It’s no secret that cell phone cameras are getting a lot better. In fact, some are good enough to rival dedicated entry level point and shoot cameras. The iPhone 5 takes very impressive pictures and — based on the published specifications — the soon to be released Samsung Galaxy S4 with its 13 megapixel camera — could be even better.
Of course part of what makes for good cell phone cameras is the ability to reduce the size of the sensor without sacrificing quality and resolution. And to that end, Toshiba just announced what it’s billing as “the industry’s thinnest CMOS image sensor camera module with high-resolution, 13 mega pixel (MP), imaging ideal for next-generation, ultra-thin smartphones and tablet devices.”
The new chip, according to Toshiba, is able to shrink the form factor for high resolution sensors by using what the company calls a “flip-chip structure for the image sensor.” The technology “allows for a large number of interconnects, with shorter distances than wire, which greatly reduces assembling area and package height,” according to Toshiba.
Cell phone makers will be able to buy samples of the TCM9930MD camera module in May.
Here are more details from Toshiba.