OmniVision has announced the details of the OV40A, a 40-megapixel image sensor designed to be paired with the next generation of smartphones.
The 1/1.7” sensor is built on OmniVision’s PureCel Plus-S stacked die technology, features 1.0 micron pixels and offers ‘super high gain and de-noise technologies for the best-in-class low light camera performance’ for its size. OmniVision says the OV40A offers multiple high dynamic range (HDR) options for both stills and video, as well as slow-motion video capture up to 240 frames per second (fps) with phase detection autofocus (PDAF).
Like the 32MP sensor it released earlier this week, the OV40A uses a 4-cell color filter array and hardware remosaic. In addition capturing to 40MP stills at up to 30 fps, the sensor can also use near-pixel binning to capture 10MP stills at 120 fps for improved low-light performance. On the video front, the OV40A can record 4K video at up to 60 fps and 1080p video at up to 240 fps, all with PDAF.
OmniVision explains, in detail, the high-gain and HDR features found in the OV40A:
‘It supports super high gain of up to 256x, and is embedded with multi-sampling de-noise functionality for enhanced low light performance. This sensor also offers excellent HDR through selective conversion gain for the optimum balance between low-light image quality and HDR, along with 2- and 3-exposure staggered HDR timing.’
There’s no word on what smartphone manufacturers could use OmniVision’s OV40A sensor. OmniVision sensors are typically used in mid-to-lower-range devices, due to their lower cost compared to sensors from Sony and Samsung, but they have popped up in HTC and Motorola devices in the past.
