OmniVision Technologies has introduced OV23850 and OV21840, new 23.8-megapixel and 21.4-megapixel camera sensors in the PureCel-S series aimed at high-end smartphones. These are based on OmniVision’s advanced stacked die process, which separates the imaging array from the image sensor processing pipeline into a stacked die structure providing additional sensor functionalities, such as phase detection autofocus (PDAF), two-dimensional contrast fast autofocus and HDR video, while maintaining a small footprint, says the company.
Regarding the new sensors, Harish Iyer, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision, said,
Industry experts anticipate that 20+ megapixel image sensors will be the next popular resolution threshold for flagship smartphones in 2015. The OV23850 and OV21840 are designed to facilitate the adoption of this resolution range by smartphone OEMs. We see the megapixel race in the smartphone segment as heating up, with flagship smartphones reaching toward not only DSC-comparable resolutions, but also advanced features such as fast autofocus, HDR mode, burst mode and slow motion video that today are characteristically restricted to DSCs.
OmniVision OV23850 specifications
- Supports active array of 5632 x 4224 pixels (23.8 megapixels) at 24 frames per second (FPS)
- Sensor size of 1/2.3″, pixel size: 1.12 μm x 1.12 μm
- Images size – 23MP (5648×4232), 18MP (5648×3184), 6MP (2824×2120)
- Records 4K video at 30fps in HDR mode, 1080p HD video at 90 fps and 720p HD video at 120fps (slow motion)
- Output formats: 14/12/10-bit HDR RAW, 10-bit RGB RAW, DPCM 12/10-8 compression
OmniVision OV21840 specifications
- Supports active array of 5344 x 4016 pixels (21.4-megapixel) at 27 FPS
- Sensor size of 1/2.4″, pixel size: 1.12 μm x 1.12 μm
- Images size – 21MP (5344×4016), 16MP (5344×3006)
- Records 4K video at 30fps in HDR mode, 1080p HD video at 90 fps and 720p HD video at 120fps (slow motion)
- Output formats: 14/12/10-bit HDR RAW, 10-bit RGB RAW,
These OmniVision OV23850 and OV21840 sensors are currently in sampling stage and the mass production is expected in Q1 2015.