Samsung still using two different main sensors in its flagship

Teardowns of the newly released Galaxy S9 show that Samsung is still using Sony sensors in some areas of the world.

The two main chips used are Samsung S5K2L3 and Sony IMX345, depending on which region of the world you’re in.

These chips both use a stacked structure with three layers. The layers include an image signal processor (ISP), DRAM (memory), and the CMOS image sensor.

Samsung S5K2L3 ISOCELL Fast is their first three layer chip and differs from Sony’s by placing the DRAM on the back of the chip instead of in the middle.

Whatever Samsung’s reasons for using the Sony sensor in some regions, whether it be a supply issue or a quality issue, shows that Samsung is still a ways off from becoming king of the mobile camera heap.