Xiaomi may be first to launch a smartphone with new 150 megapixel Samsung camera

According to reliable tipster IceUniverse (via GizmoChina), Samsung has recently completed the development of a 150 megapixel camera sensor, which, thanks to a partnership between the South Korean giant and Xiaomi, may end up in a Xiaomi phone, that is to be released sometime in the fourth quarter of 2020. It's currently unknown which Xiaomi smartphone model that would be.

The two companies previously worked "from the early conceptual stage to production" on the 108 megapixel sensor, as Samsung announced in mid-2019.

Samsung has been vocal in its quest for higher megapixels and overall cutting edge small image sensors. Today the company released a video trailer showcasing it's currently-available 108 megapixel camera, found on the $1,400 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G.

The South Korean company has shared information about its new technologies behind the sensors, to likely return for the aforementioned 150 megapixel camera, namely the so-called Nonacell Technology, which allows for pixels smaller than what is available on the average image sensor, equating to much sharper and more detailed photography. In addition, Samsung's ISOCELL Plus technology boosts pixel performance by isolating each pixel, allowing for more light to be gathered by the lens, and introducing a different, unspecified material used for the normally minute, metal barriers between pixels, that is supposed to reduce optical loss and light reflection.

Samsung's Yongin Park, Head of Sensor Business Team, has also announced plans to eventually deliver 600 megapixel cameras, surpassing what the human eye can perceive, believed to be around 500 megapixels.

Furthermore, the company has shown interest in introducing consumer-grade sensors that can register tastes and smells, and even such that go beyond the human senses. Yongin Park has given examples of how ultraviolet light can be helpful for diagnosing skin cancer, or infrared sensors can help quality control in agriculture, among other industries.

And while talk of such sensors making it into our phones may seem a bit far-fetched to some, it's actually reasonable to expect anything that will make a splash and give uniqueness to a smartphone, especially if it's helpful and useful to consumers. But until then, it's also exciting to see how far phone camera technology can go, and what Samsung has in store for us next.