Ryan Whitwam / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung could reportedly use the ISOCELL GN3 sensor for the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus.
- This is fundamentally the same main camera sensor used on the S23 and S22.
We heard a rumor earlier this month that the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus could use a Sony main camera sensor instead of a Samsung ISOCELL sensor. We were a little skeptical due to the fact that Samsung has long used in-house camera sensors and that the Galaxy S25 series was over a year away.
Now, leaker Revegnus has reported that the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus might use the 50MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor for the main camera after all. More specifically, the tipster claims that Samsung could use the ISOCELL GN3 sensor.
In fact, the ISOCELL GN3 is virtually identical to the ISOCELL GN5 used in the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus. The two sensors feature the same 1/1.56-inch sensor size and one-micron pixel size. But the GN3 does offer better autofocus and a higher burst mode frame rate on paper.
Why would this be a bad move?
Samsung will need to heavily lean on software and the chipset to deliver improved image quality if it’s indeed using the same main camera once again. But software and the processor are just two parts of the equation, and the best camera phones combine great software, capable chipsets, and larger image sensors.
The combo of a large sensor, great software, and plenty of horsepower enables improvements like reduced noise, increased dynamic range, cleaner and brighter low-light video, shorter night modes, and improved low-light portraits. This combination can also enable all-new features like handheld astrophotography.
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It’s worth stressing that the Galaxy S25 series is a long way off, so things could change between now and the expected January 2025 launch date. You therefore might not want to accept this leak as gospel. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be the first time an Android phone brand stuck with a main camera sensor way past its sell-by date.
Google previously insisted on using the 12.2MP IMX362 and 363 sensors as the main camera for every Pixel from 2017’s Pixel 2 series to 2020’s Pixel 5 (as well as 2021’s Pixel 6a). Thankfully, Google switched to the much larger 50MP ISOCELL GN1 for the Pixel 6 range. Here’s hoping Samsung doesn’t follow this same route.
