Why did Xiaomi launch a 100-megapixel camera first on CC9 Pro?

According to Leiphone.com, on October 28, Lei Jun announced a new phone on Weibo - Xiaomi CC9 Pro, and said that the phone will have a camera configuration of up to 100 million pixels; judging from the pictures provided by Lei Jun on Weibo, this new phone will be equipped with at least 5 rear cameras, one of which is very likely to be a ToF lens.

In addition, the release date of this new phone is set on November 5th.

The camera equipped in Xiaomi CC9 Pro was developed in cooperation with Samsung.

Leifeng.com has previously reported that as early as August 12, Samsung had announced the official launch of the 108-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HMX image sensor, which has a resolution comparable to that of high-end digital SLR cameras. It is the world's first mobile pixel sensor with over 100 million pixels.

Specifically, the ISOCELL Bright HMX is the first mobile image sensor with a large size of 1/1.33 inches. It absorbs more light than small sensors in low-light conditions. The sensor has a diagonal of up to 19mm and 108 million 0.8μm pixels. Tetracell technology is used to output 4 pixels in 1, that is, output 27 million pixel photos to provide better image quality.

ISOCELL Bright HMX also supports Smart-ISO, a mechanism that intelligently adjusts the camera status according to the lighting environment to achieve optimal photoelectric signal conversion. In bright environments, Smart-ISO switches to low ISO mode to increase pixel saturation and produce more realistic photos; in darker scenes, Smart-ISO switches to high ISO mode to help reduce noise, making the image clearer.

In terms of video recording, this sensor can support shooting at 30 frames at a maximum resolution of 6K (6016x3384).

It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi also participated in the research and development of ISOCELL Bright HMX. In Samsung's official press release, Xiaomi's co-founder and president Lin Bin said that for ISOCELL Bright HMX, Xiaomi and Samsung worked closely from the early concept stage to production to develop a groundbreaking 108-megapixel image sensor. The image resolution that was previously only available in a few top SLR cameras can now be integrated into smartphones.

Samsung said that the ISOCELL Bright HMX image sensor began mass production in late August, and it is now in mass production.

Of course, in fact, this ISOCELL Bright HMX image sensor with over 100 million pixels was announced by Xiaomi. On August 7, 2019, Xiaomi announced at the Future Imaging Technology Communication Conference held in Beijing that it would cooperate with Samsung to develop the world's first 100-megapixel camera.

It can be seen that although it was released by Samsung, Xiaomi’s research and development participation is indispensable for this sensor, which to some extent can explain why Xiaomi obtained the first launch right; and Xiaomi’s Pan Jiutang commented online that it is a very expensive camera module.

Since it is expensive, Xiaomi will naturally make the best use of this 100-megapixel camera.

Therefore, on the Xiaomi MIX Alpha surround screen mobile phone released on September 24, the 100-megapixel ultra-high-definition camera (12032 X 9024) was first unveiled. At the scene, Lei Jun also demonstrated the amazing photo effect of it to present distant details. Of course, in addition to 100 million pixels, it is also equipped with two other lenses, namely a 20-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel portrait camera.

Of course, Xiaomi MIX Alpha surround screen has many highlights, such as the screen surround the body, new assembly technology, screen generation technology, 5G dual-card full network access, operating system adaptation, anti-mistouch... These technologies are all to highlight the black technology attributes of MIX Alpha as a concept phone, but "the world's first mobile phone with a 100-megapixel camera" is undoubtedly an unforgettable label for MIX Alpha.

Unfortunately, MIX Alpha is purely for show, and its price of 19,999 yuan has no intention of selling in large quantities. It is currently only trying small-scale mass production and is expected to be launched at the end of December. In this case, Xiaomi actually gave the first launch right of 100 million pixels to Xiaomi CC9 Pro, while MIX Alpha is only the first launch in name but not in reality.

So, why Xiaomi CC9 Pro?

First of all, from the brand perspective, compared with the digital series that Xiaomi relies on and the MIX series that already has three generations of products, the Xiaomi CC series has only been around for half a year and has only had one press conference (the CC9 series was launched). It has little brand accumulation and its brand awareness is relatively low. In this case, the Xiaomi CC series needs a model with product highlights that are enough to impress consumers - obviously, the first mass-produced 100-megapixel model is such a product highlight.

From the perspective of product line positioning, Xiaomi positioned the Xiaomi CC as "focusing on beauty, focusing on trends, and aspiring to be a flagship camera for young people." Therefore, whether it is a rear camera or a front selfie, the hardware of the Xiaomi CC will be the best solution, and it will also introduce the advanced aesthetic concept of the Xiaomi x Meitu AI Aesthetics Laboratory. It can be seen that the product line feature of the Xiaomi CC is photography, so it is not surprising that 100 million pixels are used here.

It can be seen that the launch of Xiaomi CC9 Pro was obviously well considered.

At present, regarding the news of this new Xiaomi CC9 Pro, someone has exposed the front photo of the real machine on the Internet. From the exposure, it is believed that Xiaomi CC9 Pro will adopt a water drop screen + curved screen design, 6GB of memory, equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, and a rear 5-camera + 4 flash - overall, photography is still the biggest highlight.

If we look at the relationship between the three product lines under the Xiaomi mobile phone brand, the launch of Xiaomi CC9 Pro is also timely. At present, the Xiaomi digital series is currently focusing on 5G (Xiaomi 9 Pro 5G is available), and the new MIX Alpha in the MIX series is a concept phone (there is no news about the successor of MIX 3, MIX 4). In this way, the launch of Xiaomi CC9 Pro can form a synergistic relationship with Xiaomi 9 Pro 5G in the upcoming Double Eleven.

Leifeng.com will keep paying attention to this Xiaomi CC9 Pro.

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