Future Galaxy Flagships May Feature Global Shutter-Like Camera Sensors

Samsung has reportedly achieved a major breakthrough in smartphone camera technology. The company has developed a new mobile image sensor with global shutter-like capabilities that can capture fast-moving subjects without distortion. This technology may appear in future Galaxy flagship smartphones.

Samsung’s new camera sensor may deliver clear shots of fast-moving subjects

Most smartphone cameras use a rolling shutter that captures images line by line instead of all at once. While this method produces high-resolution photos, it can cause moving objects to appear distorted or stretched. The global shutter technology solves this problem by exposing all pixels simultaneously. As a result, the sensor can capture the entire scene at once, ensuring the subjects appear sharp and clear.

However, global shutter sensors are usually larger and more complex, making them difficult to use in smartphone cameras while maintaining high resolution. Thankfully, Samsung has overcome this challenge by developing (via Sisa Journal) a new sensor design that combines an innovative pixel structure and algorithm technology with existing rolling shutter hardware.

Speaking of the new pixel structure, it features a 1.5-micrometer (µm) pixel pitch and a 12MP lens. Usually, camera sensors send signals from each pixel to a separate analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to turn them into digital data. Samsung’s design embeds the ADC directly within the pixel for more accurate data processing. “The structure is such that four pixels share one ADC, so only the 2×2 pixels can operate sequentially like a rolling shutter, and the rest can operate as a global shutter,” said a Samsung official.

Furthermore, Samsung applies advanced algorithms to create a high-resolution image sensor with global shutter characteristics. Samsung is expected to share more details about this new mobile image sensor at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February 2026. Meanwhile, while Samsung is unlikely to use the global shutter-like sensor on the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, the Ultra model may get a wider f/1.4 aperture on its 200MP primary sensor for better photos.