Smartphone cameras have long been able to do more than many compact “point-and-shoot” cameras. In some conditions, flagship devices produce a picture that can compete in quality even with a DSLR or a system camera. Still, the weakest side of a smartphone camera is shooting in the dark. Some manufacturers, through software, software processing and long exposure, can make the night in the afternoon, but they still have room to grow. Moreover, special modes cannot make shooting instant. This means that something needs to be done with the sensitivity of the matrix, and then Chinese companies again come to the rescue. As a result, we may soon have a new type of cameras.
In a modern smartphone, the camera has become almost the most important component.
What sensors are in cameras
The company that is ready to change the mobile camera market is Vivo this time. This is the case when a company often proposes new solutions, which are then adopted by other companies, but at the same time it cannot provide itself with a normal level of sales.
It's still difficult to get a good low-light shot with your phone, but Vivo may fix that in the near future. The Chinese brand has unveiled plans to create an RGBW (red, green, blue, white) camera sensor that performs much better in low light conditions.
The company says the new sensor will be the first in the world to use this technology. The camera will have an RGBW matrix and an array of color filters. The most interesting thing about it will be that it will immediately have a light sensitivity 200 percent higher than that of RGGB sensors (red, green, green, blue). Thanks to this, the quality of pictures, even in low light, can be really good.
Vivo can make good smartphones, only they buy them badly.
Another type of sensor that is currently on the market is RYYB (red, yellow, yellow, blue). But even in comparison with it, according to the company, the new product works 60% more efficiently. For example, such a sensor is used in some smartphones Huawei, which have long been famous for their photo capabilities. The same sensor is installed in the current flagship of the company – Huawei P40 Pro.
When will the new one come out Vivo
Devices using the new sensor are in development and are expected to hit stores in 2021. Vivo stated that she “quietly” worked on the sensor for about a year. It's really not worth advertising this. Surely other companies have also thought about this, but you should not once again challenge them and force them to come up with an answer. When everything is almost ready and it will be simply impossible to catch up, you can already share information.
Is Vivo cheating on us?
In fact, the company Vivo is a bit disingenuous, saying that this is the first sensor of its kind. In some ways it is really new, but the use of a white pixel was already there. For example, a similar concept was proposed back in 2015 in the Huawei P8 smartphone. That sensor was able to reduce noise in low light and improve brightness in high contrast environments.
At that time, the result was generally good, although the smartphone had problems with brightly lit backgrounds, as well as with color saturation in dark scenes. However, that was five years ago, and we can safely assume that with modern technology, Vivo has found a way to improve the sensor and make it really cool.
So far, we cannot say that we have guarantees that a new technological camera will appear. However, Vivo was able to get some of their cameras to photograph well even in the dark. This can be seen with the X50 Pro. At the same light level, it shoots slightly better than the competition.
The camera of this smartphone gave a light to many, but also did not 'shoot'.
All the same, no one is immune from competition. Competitors with their developments do not stand still, and in 2021 we will see updates to the 108 megapixel sensor from Samsung and something new from Sony, which is already famous for its sensors. One thing is certain. With a high degree of probability, we can get a new player in the mobile photography industry. Of course, if they don't screw up.
How smartphone cameras differ
This news proves once again that many users do not quite correctly assess the capabilities of the camera when they compare smartphones, choosing what to buy. Many people think that the higher the resolution, the better the camera will shoot, but this is not at all the case. Resolution is simply the number of pixels on the sensor. This is the same as judging the display of a smartphone only by its diagonal, although they differ in many more parameters. The most important ones are pixel density and resolution.
The opinion that the more megapixels, the better the camera, is imposed by manufacturers. This indicator is always easier to pump and present. It is difficult to explain that now the brightness of photos has become 10 percent higher, and 16 Mp and 48 Mp will understand everything. Don't be fooled. The camera has a lot more options than just resolution. Remember this!