Samsung might be working on a 150-megapixel camera sensor

Here’s a spicy rumor for you: after delivering the first 108MP image sensor for smartphones, Samsung might be working on a new 150-megapixel sensor, MSPoweruser reports. According to a post in the Korean tech community site Clien.net, the sensor has been requested by a group of third-party Chinese companies: Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. The sensor is said to be using Samsung’s Nonacell technology, effectively combining nine pixels into one, hence the pixel count shouldn’t come as a shock.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra uses the same Nonacell tech in its 108-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HM1 sensor, producing 12-megapixel final shots. The rumored new sensor has a 1-inch footprint, slightly bigger than the HM1, and would produce 16-megapixel images. Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo supposedly asked for a 200-megapixel sensor, but technical difficulties with production yield forced the companies to settle with the 150-megapixel alternative.

It is rumored that Xiaomi might use the new sensor in its smartphones as early as Q4 2020, while the other two brands are biding their time, waiting for next year’s Snapdragon 875 chipset. It’s not clear if Samsung has plans to use the sensor in its own devices, such as the upcoming Galaxy Note 20. All the information above should be taken with the usual grain of salt, as there’s no official confirmation to any of it at the moment.