Smart phones to soon overtake DSLR cameras — is that really likely?
Sony believes its breakthroughs will see smartphones match or may overtake the capabilities of DSLR and mirrorless cameras as soon as 2024
Recently CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions said “still images [from smartphones] will exceed the image quality of single-lens reflex cameras within the next few years.”
That's slightly different way of saying the same thing: phones will surpass DSLR and mirrorless camera image quality in the next two to three years.
Mobile image sensors are expected to reach and potentially exceed one inch in size in the next two years.
Sony Xperia Pro I already boasts a 1-inch 20MP primary image sensor.
However, due to distance constraints between the lens and sensor, Sony’s ultra-premium camera only uses 12MP of the sensor’s surface, the equivalent of a roughly 1/1.3 inch sensor that’s quite common in other flagship smartphones.
Sony keenly highlighted the potential of its new two-layer CMOS sensor breakthrough. This new setup separates the manufacturing process for the photodiode and transistor layers, optimizing each more effectively
Sony sees new sensors, AI, and high-speed readouts as the keys to overtaking DSLR cameras.
Even if smartphone sensors can’t become big enough to rival APS-C cameras, smaller sensors will be able to capture much more light in the near future, closing the gap.
It’s not yet known when this technology will make its way to smartphones, but it has appeared in Sony’s top-of-the-line mirrorless cameras.