Samsung wants to squeeze a 600MP camera into your next smartphone

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera module (Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

What you need to know

A leaked slide unveils Samsung's plans to develop a 600MP camera sensor.
Samsung has to address the size of the module, which would take up a large amount of space and protrude too far out of the back panel.
In the meantime, Oppo is working on a modular camera that could be detached from a smartphone.

Samsung has been pushing the resolution front this year, with the 108MP camera modules introduced in its high-end Galaxy S20 and Note20 models. While the first iteration may not have panned out too well, that hasn't stopped Samsung from wanting to push the envelope further. It's been tipped that Samsung is planning to increase camera resolution by nearly six times that of its current flagships!

Samsung is really doing 600MP sensors! pic.twitter.com/vGgsfxsGGhSamsung is really doing 600MP sensors! pic.twitter.com/vGgsfxsGGh— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 5, 2020 December 5, 2020

For a while, Samsung has been tipped to be working on a smartphone camera with a whopping 600MP resolution. The rumor has just been corroborated by tipster Ice Universe, who seems to have grabbed a slide from a confidential investor presentation. Apparently, Samsung is hoping a larger sensor and resolution would minimize the loss in quality when zooming during 4K and 8K video capture.

The presentation lays out Samsung's plans for its ISOCELL sensor, which would see a huge increase in physical size. The sensor would have 0.8µm pixels, similar to what's found on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra's 108MP sensor. Because of this, the new 1/0.57" sensor, in its current state, would take up roughly 12% of a smartphone's back panel. Additionally, the sensor currently measures 22mm in thickness, making it not ideal for a smartphone with only 9mm thick.

Oppo Modular Camera Patent — Source: Oppo/WIPO (Image credit: Source: Oppo/WIPO)

It's unlikely that Samsung will bring a 600MP sensor any time soon, at least until it can address the sensor size. In the meantime, Oppo might have a solution, as a patent recently cropped up for a removable camera module. Oppo is always trying to push the envelope with its smartphones, going so far as to unveil a concept rollable device. A detachable camera module could be the kind of modularity that could help Samsung, for example, address its sensor size problem while adding a number of interesting use-cases.

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.