Nokia's 41-megapixel smartphone, the 808 Pureiew
It looks like the Nokia 808 Pureview, a cameraphone we tested and thoroughly enjoyed, will soon be getting a run for its money. HTC, known for its popular range of Android-powered phones, is set to take on what many consider to be the smartphone with the best camera. In fact, HTC is even laughing in the face of its rival's 41-megapixel machine, effectively agreeing with critics that the excessively pixel'd sensor in the Nokia "won't help you at all". HTC is not making baseless claims here; they were the first smartphone manufacturer to release a 3D-recording and playback mode on their 2011 HTC Evo 3. Let's not forget that last year, HTC's One X smartphone featured the ability to take photos during video capture.
So what, exactly, does HTC have up their sleeve to back up their jabbing at competitor's camera phones? Meet UltraPixel. In essence, light data passes through three different layers of the same sensor, in order to better duplicate detail and color. The three layers will each capture around 4.3 megapixels, combining to create roughly 13 megapixel photographs - far short of the Nokia's, but then again, you don't need that many, according to HTC. The sensor is very similar to the Foveon sensor found in Sigma's current line of digital cameras.
Sigma's Foveon sensor design, which HTC appears to be borrowing from
Look for this camera to be packaged with the upcoming M7 smartphone. We can expect an official announcement from HTC on February 19th regarding this new smartphone and exactly how the mobile company plans to go on the mobile photography offensive. Check back here on the Unique Photo blog for news and updates.