Toshiba Unveils Thinner 20MP CMOS Sensor For Smartphones

There are many things that can contribute to making a smartphone thin. It could be how the internal hardware components have been laid out, it could be the choice of the glass used for the display, it could be the size of the battery, and it could also be the size of the components. Well for those looking forward to thinner, high-end smartphones, Toshiba could have solved one of the problems.

The company has recently announced that they have developed a new 20M CMOS sensor which they claim has been designed for high-end smartphones in mind whose goal is to be as thin as possible. According to Toshiba, “With an optical size of 1/2.4 inch, the T4KA7 sensor enables development of camera modules with a z-height of 6mm or less to meet consumer demand for thinner, lighter mobile devices.”

This isn’t the first 20MP sensor from Toshiba, although apart from the difference in size, Toshiba has also improved upon its capabilities. The new sensor has improved its frame rate to 22fps and will boast a resolution of 5384 x 3752. The company claims that this is an improvement of 83% over its predecessor.

The sensor is also said to be capable of digital zoom that will deliver “virtually no discernible image deterioration”, which for those who tends to zoom in a lot, will be a welcome feature. It is unclear as to which OEM will be taking advantage of Toshiba’s latest sensor, but if and when they do, we will most likely see it after February 2015 which is when mass production of the sensor is expected to begin.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, Photo-Video
Tags: Toshiba