OmniVision Introduces New Family of 16-Megapixel Sensors with Latest PureCel(R)Plus-S Technology for Mobile Devices

OmniVision Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, announced the OV16885 product series: the OV16885 and OV16885-4C. Built on OmniVision’s second-generation, 1.0-micron PureCel®Plus-S pixel architecture, the power-efficient OV16885 sensor family offers high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging capabilities for both world- and user-facing smartphone cameras.

“As smartphone cameras evolve and become the camera of choice for many use cases, we see users expecting higher image quality and functionality from their smartphones’ imaging systems,” said Badri Padmanabhan, product marketing manager at OmniVision. “The OV16885 sensor series showcases OmniVision’s ongoing commitment to meet market demands by incorporating advanced features in slim, power-efficient packages.”

The OV16885, designed for main cameras in mainstream smartphones, provides an attractive upgrade option for phones in the currently popular 13-megapixel category. With advanced features such as phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and zig-zag high dynamic range (zHDR), the OV16885 delivers professional-grade images that can significantly enhance the smartphone user’s experience. Modern digital cameras historically fall short of the human visual system’s ability to perceive a wide brightness range, and the OV16885’s zHDR technology helps narrow this gap more elegantly than traditional frame-based HDR techniques.

zHDR uses a long and a short exposure in a single frame to extend the dynamic range capabilities of the sensors. Long and short exposure lines are diagonally interlaced across the entire pixel array in a zig-zag pattern. This enables live preview and video recording in HDR mode and single-shot full-resolution HDR images in capture mode without shutter lag.

Additional zHDR benefits include:

•     Up to 18dB of dynamic range extension
•     Single-shot capture to reduce motion artifacts or ghosting effects
•     Removing the necessity for multiple frames, reducing complexity and latency

The OV16885-4C combines the benefits of OmniVision’s second-generation, 1.0-micron PureCel Plus-S technology with an advanced 4-cell in-pixel binning function to greatly enhance sensitivity. The OV16885-4C pairs with smart resolution recovery software solutions to achieve a balance between resolution and sensitivity, which can significantly improve front-facing camera image quality even in challenging lighting environments. With these advanced capabilities, the OV16885-4C can serve as an ideal choice for “super selfie” cameras in high-end smartphone devices.

OmniVision’s second-generation 1.0-micron PureCel Plus-S technology brings enhancements to buried color filter array (BCFA) and deep trench isolation (DTI). As a result, images and video captured by the OV16885 and OV16885-4C exhibit superior color reproduction and improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as compared to prior generations, especially in low-light conditions.

Product Specifications

The OV16885 captures:

•     16-megapixel images, video and zHDR capability at 30 frames per second (FPS)
•     4K2K video at 60 FPS
•     1080p video at 120 FPS
•     720p HD at 120 FPS

The OV16885 and OV16885-4C sensors fit into industry-standard module form factors for slim mobile devices. Both sensors are currently available for sampling and are expected to enter mass production in the first quarter of 2017.