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The imaging sensor found inside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus may make its way to other Android smartphones in the near future, with Samsung confirming it’s now mass-producing its 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 module. While the current manufacturing run is expected to be targeted at the company’s latest flagships, Samsung has a long history of making its imaging technologies available to third-party original equipment manufacturers and the latest offerings in the ISOCELL series may follow the same availability pattern.
The sensor itself has a pixel size of 1.4μm and is of the 12-megapixel variety, capable of shooting “super slow-motion” videos at up to 960 frames per second. That feature is directly attributed to its integrated dynamic RAM which allows for readout speeds that are fast enough for capturing movement in such a manner while still being able to deliver a sharp image that isn’t prone to visual artifacts like distortion and noise. The analog logic layer of the sensor is coupled with an LPDDR4 DRAM chip capable of achieving two-gigabit speeds which can be beneficial to mobile photography in a wide variety of use cases. Besides slow-motion functionalities that match those of Sony’s most premium offerings, the use of dynamic RAM also allows the 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 sensor to capture full-frame stills at 1/120 of a second. The Seoul-based tech giant believes the unique feature set of its newest imaging module will allow consumers to record more dramatic videos, with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus being meant to serve as the first proof of its abilities. The same sensor may also make its way to the Galaxy Note 9 expected to launch in late summer.
Following months of rumors, leaks, and anticipation, Samsung officially announced its latest Android-powered flagships on Sunday, introducing a pair of devices that focus on improving the overall performance of the Galaxy S8 lineup while largely retaining its look centered around the 18.5:9 Infinity Display. The handsets will become globally available for pre-orders on Friday and are scheduled to hit the market on March 16. As was the case with all of Samsung’s ultra-premium mobile offerings released in recent years, the Galaxy S9 lineup is expected to be one of the year’s best-selling smartphone series.