Close up on the new HTC One UltraPixel Camera

The new HTC One which was just revealed a while ago boasts superior camera performance as one of its key highlights. During the launch presentation, HTC told the audience that the Megapixel count is no longer relevant and it is the pixel size that counts.

For years, smart phone makers have been pushing the megapixel count which is somewhat the consumer’s measurement of camera capabilities. Unfortunately the number of pixels doesn’t necessary mean better quality as there’s only so much pixels that one can cram into a tiny sensor. Now this begins to sound like another Nokia PureView.

The new HTC One has a 1/3″ CMOS Sensor that has a sensor pixel size of 2.0 micron. In terms of pixel size, that’s double of typical 8MP smart phones that are 1.4 micron. That said, having a bigger pixel would theoretically capture more light which HTC claims to be 300% extra, however it also means that more space would be taken up on the sensor. As a result, the new HTC One takes a maximum photo resolution of 4MP. 4MP isn’t that bad with its 2688×1520 pixels resolution but the typical consumers might get turn off without knowing the technicalities behind UltraPixel. Whether this approach would result better photos is yet to be seen and we can’t wait to see it for ourselves in our hands on soon.

Other notable features of the camera include Optical Image stabilisation, which is similar to the Nokia Lumia 920 and a large aperture of f/2.0. As comparison, the Galaxy S III has an aperture of f/2.6 while the iPhone 5 at f/2.4. The smaller numbers indicate larger aperture which allows more light to pass through.

In terms of video recording, the new HTC One shoots 1080p video up to 30fps and 720p up to 60fps. It is also capable of shooting burst mode photos up to 8 frames per second.

To explain Ultrapixels and to debunk the megapixel myth, HTC has a section to explain just that. Head over to the HTC Zoe section for further reading.