There’s an age-old saying that goes like this: “Size matters.” While history has both proven and disproven these statements through numerous occurrences, it remains fact that larger sensors for optics provide cleaner photographs. It also works out well in capturing more light and detail in tricky situations. With this in mind, Sony is developing the largest mobile camera sensor ever dubbed the Exmor IMX800.

Based on the information revealed so far, this sensor will be capable of 50-megapixel shots. Those numbers don’t really mean much to the uninitiated since even budget devices are capable of those numbers in this day and age.

However, not all pixels are created equal. That’s why a DSLR with a relatively lower megapixel count will consistently outperform a smartphone with double its numbers on the stat sheet. The size of the pixel (often) correlates to the size of the sensor itself, and bigger sensors can reduce grain and register more detail in an image.

Promotions for the Samsung GN2

This Sony IMX800 mobile camera sensor uses this logic to ideally trump its competition with a 1/1.1 inch size. The closest was the Samsung GN2 featured in the Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra, and that’s why this Sony model is rumored to be placed in the successor Mi12 Ultra.

It would be wrong to assume that this will result in the Xiaomi having the best camera overall when it is released. After all, images are a product of a cooperation between hardware and software. That’s why the image processing systems should be able to maximize the sensor’s capabilities in order to release quality images. We’ll have to wait and see whether this new Sony mobile camera sensor lives up to the hype.