OmniVision, one of the leading suppliers of image sensors for mobile phones, has announced two new products today: the OV16820 and the OV16825. They have the same specifications, except that the former uses a “ceramic land grid array (CLGA) package” while the latter is available in “die form”. We wish we knew what that meant, but anyway, let’s dive right into the juicy stuff. Both of these sensors take 16 megapixel pictures. They use pixels that are 1.3 microns large. To put that into some perspective, the iPhone 4’s camera has pixels that are 1.75 microns large, and the iPhone 4S camera has pixels that measure 1.4 microns. Larger is better, so we’re a little sad to see these pixels shrinking. The actual sensor itself measures 1/2.3 inches across, which is rather beefy compared to the 1/3.2 inch sensor in the iPhone 4S. Again, larger sensors translate to better light capture, which means better photos.
The good news doesn’t stop there though. These sensors will be able to grab 4K video (3840 x 2160 resolution) at 60 frames per second. They’ll also be able to take 16 megapixel photos at 30 frames per second. You’ll need a hell of an imaging processor to enable those features however, so we don’t see that kind of stuff coming to phones any time soon.
Which brings us to the most important question, when will these parts actually be inside a phone we’ll be able to buy from our local electronics store? OmniVision says these sensors are now sampling and that volume productions kicks off in the fourth quarter of this year, which means there’s a high probability that Mobile World Congress 2013 will be all about 16 megapixel flagship phones. Said flagships will likely land in April of May of next year.
Reminder: This can’t be stressed enough, more megapixels doesn’t equal better photos. It’s all about the optics and the image processing. Keep that in mind the next time you’re thinking about buying a new phone and want something that takes awesome photos.