Smartphone and DSLR cameras have been moving in opposite directions in recent years, and the image quality of the phones will eventually surpass that of its single-lens reflex rivals in 2024, according to Sony.
As reported by Nikkei Japan (opens in a new tab), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS) President and CEO Terushi Shimizu said in a business briefing that we expect still images [from smartphones] will surpass the image quality of single-lens reflex cameras in the coming years. “
Some fascinating slides (opens in a new tab) presented during the briefing session were even more specific, with a slide showing that, according to Sony, “still images are expected to outperform ILC [interchangeable lens camera] image quality “sometime in 2024.
These are two slightly different claims, with “ILCs” also including today’s mirrorless cameras, along with older DSLR technology that most camera manufacturers are largely abandoning.
But the broader conclusion remains: Far from reaching the technology ceiling, smartphones are expected to continue their image evolution and, for most people, make stand-alone cameras redundant. .
A slide show from Sony’s “Imaging & Sensing Solutions” briefing, taken from the full presentation (opens in a new tab). (Image credit: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
So what technology will drive this continued rise of the best camera phones? Sony points to some factors, such as “quantum saturation” and improvements to “AI processing.” Interestingly, Sony also expects the sensor size of “high-end model” phones to double by 2024.
According to him, the larger pixels of these sensors will allow phone manufacturers to apply a multi-frame processing that “performs a new imaging experience”, including enhanced Super HDR modes and zooms that combine folded optics (such as on Sony Xperia 1 IV) with AI Algorithms.
Sony also highlighted the development of its “two-layer transistor pixel technology,” which we heard about last year, which promises to drastically improve the dynamic range of camera phones and help reduce noise. little light.
Similar advances are also being made for video, according to Sony’s presentation, with higher read speeds of next-generation sensors that support 8K video, multi-frame processing (including HDR video), and a general “processing” AI for video “. In other words, computer video techniques like Apple’s Cinematic Mode.
While it’s not uncommon for Sony to make bold predictions about a highly invested industry, there seems to be substance behind its predictions for the continued evolution of camera phones at the expense of DSLRs and cameras. without mirror.
And this is significant for all smartphones, because according to Statista (opens in a new tab), Sony has 42% of the global market for image sensors for phones, while the disassembly of the iPhone 13 Pro Max show that it uses three Sony IMX 7 series sensors.
Analysis: Phones continue their meteoric rise
(Image credit: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
Predictions about the demise of DSLR cameras are nothing new: without saying anything explicitly, Canon and Nikon have admitted that DSLRs are an inherited format by suspending some models, such as the Nikon D3500, without replacing them. But Sony’s latest statements point out that the phones’ cameras still have a long way to go before they reach their technology ceiling.
The most important advances in recent years have been in multi-frame processing, also known as computer photography. But understandably, Sony wanted to emphasize the role that the new hardware will play in elevating the cameras of the phones to new photographic heights.
His prediction that the sensor sizes of high-end phones will double in 2024 is slightly surprising, given that this is limited by factors such as lenses. For example, the Sony Xperia Pro-I became Sony’s first phone to have a 1-inch sensor last year, but its lens couldn’t project a large enough image circle to cover it. sensor, so it could only take 12 MP photos instead of the native 20 MP resolution.
Perhaps more significant is Sony’s new stacked CMOS sensor with two-layer transistor pixels, which effectively exposes each pixel to twice as much light as a standard sensor. This sounds like a hardware breakthrough in which computational algorithms could definitely stick their teeth in to increase dynamic range and noise performance.
But given how good the latest phones are in photography, the most notable breakthroughs in the coming years are likely to be video. Sony’s presentation highlighted this with references to multi-frame processing and its Edge AI platform, which promises to increase video performance and support for augmented reality applications.
While DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras will always have an audience among amateurs and professionals alike because of their handling, creative control, viewfinders, and one-shot image quality, the types of advances outlined in the Sony’s presentation shows that the coming years will be especially exciting time for the phone’s cameras.