HONOR thinks bigger (not more) pixels are the way to go in 2020

We’ve seen Xiaomi deliver a 108MP smartphone in the Mi Note 10 late last year, while rumors persist that at least one of the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones will offer a 108MP camera.

Honor seems to think bigger pixels are the future of photography in 2020 though, as the company’s marketing manager says on Weibo.

“To achieve 100 million pixels [100MP – ed], the pixel size is difficult to exceed 0.8 μm. Sony and we all believe that a pixel size of 1 μm or more can guarantee the flagship sensitivity and image quality requirements. In 2020, our flagship company will firmly choose the route of large bottom pixels (sic),” reads a machine-translated version of the post, seen below.

In other words, it sounds like HONOR and Sony aren’t working on a smartphone with a 100MP+ camera in 2020 just yet. And it’s tough to argue with a move like this when the Google Pixel 4 and Samsung’s 2019 flagships managed to deliver excellent results with 12MP 1.4 micron pixel camera sensors.

Then again, we thought the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 delivered mostly great results from its 108MP 0.8 micron camera. In fact, our own Rob Triggs said the phone could be comparable to the likes of the Pixel 4 in low light and beat it for detail in ideal conditions.

But opting for bigger pixels should theoretically result in even better light-gathering capabilities and more accurate colors. And we’ve already seen the likes of sensor company Omnivision announcing a 48MP camera with even bigger pixels than Sony and Samsung’s 48MP sensors (1.2 microns versus 0.8 microns).

Either way, we’re glad to see HONOR going for bigger pixels instead of simply following the pack and adding more megapixels. Will it pay off? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.