The Sony Xperia Z5 series actually has a 25MP multi-aspect primary camera sensor
Landscape crops from portrait sensors
Most smartphones, especially Android-based ones, come with camera sensors that natively snap photos at a 4:3 aspect ratio, and this despite the fact that 16:9 has evolved into the modern-day de facto standard.
What this means is that the advertised resolution of the primary camera on most smartphones is accurate only with the camera set up in 4:3 mode. When taking photos in 16:9, like most users tend to, most smartphones actually take a portion - commonly called a crop - of that native 4:3 photo and turn it into a 16:9 one. Here's how this plays out visually:
According to preliminary evidence uncovered by GSM Arena, the Sony Xperia Z5 series actually comes with a 25MP with a native aspect ratio that's taller than 16:9 and wider than 4:3. In technical terms, the phones use a multi-aspect sensor.
When the smartphones shoot in 4:3 mode, the camera crops the native resolution picture at maximum height. When the camera sensor on the Xperia Z5 series is set to 16:9 mode, the camera serves a crop at maximum width. This way, the camera is capable of taking 16:9 photos at a resolution of 5,984 x 3,366 pixels, or about 20MP. If this really were a 23MP sensor as Sony advertises it, the resolution of the 16:9 photo would be 5,520 x 3,105 pixels, or 17.14MP.
What this means is that the advertised resolution of the primary camera on most smartphones is accurate only with the camera set up in 4:3 mode. When taking photos in 16:9, like most users tend to, most smartphones actually take a portion - commonly called a crop - of that native 4:3 photo and turn it into a 16:9 one. Here's how this plays out visually:
Multi-aspect sensor on the Xperia Z5 series
According to preliminary evidence uncovered by GSM Arena, the Sony Xperia Z5 series actually comes with a 25MP with a native aspect ratio that's taller than 16:9 and wider than 4:3. In technical terms, the phones use a multi-aspect sensor.
Note that multi-aspect sensors are not unheard of in the digital photography industry, nor is it the first time that smartphones are equipped with one. On the other hand, the technology basically allows you to capture a bit more detail when shooting in landscape.
source: GSM Arena
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