Smartphones will surpass cameras as early as 2024. This little sensor will revolutionize

If we analyze the modern smartphone market, we can draw an interesting conclusion: now the models differ, in fact, only in design, firmware and … cameras. Judge for yourself: all gadgets of the same price category use the same processor (or very similar chipsets), equal screens, identical speakers and similar batteries. A paradox is connected with this: the development of cameras (the only stand-out detail of a smartphone) seems to be slowing down every year – after the advent of night mode and periscope lenses, the world of mobile technologies has not seen any revolutionary ideas.

However, the situation may change very soon – as early as 2024. All thanks to the revolutionary idea of ​​​​Spectricity and its S1 sensor, which completely changes (or rather complements) the existing approach to shooting. It is worth emphasizing right away that these are not just another bold, but naive dreams of wonderful future technologies (like mythical graphene batteries), but a really realistic project lying on the horizon.

How is the new approach different from the existing one?

At the moment, the cameras of the vast majority of smartphones are equipped with RGB sensors that can only capture red (Red), green (Grein) and blue (Blue) – frames of these three colors are combined and processed by smart algorithms, and then the final photo is obtained.

Spectricity S1 works in a similar way, only its matrix captures not three layers, but up to sixteen – with different colors and different wavelengths of light (near infrared range) of various types, including those coming from different sources, as well as reflected from objects in the frame. The engineers called their development a multispectral sensor.

Such a sensor transmits much more data about the image to the smartphone, which allows the algorithms to process the photo much better. In practice, this is most clearly reflected in the white balance – the cameras of modern smartphones, even of the highest level, give very different results depending on the ambient light temperature, which distorts the realism of color reproduction (especially if light from different types of light sources enters the frame). For a multispectral sensor, this is an insignificant problem – ambient lighting still affects the white balance of the frame, but is almost imperceptible to humans.

In fact, correct color reproduction under difficult conditions is the final stage that will allow smartphones to catch up with cameras in terms of the quality of taking photos for social networks and home archives. Or even surpass them, given the night mode and similar wonders of automatic post-processing.

Is the Spectricity S1 a sensor or is it still a camera?

This is a camera used for auxiliary purposes. It takes photos at a resolution of 800×600 pixels (shooting speed is 30 frames per second), which are then combined with a standard RGB image. This auxiliary principle of operation is similar to that in the case of using a “depth sensor” or a ToF sensor – they also independently record data, which are then used to improve the photo on the main RGB camera.

The multispectral sensor itself is quite small (6×5×5 mm) and designed for installation in smartphones – it is built using the same methods used to create conventional CMOS sensors. According to the manufacturer, the cost of a single module will be comparable to the price of a standard camera for a high-end smartphone.

The Spectricity S1 is driven by an Digital Signal Processor (ISP), an essential component of today’s SoCs from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and other mobile chipset manufacturers. But to support it, you need additional software.

The multispectral sensor is not only suitable for photography

Although the main idea of ​​this technology lies in improving images, using its capabilities (in particular, capturing different wavelengths in the near infrared spectrum) solely for photography would not reveal its full potential.

The multispectral sensor allows, for example, to recognize biomarkers of the epidermis – these can then be analyzed to determine the condition of the skin and its authenticity (this can be useful for improving face scanners to prevent the use of a realistic face mask of another person). In fact, there can be much more applications for the capabilities of such a sensor, but this will require special programs that will analyze the data. The manufacturer himself sees several possible applications (in addition to those described above):

• augmented reality improvements – more realistic lighting of real and virtual objects, more accurate object detection;
• analysis of plant health – special programs will be able to detect the lack of water and fertilizers by analyzing pictures of leaves;
• food analysis – utilities will be able to determine the freshness and ripeness of food.

When will the multispectral sensor be on the market?

This is perhaps the most important part of the article, because in the history of mobile technologies there were many interesting and promising ideas that never made it to the market – just look at the patent portfolio of any large company, not to mention countless ambitious startups.

But in the case of Spectricity and its S1 sensor, the forecasts seem more optimistic – at least, this is readily believed for several reasons at once. Firstly, the manufacturer has already shown a ready-made working sensor live – Digital Trends got acquainted with it (although the prototype was controlled by a computer, not a smartphone). Second, the Spectricity S1 can be built in foundries that make standard CMOS sensors—no need to learn new manufacturing techniques or invest in additional shops. Thirdly, the head of the company names specific dates (apparently, focusing on closed negotiations with manufacturers):

At first he [мультиспектральный датчик] will be implemented in high-end phones. It will be low volume in 2024, higher volume in 2025, and then starting in 2026, it will [мультиспектральный датчик] will be more widely distributed.

The company added that the first smartphones with a multispectral sensor will be models of Chinese brands, and not corporations such as Apple and Samsung.