Samsung appears set for a battle of the best mobile camera next month, as information for its upcoming Galaxy S20 Ultra continues to leak on the web. According to XDA Developers’ Max Weinbach, the smartphone will feature a 108-megapixel primary camera, as well as a secondary 48-megapixel camera with 10× zoom, and tertiary 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. As manufacturers gear up to offer the best mobile camera experiences, Samsung will have a strong start. But the Korean company isn’t the first to debut the technology, as Xiaomi released what was potentially the same, or a similar, 108-megapixel sensor in its 2019-announced Mi CC9 Pro.
The CC9 Pro offered a 108-megapixel 1/1.33-inch sensor paired with a 25mm-equivalent f/1.69 lens; the digital sensor for Xiaomi’s device was manufactured by none other than Samsung. Initially announced in August 2019, Samsung noted that it would release the industry’s first 109MP image sensor for smartphones, branding it as the Isocell Bright HMX. At this time, we cannot confirm whether the sensor is the same one as offered in Xiaomi’s device, but we can confidently predict that it’s based upon the same foundation. Previous reviews of the Isocell sensor have positioned it in a realm of quality among the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and Huawei Mate 30 Pro.
With a mobile camera capable of capturing 108-megapixel images, users will want to ensure they have enough storage with even a JPG file potentially taking up over 20MB of storage space. Luckily, multiple leaks, including the original from Weinbach, note that the S20 Ultra will keep an SD Card slot, allowing for up to 1TB of expansion. The S20 Ultra is said to offer several internal storage options, including 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Completely maxed out, that’s 1.5TB of potential storage, plenty of space for any avid mobile photography or videographer.
Additional details recently uncovered include a 5,000mAh battery, which will include a 45W fast-charge option for reaching 100% in 74 minutes. Lastly, the company is said to offer two memory configurations within the Ultra, either 12GB or 16GB of RAM. Samsung is set to position the S20 Ultra as its highest-end smartphone, to be launched alongside the S20 and S20+ at its February 11 Galaxy Unpacked event.
