Sony Lytia 901: 200MP Smartphone Sensor with Built-in AI
Sony announced the Lytia 901, its first 200-megapixel image sensor for mobile devices. This 1/1.12-type chip has 0.7-micron pixels, making it a bit smaller than the 50MP Lytia 900’s 1/0.98 size with 1.6-micron pixels, but it packs four times the resolution. PetaPixel reports it’s already shipping to manufacturers for upcoming flagships.
Quad-Quad Bayer and AI Remosaicing for Zoom
The sensor uses a Quad-Quad Bayer Coding (QQBC) layout, grouping 16 adjacent pixels (4×4) with the same color filter. In everyday shooting, these clusters act like one big pixel for better low-light sensitivity, outputting around 12.5MP images. For zoom up to 4x, it remosaics them into a standard array to keep details sharp.
Sony built an AI processing circuit right into the sensor. It’s the first for this and handles that remosaicing. ProVideo Coalition notes this pulls out fine details like patterns and text that are tough for regular processing, while hitting 30fps 4K video at 4x zoom.
HDR Tech for Better Dynamic Range
It combines Dual Conversion Gain HDR (DCG-HDR) with a new Hybrid Frame HDR (HF-HDR) that blends short-exposure frames with DCG data. Sony claims over 100dB dynamic range, more than 16 stops. This cuts highlight blowouts and shadow crush to match human vision better. A Fine 12-bit ADC bumps quantization from 10 to 12 bits for richer tones across zooms. PetaPixel calls it nearly 17 stops.
Shooting Specs
- Still photos: 200MP RAW at 10fps, 50MP at 30fps, 12.5MP at 60fps
- Video: 8K at 30fps, 4K at 120fps
- Autofocus: All-pixel phase detection
ProPakistani confirms those rates, adding rumors of use in Oppo Find X9 Ultra, Vivo X300 Ultra, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and Honor phones. IMP.NEWS points out its larger size over Samsung’s HP1. Gizmochina compares it to Samsung’s Gadgetbridge highlights the low-light edge from pixel binning.
