HTC M7 to come to new camera sensor featuring ultrapixels
Get ready to add a new term to your Android geek lingo, because HTC wants you to forget about megapixels and instead drool over the “ultrapixels” of its new M7 smartphone.
Ok, let’s back up a little. Megapixel literally means “million of pixels”, which is pretty straightforward. So, what’s HTC’s new ultrapixel? Are there more pixels in an ultrapixel than in an old-fashioned megapixel?
The new term actually refers to a type of sensor, which features three layers of pixels, each of a 4.3MP resolution. Using three overlaid sheets of pixels on the sensor will enable the M7 camera to take images that are crisper and more color accurate than the ones taken with conventional sensors. This is because the firmware will combine the information received by the three layers of pixels, to create one single virtual pixel. More information per pixel will also allow the camera to process the image in novel ways, such as focusing on a certain area of the image, after it was taken.
According to unnamed sources quoted by Pocket-lint, the sensor of the HTC M7 camera will somehow resemble the sensor that Nokia fitted on the PureView 808 and the Foveon X3 sensor on some Sigma cameras.
So, why did HTC felt compelled to coin a new term for the M7 camera sensor? Because the actual resolution of the images snapped with the new flagship will supposedly be just 4.3MP. Just like on the Nokia PureView 808, the camera will be able to snap photos at higher resolutions, but only in a special mode.
It’s understandable why HTC would be uneasy about touting a camera resolution of just 4.3MP. According to the report, the ultrapixel sensor would be central to HTC’s marketing for the M7, just like the ImageSense software was a highlight of the marketing campaign for the One X.
A caveat: this is, until further proof, just a rumor. Earlier reports about the M7 all suggested that HTC’s new hero device would come with a conventional 13MP sensor. But one could say that 3 x 4.3MP is approximately 13MP, so there might be some truth in both accounts.
The M7 is due on February 19, so we don’t have to wait too long until the mystery surrounding the ultrapixel is cleared. Stay tuned for mover coverage.
CommentsncG1vNJzZmivp6x7orrDq6ainJGqwam70aKrsmaTpLpwtNOcZKZvXZiurrHRmmSupKSnrrG1156jZmllaIJ2fI4%3D