Pixel 6 may sport a 50-megapixel camera, 5G modem from Samsung
Google will debut its own chipset along with the new Pixel 6 smartphones. Though there are still many components that the company sources from others, and here are a couple of examples of that.
In Short
- Google Camera app update in the new Android beta version brings references to a camera sensor.
- The sensor is different from the Sony IMX363 sensor used in previous Pixel phones.
- The new Pixel 6 is also expected to come with a Samsung 5G modem.
Google is out with much of the details of the Pixel 6 series, which is due to mark its debut in the coming months. Intrinsic details are yet to be uncovered, though, and a new report sheds some light on these.
Findings from a deep dive into the latest Android 12 beta version reveals a new piece of information about the cameras on the Pixel 6. As per the findings, the primary “wide-angle” camera lens on the upcoming Pixel phones will be Samsung’s 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN1 image sensor.
The discovery has been highlighted in a new report by XDA Developers. As per a GCam modder named cstark27 cited in the report, the Android 12 Beta 4 update carries a new version of the Google Camera app. A string titled “gn1_wide_p21” was found to exist within a library in the app’s APK.
The finding is in line with the earlier predictions around the smartphone, which suggest a 50-megapixel main sensor on the device’s primary camera. Though Pixel phones to date have been using Sony’s IMX363 sensor and, as noted by XDA Developers, the switch to Samsung GN1 will be “a major upgrade in terms of raw specifications.”
Other than this, modder cstark27 was also able to identify a reference to a “g5123b” modem within another system APK. The modem has been mapped to a total of five devices, which were later revealed to be Oriole, Raven, Passport, Slider, and one unknown product.
The first two code names refer to the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, respectively. Passport is reportedly the code name for Google’s foldable Pixel phone. Slider is likely to be the code name of another yet unknown Google product.
The report states that the “g5123b” string refers to the modem within the Google Tensor chip. The modem might be based on Samsung’s Exynos Modem 5123, which supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. We have seen the 5G modem being used earlier in the Exynos variants of the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20.
If true, the developments clearly highlight how Google relies on Samsung for some critical smartphone components, even as it looks to make the shift to its own hardware for the Pixel lineup. The company will be featuring its Tensor chipset with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro soon, and it is yet to be seen how it gives Google an edge over its competitors.