Smartphone Camera Sensor Size War，The Design Compromises and Breakthroughs of 1-inch Large Sensor Modules

In the smartphone technology race, sensor size has always been a battleground. From the early 1/2.5 inch to today's 1-inch large sensor, are trying to achieve a qualitative leap in image quality performance through physical hardware upgrades. However, after the sensor size breaks the critical point, the contradiction between the optical module the body design gradually becomes prominent, and a game about the technical route is quietly underway.

The advantages of a large sensor are obvious: a larger light-sensitive area can capture more photons, significantly improving low-light shooting ability and dynamic range while also bringing more natural background blurring effects. Taking OPPO Find X7 Ultra equipped with LYT900 as an example, its 1inch sensor, through 22nm process technology and DI ADC technology, has achieved full-quantity DCG HDR capability, and with instant dual-sampling, it has pushed the dynamic performance of computational photography to a new height. vivo X100 Ultra, through the 1G+7P optical lens group Zeiss T* coating, further optimizes the optical performance of the large sensor, ensuring the precise reproduction of details and colors. However, the expansion of physical size brings thorny problems. The early model Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a camera module thickness of 15.4mm, which significantly affects the grip. order to balance the image performance and the lightness of the body, the manufacturers have to make compromises. For example, Xiaomi 15 Ultra uses a mainboard design to make room for the camera component, but sacrifices part of the motor volume; Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, through the "stellar module telescopic structure, integrates the 1-inch sensor with F1.6 large aperture into an 8.4mm body, achieving a major breakthrough in industrial.

Faced with the size bottleneck, manufacturers began to explore diversified technical paths. OPP and Sony's joint research and development of folding pixel technology (double-layer transistor pixels), through structural optimization, the saturation signal is increased by 2 times the dynamic range is increased by 355%, and the module thickness is reduced by 3mm, which provides key support for the imaging upgrade of folding mobile phones. This technological breakthrough shows that the improvement of sensor performance does not have to rely only on the expansion of physical size. On the other hand, the integration high pixels and large sensors has become a new trend. Although Samsung's 200MP sensor has a 1/1.3-inch size advantage Sony is developing a larger 200MP sensor, trying to surpass it through hardware parameters. This technological route contest is essentially different understandings of the balance betweenpixel density" and "light-sensitive area" by the manufacturers. In the future, how to achieve high pixels and large sensors in a limited space will become the proposition of the industry.

While 1-inch sensors still dominate flagship models, some manufacturers attempting to return to rationality. The Xiaomi 14 series abandoned the IMX989 in favor of the "Light and Shadow Hunter" sensor, compens for hardware gaps through aperture adjustments and computational algorithms; Vivo, on the other hand, achieved low-latency image processing through AI-ISP chips, computational photography towards real-time and scenario-based processing. These cases indicate that the "arms race" relying solely on sensor size can no longer meet user needs, deep optimization of both hardware and software is the future direction. It is worth noting that innovations in optical design are accelerating the breakthrough of physical limits. Huawei'sopic lens and OPPO's periscope dual-camera system, both through structural design, reconstruct the optical path in a confined space, retaining the advantages large sensors while also considering slim design. This kind of wisdom of "doing magic in a snail shell" may lead mobile phone imaging into a new era of "ural innovation".

The war for sensor size in smartphone cameras is far from over, but the industry's focus has shifted from pure hardware comparisons to technology and user experience. The popularization of 1-inch sensors is not only a milestone but also a new starting point—it forces manufacturers to find more ingen solutions within limited space, driving imaging technology towards more refined and intelligent development. In the future, with the continuous breakthroughs in materials science and algorithms, smartphones may completely the traditional perception of "bigger sensor wins", finding a perfect balance between slimness and image quality.