Samsung unveils new image sensor with faster autofocus

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday introduced a new image sensor that has faster autofocus and better light sensitivity features as the South Korean tech giant pushes to upgrade its smartphone-related technologies. The ISOCELL GN1 is Samsung's new 50-megapixel (MP) image sensor based on 1.2-micrometer pixels.

"Thanks to the relatively larger pixel size, the GN1 brings image sensor performance to a new level with a combination of elevated light sensitivity for stellar lowlight photos and DSLR-level autofocus speeds, optimized for more dynamic picture-taking experience," Samsung said in a release.

The world's largest memory chipmaker said the ISOCELL GN1 is the company's first image sensor to offer both Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies that allow autofocusing with 100 million phase detection autofocus (PDAF). Its Dual Pixel technology places two photodiodes side-by-side within a single pixel that can receive light from different angles for phase detection, according to Samsung.

"With all of the sensor's active pixels working as autofocusing agents, the GN1 can detect and focus onto a desired still or moving object from every corner in an instant, even in low-light conditions," it said. Its Tetracell technology is a pixel-merging solution that improves the pixels' capacity to capture and process more light, according to Samsung. "With improved light sensitivity combined with a powerful auto-focusing solution, the GN1 is able to focus on an object quickly even in an extreme low-light environment to deliver both brighter and sharper results," it said.

The ISOCELL GN1 also comes with the latest image sensor technologies, including gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) and Smart-ISO. Samsung said it has started mass production of the ISOCELL GN1 this month. Germany's foreign intelligence service violated the constitution by spying on internet data from foreigners abroad, the nation's top court ruled Tuesday in a victory for overseas journalists who brought the case. The BND agency's surveillance violates "the fundamental right to privacy of telecommunications" and freedom of the press, judges at the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe said in their verdict.

But given the "great importance" of foreign surveillance to German security, the court gave the BND until the end of 2021 to change its practices and comply with the law. The ruling marked the first time the Constitutional Court clearly stated that the BND must respect fundamental rights accorded by the Germany's Basic Law constitution even when operating abroad.