Do tetra/nonapixel smartphone sensors offer real benefits over fewer, larger pixels?
Asked 8/25/2023
9 views
2 answers
0
Some smartphones use very high-resolution sensors with tiny pixels, such as 48MP or 108MP sensors with 0.8µm photosites that are grouped into 2x2 or 3x3 same-color blocks and typically output 12MP images through pixel binning. Is this mainly marketing, or are there genuine advantages compared with a sensor of the same overall size that simply had fewer, larger pixels to begin with? For example, can these designs improve low-light performance or digital zoom, and are there tradeoffs from having more pixel boundaries and smaller individual photosites?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
2y ago
2 Answers
1
I could imagine 2 potential advantages:
- pixel binning could allow a better night mode (for example, by keeping the colors which are most represented in the pixels of a group),
- electronic 2x or 3x zoom could be optically better because instead of interpolating pixels, the processor can simply use all the pixels.
I have a Samsung Galaxy A51 with a 48 megapixels sensor, generating 12 MPx images. FWIW, here are the results of my personal tests:
- I would have liked a better night mode, but obviously Samsung did not (could not?) do much better than usual.
- I tested the 2x zoom on some foliage (lots of details and lots of shades of colors). I took 2 pictures, one à 1x, and one at 2x. I am convinced there are details in the 2x picture that could not have been extracted from the 1x picture. IOW, it seems that at 2x, the A51 does not use pixel binning but instead uses each of all the center pixels. It would be interesting if someone did the same test on a nonapixel device at 3x zoom.
Edit: as @FarO commented, sensor resolution is only useful if the lens lets enough details go through. Indeed, the only details which appeared in my 2X tests were those with some level of contrast; this may explain at least partially why the colors on the leaves seemed a little strange.
Originally by user111136. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user111136
2y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—there can be real advantages, though marketing is certainly part of it.
The main practical benefits mentioned are:
- Pixel binning for low light: combining groups of small pixels into one output pixel can improve low-light capture, since the camera can merge information from multiple photosites instead of relying on a single tiny one.
- Better crop/digital zoom: a high-resolution sensor can use more of its native pixels when you zoom in, so 2x or 3x “digital” zoom may preserve more detail than simply enlarging a lower-resolution image.
That said, a sensor with genuinely larger native pixels on the same sensor area can still be advantageous, because each pixel does not have to be split up by extra boundaries and tiny photosites are inherently more challenging in low light. So these designs are not automatically superior.
In short: high-count binned sensors are not just a gimmick—they can help with zoom and potentially low-light processing—but they are a tradeoff, not a free win over a lower-resolution sensor with larger pixels.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI2y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How does smartphone pixel binning compare to larger native pixels?
How do smartphones use pixel binning with 48MP sensors, and why do they still advertise high-resolution photos?
More pixels vs larger pixels on the same sensor size: what are the trade-offs?
Why do phones use 48MP or 200MP cameras when their screens are much lower resolution?
Do larger 4MP smartphone pixels offer real benefits over an 8MP sensor?