Sony’s New 200MP LYT-901 Sensor Sparks Big Shift in Phone Cameras
Sony launches the LYT-901, its first 200MP smartphone sensor, offering new zoom tech, boosted HDR, and advanced AI image processing for next-gen phones.
image for illustrative purpose
On Thursday, Sony presented its new LYT-901, a camera sensor for smartphones with a resolution of up to 200 megapixels, which is expected to be the main feature of the upcoming flagship phones. This sensor, which had been previously mentioned in the leaks as the IMX09E, is now part of the LYTIA series under the new name, LYT, introduced by Sony for the premium mobile imaging hardware.
The company does not regard this as a stepping stone to newer and bigger pixel counts. Rather, Sony is attempting to reshape the way large-resolution sensors work in phones, giving priority to performance efficiency, dynamic range, and zoom.
The LYT-901 is constructed with a 1/1.12-inch pixels of 0.7μm, providing a total 200MP output. The data from the pixels comes in through Quad-Quad Bayer structure and a special hardware remosaic system. The point of the rebayer hardware is that it has integrated AI routines, which means that the sensor can do a lot of the processing that would normally be done by the phone’s main chipset.
The design has an image quality goal that is independent of noise and thus, data management is more in favor of noise reduction.
Sony utilizes Dual Conversion Gain HDR together with Hybrid Frame HDR for the capture of an additional short-exposure frame so the highlight detail can be preserved. The company claims that the sensor can achieve a dynamic range anywhere between 100dB, or around 17 stops, which is the range of times going from dark to bright. This technique is directed at the lighting conditions that are the hardest for the camera, downs and ups in areas that both brightly and poorly lit.
The sensor is capable of 2x optical zoom and approximately 4x digital zoom for both photos and video. The 4x function is meant to deliver a picture such as through a telephoto lens, without a need for a separate optical zoom.
The camera sensor for video captures 4K at 30fps with the same 4x zoom capability. Besides, it allows 4K at 120fps through 4x pixel-binning. Also, there are other pixel-binned outputs like 50MP and 12.5MP modes, which are very useful in low light situations, and they also give the user more freedom when it comes to framing.
Sony is marketing the LYT-901 as a camera solution for events and stage environments; where the uneven lighting and the distance frequently undermine the performance of smartphone cameras.
According to industry analysts, OPPO’s Find X9 Ultra and Vivo’s X300 Ultra are the most probable smartphones that will come with the LYT-901 chip. Both are expected to be high-end camera-focused devices when they are released next year. These models, which have been previously confined only to the Chinese market, might continue to follow the same regional trend.
