Samsung's new CMOS, HD-capable sensors could be picture perfect

Camera phone pictures could get a whole lot prettier with Samsung’s newest image sensors. The Korean manufacturer has just announced two new CMOS sensors for mobile phones with improved image quality over greater depth of field ranges and HD video. Does it sound a little too good to be true?

I’m glad to see that this isn’t just another megapixel pissing contest and that Samsung is actually making strides in improving image quality. The first sensor is the S5K4E2, a 5 megapixel sensor that uses Samsung Enhanced Energy Steering, or SEES technology. It has better noise reduction than most camera phone sensors, if not all, and HD video capabilities. Unfortunately, it’s a choppingly slow 15 frames-per-second at full resolution. With the ability to fit inside a 6.5mm x 6.5mm x 4.5mm module, everything can stay thin and pretty.

The S5K5CA is a 3 megapixel sensor that has has 720p HD capabilities. This sensor is already in mass production, with the S5k4E2 going into mass production late in the first quarter. I’d imagine that coupling sensors like these on capable cameras, especially with the new Bada platform feature phones, would be big hits for Samsung.

[via Unwired]