Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 12 megapixels and 108 megapixels

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Technology of connecting pixels by the camera matrix on the example of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.

High resolution (non)cameras while producers are keen to juggle up to 108 Mpix in promotional material, most phones are taking much lower frequency pictures by default. Why?

By-product of pushing more pixels on the array is decreasing the size of pixels. The smaller the pixel, the smaller the amount of light captured and the resulting lower the image. Especially in more difficult conditions.

To prevent this, manufacturers use software technology to blend multiple adjacent pixels . Typically 4, sometimes even 9. Sony calls its Quad Bayer solution and Samsung Nonacell, but in any case the principle is the same - several small neighboring photosensitive points behave like one big one to capture more light.

A single pixel in a 0.8 micrometer pixel size Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a 108 megapixel camera. which is not very impressive. however, 9 adjacent pixels occupy a total of 2.4 micrometers, which makes an impression on a smartphone.

However, connecting data to 9 pixels means that resolution is reduced by 9 times. Therefore, by default, Samsunga's flag takes photos not in full 108, but 12 Mpix.

Well, that's so many theories. But does the pixel merge really work? Let's check.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 108 versus 12 Mpix comparison photos with Galaxy S20 Ultra I took with a tripod to make sure that the differences in picture quality are only due to a change in resolution.

Since a smaller pixel means less light, I have taken care of this, To serve Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra as little light as possible. I took the following pictures in 108 and 12 Mpix mode in deep darkness .

Galaxy S20 Ultra in 12 mode, Mpix captured a much brighter image than 108 Mpix. Moreover, closer visual inspection reveals that he is less noisy.

We move to more shots, this time taken outdoors , although the lighting conditions were still poor.

Like before, Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 12 megapixel mode that captures more light what has translated into a brighter picture and more detail from shadows.

I made more photos with a better light . The conditions were still not perfect, but the lights were so much that the sensor did not have to fight to squeeze every barrel out.

With more artificial light, Galaxy S20 Ultra has still better done. Especially when it comes to color reproduction and exposure of darker parts of the image.

I would also like to add that in 108 mode, the night mode is not working. It's probably because the layout you're using wouldn't be able to combine pictures with so much data for a few seconds.

Now we're going to take pictures taken on . To begin with, for example:




Although I did the above photos in afternoon, Galaxy S20 Ultra didn't have a little, because a completely cloudy sky forces the gap to be closed . It is clear that the tonal range is higher in photo 12 MP.

Finally, photos taken with less cloudy and in more friendly conditions when the frame was more evenly illuminated.

Still, the 12 Mpix picture has a noticeably better dynamic . Even in good light, pixel blending is therefore a real benefit.

^^^OK, we have already determined that linking neighboring pixels really helps to capture more light and generate a nicer picture. But does 9 small pixels combined work as well as 1 big pixel?

I've already found the answer to this question in my comparison between Galaxy S20 and S20 Ultra . I would remind you that the small version of the flag-building has a 12 megapixel main camera with 1.8 micrometer pixels.

In the example above, both smartphones have produced a picture with similar brightness in the dark. However, you can see approximately that the smaller model has less noise . Point for large pixels.

And what does it look like in the day?




At first glance, photos are very similar, but once you've trimmed it, you'll see that the 12 megapixel Galaxy S20 image is slightly more detailed than the 12 megapixel S20 ultra photo.

Conclusions?
It appears that 1 large pixel performs better than 9 small . The difference would certainly be even greater if the S20 had pixels of not 1.8 but 2.4 micrometers (like the merged Ultra pixels). But.

Remember that the 108 Megapixel sensor has the advantage of being able to take a shot in a full 108 Mpix . Here are the shots of 108 and 12 Mpix:

You can see a huge gap . Even after cutting out the tiny fragment, a 108 megapixel photo remains sharp and usable, which can compensate for the lower tonal range compared to 12 megapixel.

A high-resolution sensor with pixel blending technology seems to be a gold-plated center from my test, it appears that pixel binding is not any sewage, because it actually increases the amount of light you capture and improves the quality of your photo.

While several linked pixels do not work as well as a single larger pixel, they have different advantages.

When it comes to me, I am more comfortable with a high-resolution camera, Which in 12-megapixel mode can and will take a slightly weaker image than a large 12-megapixel sensor, but it's more versatile. When necessary, you can increase the number of megapixels several times, giving you a lot of detail. This improves the camera's versatility and flexibility.

What is your opinion? Is it a good way to increase camera resolution and compensate for quality drops with pixel-blending technology? Or would it be better if producers were to focus only on pixel sizes with a lower maximum resolution? Be familiar with the comments.