Sony might have stolen a big camera order from Samsung

Xiaomi is one of the more popular Android smartphone brands out there, so its success and decisions matter to Samsung's camera business. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra flagship is enabled by the Samsung ISOCELL GN2 50MP camera sensor — in fact, it was the first smartphone in the world to use the GN2 solution.

All things considered, Samsung's camera division earns money off every Mi 11 Ultra sold. And given this Samsung-Xiaomi collaboration, most people have expected Xiaomi's next flagship, i.e., the rumored 12 Ultra, to use a more updated ISOCELL sensor from Samsung.

However, new reports say otherwise. It turns out that Samsung may have lost this big contract to Sony, and as a result, the Xiaomi 12 Ultra's camera system could be based on the rumored Sony Exmor IMX800 sensor.

Sony Exmore IMX800 could be similar to the ISOCELL GN2

Sony has yet to make the rumored Exmor IMX800 sensor official, but assuming that the leaked specifications are accurate, the IMX800 should have a 50-megapixel resolution similar to the ISOCELL GN2 from Samsung.

On the other hand, Sony's sensor appears to be larger, which should work in its favor. At the very least, it could allow the camera to capture better photos in more lighting conditions.

It's not entirely clear why Xiaomi may have decided to end its collaboration with Samsung in favor of Sony. The transition from GN to IMX hasn't been officially confirmed yet, so there's no point in speculating. But it would mean a loss for Samsung's camera business nonetheless. We'll keep you posted.

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