It seems that 8 MP camera phones should already step aside to make room for the 9 MP handsets, although the first ones haven’t had the chance to conquer the market yet. Germany’s Digital Imaging Systems announced a new module for camera phones. The DIS6931 has a 9-megapixel CMOS sensor, autofocus, and an advanced optical lens system with mechanical shutter.
“We wanted to maintain our leadership in digital still camera (DSC) quality modules for mobile phones to create new market opportunities for handset manufacturers. With our ultra fast AF (auto-focus), the fastest mobile click-to-capture time and excellent picture quality, we are in a strong position to drive the convergence of mid-range DSC’s into mobile devices,” said Roland Pudelko, CEO of Digital Imaging Systems. The DIS6931 is an all in one DSC quality camera module with a command interface. It has ND-filter, a proprietary interface / control DSP, miniaturized and proprietary low power actuators and a common firmware platform. With its unique platform concept the new DIS6931 camera module enables existing customers to upgrade their DIS camera modules to higher pixel resolutions without hardware change in the host and with the shortest possible software integration time.
Pre-production samples of DIS6931 are available right away, while commercial units should start shipping at the end of 2008, which might mean that the first quarter of 2009 could bring us one or even more 9 MP camera phones.
