Sony IMX800 is not the mega noise sensor, but the numbers smile at it: here it is

There has been talk for some time about a photographic sensor Sony it should have been huge. At the end of February 2021 the informant Rodent talked about it on the occasion of rumors about Huawei P50 on which then different choices were made, a year later it was first touched to Ice Universe and a few days later to Digital Chat Station to attach it to Xiaomi 12 Ultra, which at the time was expected in May – and these are just a few examples.

IT IS NOT 1 INCH, BUT LIKELY THE PROJECT EXISTS

The rumors did not go unnoticed: reliable informants said the Sony IMX800 would be large 1 / 1.1 inch, a record size that would have allowed it to beat the 50 MP and 1 / 1.12 inch Samsung Isocell GN2 of Xiaomi 11 Ultra (here our test). Eventually Sony IMX800 arrived but the GN2 record is still there. The indiscretions have evidently taken a mistake which, however, is likely to concern the name of the sensor and not the existence of the project, given that with the speed at which technology evolves the records are not destined to last long – and in this regard she expressed herself own Sony.

Honor 70 73.3 x 161.4 x 7.91 mm 6.67 inches – 2400×1080 px	Honor 70 Pro 74.6 x 163.9 x 8.18 mm 6.78 inches – 2652×1200 px	Honor 70 Pro Plus 74.6 x 163.9 x 8.18 mm 6.78 inches – 2652×1200 px

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The Sony IMX800 made its debut a few days ago as the main camera of the three Honor 70s and, specific to the hand, the sensor mentioned in the rumors did not turn out. It is not small, mind you, but it’s not huge either: 1 / 1.49 rather than the “expected” 1 / 1.1 inches, so it is worthwhile, after much hype, to delve into the definitive specifications of a sensor that will probably be used by several other smartphones over the next few months.

IMX800 BIGGER THAN GALAXY S22 AND FIND X5 PRO SENSORS

First of all, the parameter that has always made the most noise of all. Sony chose one resolution unusual: 54 megapixels, therefore full resolution photos contain 8,768 x 6,144 pixels. Probably several manufacturers use the pixel binning with 4 to 1 reduction, ie that software trick through which more pixels are merged to obtain a brighter and larger one (from 1 µm to 2.0 µm “equivalent”). By doing so, from the starting 54 MPs are obtained 13.5MP photos brighter than full resolution ones, at least on paper.

The size of the IMX800 sensor is 1 / 1.49 inches, not huge as predicted but not small either: Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 +, Honor Magic 4 Pro and Oppo Find X5 Pro, for example, all have smaller 1 main sensors / 1.56 inches, products of a certain caliber that take high-level photographs. There theory he says that IMX800having a larger sensor, should do better, even if in practice a large part of the final result always depends on the elaboration that the software makes raw information coming from the sensor, and the Pixels and their Google Camera have been the proof of this for years.

A first indication on the qualities of the new Sony IMX800 will come from Honor 70, official in China but not yet in Europe: we hope to try one of the three soon.