— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 14, 2022 The Hexa²pixel name makes more sense when taken in light with earlier leaks, which suggest the S23 Ultra will sport a 200-megapixel primary lens. The name Hexa²pixel likely points to a 6-in-1 binning technique. Pixel binning refers to combining a group of neighboring pixels to form a big pixel. This helps in getting better detailed images with reduced noise. Usually phones have used 4-in-1 binning, but there are obvious downsides to the process too. Quad-binning for example reduces resolution by 4 times, so a 48-megapixel camera sensor will only output a 12-megapixel image. This is where Samsung’s decision to use a 200-megapixel sensor will likely pay off. With even 6-in-1 binning, the phone can theoretically output highly detailed 32-megapixel images. The phone’s probable release is still quite time away, and a lot can change till then, so take these rumors with a pinch of salt. Pixel binning in itself is not a next generation camera feature, so it will be interesting to see what more Samsung has in-store with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
