Each year smartphone manufacturers have ben pushing the boundaries in terms of what the cameras on these devices can muster. The latest innovation comes out of Samsung in the form of the ISOCELL HP1 which the industry’s first 200MP phone camera sensor.

It is not the first time that Samsung has debuted a word first, having revealed a 108MP sensor only two years ago that has gone on to feature in many of its Galaxy S and Note devices. At this stage it is unclear when the ISOCELL HP1 will take its first pictures in a commercially available phone, but Samsung has confirmed that samples are already in the hands of other smartphone makers.

As for how the new sensor is capable of supporting 200MP, Samsung explains that it developed 0.64μm-sized pixels and adopted an all-directional focusing Dual Pixel Pro technology with two photodiodes in a single 1.0μm pixel, for this offering.

“Samsung has been pioneering ultrafine pixel technologies that are taking high-resolution image sensors to the next level,” noted Duckhyun Chang, EVP of sensor business at Samsung Electronics in a blog post. “With the ISOCELL HP1 that is breaking barriers and ISOCELL GN5 bringing ultrafast auto focus, Samsung will continue to lead the trend for next-generation mobile imaging technologies.”

Unpacking some of the features of the sensor, Samsung says it can record in up to 8K at 30fps with minimal loss in field of view, along with a four-by-four 12.5MP setting for low light photography and a two-by-two technique for 50MP images to complement the full 200MP resolution options.

The HP1 was not the only piece of technology that Samsung unveiled today, with the ISOCELL GN5 also seeing the light of day. It does not boast the same capabilities as the HP1, but does serve up a 50MP resolution based on 1.0μm pixels, while being the first Samsung offering of this kind to do so with its Dual Pixel Pro technology.

Like the HP1, the ISOCELL GN5 is also in the hands of manufacturers, with Xiaomi being touted as rumoured to be the first to make use of it.

For now, we’ll have to sit tight and see which company will bring these sensors to market. In the case of the HP1, it will likely be Samsung, so expect to see it in an Ultra flagship model soon.