Better imaging and HDR video promised on Sony’s new sensors

Sony is working on new sensors for smartphones that will enable users to capture brighter and sharper images than ever before.

The company is developing its new and improved sensors by using a new RGBW matrix. This is a tweaked version of the traditional RGB format which has been customized by adding a white pixel to the mix. This addition leads to improved light sensitivity which results in better low-light performance. Though the addition of a white pixel usually degrades the quality of a picture, Sony has worked around the problem successfully.

With the new RGBW format, users will be able to shoot high quality videos in addition to clicking brighter still images. High Dynamic Range or HDR will make it possible to capture good quality motion pictures in situations with high contrast.

Sony is prepping for the release of its new sensors later this year. Its basic 8MP sensor will begin sampling as early as March but this one will not offer support for HDR. A 13MP sensor will follow in June. The last of the series, an 8MP sensor with HDR support, will be developed in August.

As Gsmarena suspects, with this timeline, it is unlikely that Sony’s sensors will start shipping with smartphones before the end of this year or before early next year. Of course, with everything that they have to offer, it looks like the wait will be worth it.