and right of each pixel to accurately and quickly focus on a subject.

Since each pixel has two photodiodes, in the case of 50 million pixels, an image of 100 million pixels can be output using the light received by 100 million photodiodes.

Additionally, it can receive more light with a pixel area of 1.2μm. In dark environments, the Tetracell technology combines four pixels into one, quadrupling the sensitivity and enabling 12.5-megapixel image capture.

Samsung Electronics also installed image sensor technologies such as 'Smart-ISO', which automatically adjusts the ISO value according to the light, 'Real-time HDR', which automatically optimizes brightness and contrast when taking images, and 'Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)'.

The ISOCELL GN1 is in mass production starting this month.

According to Techno System Research (TSR), Samsung Electronics held a 17.9% market share in the image sensor market last year, ranking second only to Japan's Sony at 49.1%. Park Yong-in, head of the sensor team at the LSI Business Unit, stated his ambition, "We will develop a 600 million-pixel image sensor that surpasses the human eye."