27th May 2008, 11:37 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Camera-phone chip maker OmniVision has created a brand new type of image sensor that it says can be used in high-end mobile phones as early as 2009. The new sensor crams far more pixels into the same space used in current chips. OmniVision says the new sensors can squeeze 8 megapixels into the same area of today's 3 megapixel chips. It uses a new technology called backside illumination, which allows the smaller sensors to collect as much light as the larger pixels. The new sensors will also have much better low-light performance than current chips.

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